Interview with the Band Jeremiah McKinley
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK
VIEW: Hello! Welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder. Thank you
for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
CV: Describe your definition of the
band’s sound and style and how does that definition uniquely describe the
music?
Jeremiah McKinley: I would call us dirty folk. We deliver a blues rock sound to folk storytelling. The story is the most important part to us, and with a blues sound we try to inject even more feeling and weight to the stories we write. But honestly we picked folk music as a jumping off point because it encompasses so many sounds and sub genres. Growing up we loved so many types of music, from blues, gospel, disco, hard rock and more. The folk label just gives us a wider birth to explore whatever we feel like writing at the moment.
Jeremiah McKinley: I would call us dirty folk. We deliver a blues rock sound to folk storytelling. The story is the most important part to us, and with a blues sound we try to inject even more feeling and weight to the stories we write. But honestly we picked folk music as a jumping off point because it encompasses so many sounds and sub genres. Growing up we loved so many types of music, from blues, gospel, disco, hard rock and more. The folk label just gives us a wider birth to explore whatever we feel like writing at the moment.
CV: Today, everyone talks about artist
and audience connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for
an artist and if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
JM: With social media you can have a connection with anybody in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily make you closer. Our connection with our fans is really strong. We talk to our Moms daily. We are active on social media and encourage people to reach out if they would like.
JM: With social media you can have a connection with anybody in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily make you closer. Our connection with our fans is really strong. We talk to our Moms daily. We are active on social media and encourage people to reach out if they would like.
CV: Is fan interaction an important
part of the band’s inner culture?
JM: We hold monthly neighborhood shows for fans around the area in between bookings. These shows really turn out to be a party, and we usually take time in between each song to talk about where it comes from or a funny observation that struck us to work on it. Afterwards we like to join in the fun and drink some beers and hang out. We hope to make our fans a community…one that can set aside the differences of the world and politics to enjoy some music.
JM: We hold monthly neighborhood shows for fans around the area in between bookings. These shows really turn out to be a party, and we usually take time in between each song to talk about where it comes from or a funny observation that struck us to work on it. Afterwards we like to join in the fun and drink some beers and hang out. We hope to make our fans a community…one that can set aside the differences of the world and politics to enjoy some music.
CV: Can a band truly interact with its
fans and still maintain a level of personal privacy without crossing the line
and giving up their “personal space” in your opinion?
JM: As long as you connect with the music that is all that matters. I couldn’t pick the faces out of a line-up of most of my favorite artists. I just enjoy the music. I’m not sure that personal space is a real thing anymore. Everyone seems to give that away when posting the chronicles of their lives on social media. We are always happy to connect with our fans, but I’m not giving away my address or social security number anytime soon.
JM: As long as you connect with the music that is all that matters. I couldn’t pick the faces out of a line-up of most of my favorite artists. I just enjoy the music. I’m not sure that personal space is a real thing anymore. Everyone seems to give that away when posting the chronicles of their lives on social media. We are always happy to connect with our fans, but I’m not giving away my address or social security number anytime soon.
CV: Has modern-day digital technology
made everyone an artist on some level in your opinion? Have the actual lines of
what really is an artist been blurred?
JM: Yes they have and it’s great. What other time in history have so many people been encouraged to try something out or had an outlet to create things. I am always appreciative to see people’s art and it in turn inspires more and more to create. I’ve never been a fan of those who sit around and judge. I think when you put your heart and soul in something sometimes the final product is not as important as the journey. Maybe if more people create, less people will sit around judging others and try something new out themselves.
JM: Yes they have and it’s great. What other time in history have so many people been encouraged to try something out or had an outlet to create things. I am always appreciative to see people’s art and it in turn inspires more and more to create. I’ve never been a fan of those who sit around and judge. I think when you put your heart and soul in something sometimes the final product is not as important as the journey. Maybe if more people create, less people will sit around judging others and try something new out themselves.
CV: How would you describe the
difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
JM: It’s all well and good to try what everyone else is trying and follow the pack. It seems very safe to stand in a crowd, but you kind of end up with a ton of music or art that sounds and looks the same, song to song, piece to piece. It takes courage to strike out into what no one else is trying, hoping that someone will notice and enjoy your efforts. But I don’t think setting trends comes from anything other than wanting to make something different than what you are hearing.
JM: It’s all well and good to try what everyone else is trying and follow the pack. It seems very safe to stand in a crowd, but you kind of end up with a ton of music or art that sounds and looks the same, song to song, piece to piece. It takes courage to strike out into what no one else is trying, hoping that someone will notice and enjoy your efforts. But I don’t think setting trends comes from anything other than wanting to make something different than what you are hearing.
CV: Has music overall been splintered into too many sub-genres in an effort to appease fan tastes in your opinion? And has such fan appeasements, in actuality, weakened music’s impact as a whole by dividing audiences?
JM: Music impact has not been weakened. It may be a little more difficult to find a new artist that you love, but all the great music is there to be discovered. It is great to have new sub genres. It speaks to a generation of people who want to make something new and leave their mark. People are into so many things that now it seems there is a song or type of music that can appeal to everyone. There may not ever be a band as big as the Beatles again, but that’s okay. There are plenty of people out there wanting to try and find new music all the time, and that’s half the fun of it. I am always stoked when I hear something I don’t expect or a new band discovery.
CV: What can fans expect to see coming
next from you?
JM: We are in the midst of working on our second album. We are very proud of what we have made so far, but since we started working with The Animal Farm we are excited to have help with the producing and mixing of our music to get an even cooler sound. We have a ton of new music and we are hoping to have this album come out in the upcoming spring. Other than that we are working to book as many shows as we can. We haven’t gotten to play a ton in the past couple years so we are chomping at the bit to play some new tunes for some folks.
JM: We are in the midst of working on our second album. We are very proud of what we have made so far, but since we started working with The Animal Farm we are excited to have help with the producing and mixing of our music to get an even cooler sound. We have a ton of new music and we are hoping to have this album come out in the upcoming spring. Other than that we are working to book as many shows as we can. We haven’t gotten to play a ton in the past couple years so we are chomping at the bit to play some new tunes for some folks.
CV: Thanks again for taking some time
and talking. It is greatly appreciated.
Check out Jeremiah McKinley at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremiahmcknley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremiahmckinleyband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/16iPyfni8RapWMTVNIU05N?autoplay=true
Check out Jeremiah McKinley at:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeremiahmcknley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremiahmckinleyband
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/16iPyfni8RapWMTVNIU05N?autoplay=true
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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