A Conversation with Mikey Wax – HuffPost 9.3.14

Mike Ragogna: Mikey, what’s the story here? No really, what’s your history, you know, what got you into music, training, support, previous incarnations…?

Mikey Wax: I was in fifth grade, and there was a show and tell. I didn’t have anything cool to show off, but I really wanted to impress the girls and all the kids at school. The only thing I knew how to do well was play piano, thanks to my dad who was also a player. After getting up and performing “Wild Thing,” which is a simple three-chord song, I saw the impressed look on everyone’s face and I was instantly hooked. I started taking lessons every week and writing my own songs.

MR: How would you describe growing up in Oyster Bay, Long Island?

MW: I enjoyed my childhood, even though it was a pretty suburban town. School was very clicky, and while I had a lot of friends, I never knew exactly where I fit in. I think that’s part of the reason I enjoyed playing the piano and writing music from a young age. It was always there, and I could express all my thoughts without being judged. My house was also surrounded by tall trees and a lot of grass, so it was an inspiring place to write music.

MR: Dude, your song “In Case I Go Again” sounds EXACTLY like a piece NBC played during 2012’s Summer Olympics and was on the ABC show Pretty Little Liars. Come to think of it, the same thing happened with your song “Counting On You” with the FOX show So You Think You Can Dance and the trailer for the movie Playing For Keeps. Mikey, it’s pretty clear that someone out there is ripping you off, man! So I know this good lawyer…

MW: Hah! Is your lawyer Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad? Yeah, those features were pretty incredible, it’s always such a thrill hearing my music played on a TV show or movie. I hadn’t been given the heads up about the Olympics placement, and when it aired, I received more texts and phone calls in five minutes than I have in possibly my entire life. I remember my mom was watching at home, and when the song came on, she thought for sure it was my dad in the other room playing my CD, not that it was actually coming through her TV. The So You Think You Can Dance placement was very cool cause they aired it weekly as their elimination montage song. I don’t think the dancers being kicked off the show liked hearing it though.

MR: Who were your creative inspirations growing up?

MW: Okay, here’s one I’ve never given, but it’s true. My dad. He is an amazing piano player and composer, but never released anything professionally. My entire childhood, I remember his music filling up the house. It was a touch jazzy, but very cinematic and melodic. I think that definitely rubbed off on me. Along with The Beatles and Billy!

MR: Nice. So when you were singing in the mirror with a hairbrush or Mr. Microphone when you were nine or ten, who were you pretending to be?

MW: As a kid, I was too scared to sing! Keep in mind, I was the middle child of three brothers. I couldn’t let anyone hear me singing in the bathroom. I didn’t really start feeling comfortable in my own skin ’til high school, and at that time I wanted to be Dave Matthews or John Mayer. I really didn’t expand my musical horizon until college when I got into bands like Wilco, Radiohead, Phish, and even more classic rock like Zeppelin, Yes, Neil Young and James Taylor.

MR: What kind of printable hell did you raise while attending Nashville’s Vanderbilt University?

MW: Being from NY, making my way to the South for college was definitely not common. I think I was the first or second person from my high school to go there. I definitely did a few fun things that I shouldn’t share publicly, but I had a great time being out of my element and meeting a lot of new people – especially the beautiful southern women. Nashville turned out to be an incredibly inspiring place too, I wrote hundreds of songs in college.

MR: Mikey, rumor has it that at a Young Hollywood party, you spilled a drink on and had an altercation with Superbowl MVP Aaron Rodgers. How quickly did the broken bones heal and how big was the hospital bill, you know, for Aaron?

MW: Hah, and I got out of it with no broken fingers! Aaron is the man, it’s so awesome to have someone I look up to be a fan of my music as well. A buddy of his had randomly sent him some songs of mine a few years ago, and he’s been a big supporter since. His favorite song on my new album happens to be my favorite one to sing live, “Bottle Of Jack.”

MR: Your single “You Lift Me Up” was featured on iTunes and titled “Ahead of the Curve.” Just how ahead of the curve is this recording and how big a change will it bring to music as we know it?

MW: It just passed three million streams on Spotify which is pretty surreal! My label and I truly believe it’s a big song for me. It has an anthemic quality to it, so we’re picturing 20,000 people in a stadium belting it out! It’s a special song, written as a thank you to all my fans, friends and family who have stood by me the past few years as I’ve gotten my feet off the ground with my music. The music business has a ton of ups and down, and having their constant support really keeps me going. Only time will tell how “ahead of the curve” it is, but the song holds a lot of meaning to me and I’ll sing it for 20 people or 20,000.

MR: Do you think the third time will be the charm with this self-titled album that’s coming through Toucan Cove/Universal?

MW: I certainly hope so. I know I gave my all to this record and think the songs are my best work to date.

MR: Since it’s self-titled, does that mean THIS album is truly you, unlike 2009’sChange Again and 2011’s Constant Motion?

MW: I think all my albums were truly me at that point in time when they were written and recorded and released. The label and I decided a self-titled release made sense since were hopefully introducing myself and my music to a larger audience than I’ve ever reached before. The album also has a new and updated version of a song from the first album I ever recorded, called “Last Great Song”, which I think brings the whole thing full circle.

MR: Care to take us on a little tour of this alleged self-titled album?

MW: The album is perfectly designed to make your brain think, make your heart feel, make you dance slow and fast, and perhaps make you want to do something with someone else while naked in a dimly lit room. The album has a few different flavors on it, from electric pop/rock in “You Lift Me Up” to pop/funk in “Bottle Of Jack” to country-ish in “Baby Don’t You Let Me Down”. However, I think it all blends together nice and keeps the album musically interesting.

MR: What’s one secret you would never want to be revealed?

MW: I ___ when I ____, but for some reason, it looks _____.

MR: What is your advice for new artists?

MW: An older, wiser musician once gave me this comparison, and as much as I hated hearing it, it’s still true for me and pretty much every musician trying to reach new levels. If you wanna go on a diet you have to eat well and exercise. If you want to be a songwriter/musician, you have to practice hard and keep writing. It all comes down to how much effort you want to put into it.

MR: From your perspective, why is Graham Colton’s Pacific Coast Eyes one of the great pop albums of our time?

MW: Hah, because Graham is a great talented dude and when you’re touring with him, he’s really good at sweet talking receptionists at hotel lobbies into giving us the nicest room in the hotel. Graham actually started an awesome company for artists looking to do house concerts. I teamed up with him for it and played a bunch of private house shows for my fans. I will be doing more of those over the upcoming months, so if you want to host a “Mikey Wax House Show,” head tohttps://fanswell.fm/tour/44/mikeywax.