Tell us about yourself and your music
I’m from Fayetteville Arkansas and I started playing the drums when I was 4 years old and then the piano, and then the guitar. I kept adding instruments as I got older. After learning several instruments then I started writing music and lyrics and found a natural talent for that. Most of my songs tell a story about me and what I’ve personally felt or experienced. Songs come to me and I can sit down and write music and lyrics within 15 minutes and have the whole song. That’s the case for every one of my songs.
Talk to us more about your latest release
I wrote my latest release on vacation in Missouri. It was inspired by my former relationship but my current feelings, mixed with future goals. It is a slow and more 90’s style country song with a western twang, and 21st-century lyrics and vocals.
https://youtu.be/lqb991zj1tc
What inspired you to write this release?
I haven’t had the best luck with relationships. This song came from a moment of realization of where I am, The goal in mind of where I want to be, and the career I want to do, music. I Don’t Need You Anyways tells a story of an inner struggle of forgetting the past, being content with the current situation, and looking forward to the future.
Describe the writing and recording process
I wrote this song, I Don’t Need You Anyways, July 10th of this year. I was visiting a friend in Mountain View, Missouri at the time. I was laying in bed at 2:00 in the morning and could not go to sleep. In my mind I was thinking, I need a new song but didn’t know where to start. Out of nowhere, this song hit me. I wrote it and started humming the music to it as I was writing. Not a single instrument within a 200-mile radius that I could borrow. I had it finished in under 30 minutes, sang the song out loud, then fell fast asleep. It was one of the more crazier ways of writing but could not miss the opportunity of a truly heartfelt song.
For me, the recording is easy. I can play every instrument and get it, without fail, the first time. What gets me is the singing part, so I had to warm up and keep recording until I get my best recording. Once I did that, then I started the mixing. Mixing is not my strong point, especially finding the right sound and EQ but I’m constantly reading and studying and slowly getting better. I thought this recording was much better than the other ones I’ve done in the past.
https://youtu.be/lqb991zj1tc
Any plans to hit the road?
I’ve got a possible concert booking In September at the downtown square in Johnson, Arkansas. As well as a possibility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, October of this year.
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
I stand out different because my writing style comes from personal experiences and relates to many and even most relationships. The words captivate people and bring back good memories and even things from the past. It tells a story that anyone who’s ever had an ex can relate. It’s emotionally driven, to grab the listener and make them listen to it repetitively, in the good times and the bad. My talent to write lyrics and music stands out more than anything. It’s hard for the majority of people to do both, write lyrics and music and make it fit together well. It’s a skill and a rare skill at that. I can do it. I can do it in the spare of a moment. I don’t need days, weeks, months. I need a pen, paper, guitar or piano, and about 10 minutes. I also play almost every instrument you see on a stage and can play one just as good as the others. There are not very many people that can play multiple different instruments and if they do, they cant play the others just as good. The reason I know I’m different is because I’m a diamond in the rough, eager to learn. The talent out of this world and fit in that small percentage of special.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley. Both are my idols, Garth taking a high rank at 1st place.
Who are your biggest influences?
My biggest influences would be Garth Brooks, Toby Kieth, and Brad Paisley. Garth influenced me to only play a Takamine guitar. It’s by far my favorite guitar and the way he can sing and adapt his voice to multiple genres is impressive. That talent alone makes him one of the greatest to ever live. I love his music they are classics that stick with you and its something I wanted to be able to do.
I adapt my writing style of some of Toby Keith and Brad Paisleys writing and kinda mix it into one. All of their songs tell a story, rather factual or not, most can relate. I wanted to be able to cultivate my music from my life and share it and inspire others the way these three guys did for me.
Tell us about your passions
I’m very passionate about Music, Alabama Football, and Deer Hunting. Even though I live in Arkansas, I never miss a football game nor do I skip out on going to the farm to hunt. The fall is no doubt my favorite time of the year because football starts and my Garth Brooks CD comes on while heading to the farm to hunt.
What else is happening next in your world?
Right now, I’m always taking down new song ideas, trying to get booked to do concerts and events, as well as a record when I can. I’m working hard to get my music out there for someone to pick up and use for their benefit or sign a record deal to sing for myself. It would be a dream come true to do either of those.
Thanks for an awesome interview, Michael Hutsell
Connect with Michael Hutsell
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelhutsellmusic/Youtube: https://youtu.be/lqb991zj1tc
