1. Brooke:  How are you feeling about your career right now? What are your current
goals, musically?

Mike: I'm thankful that I've been able to play music for so long and that I can play out as
much as I like.  I don't have fame or riches, but I am a part of a great music community and I
can often pay my mortgage with the money I make from music.  I'll take that win.  My
musical goals are always to write better songs.  

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2. Brooke: What are your current creative inspirations influencing your songwriting and
music?
Mike: I try to listen to music and have experiences that are outside of the style of songs I
write.  I just went to goth night and danced around to some really weird and wonderful
music.  Because it's not my style of music, I get to experience it on its own terms.  The room
was filled with lights, costumes, and thick smoke, but it was fresh air for the mind. 
Sometimes, to stay young, you have to put down the acoustic guitar for a moment and
dance with the immortals. 

3. Brooke: What is unique and/or most enjoyable about performing in front of a live
audience? What is the biggest challenge about playing live?
Mike: There are no do-overs in front of a live crowd.  I like practicing and finding all of the
pressure points in a song so I can play it differently each time.  I like moving the dynamics
around to match the energy of a crowd.  

4. Brooke:  What do you most enjoy about performing at the HLMF and about opening
the festival each year?
Mike: I'm a sucker for tradition.  It's always fun to get the ball rolling and it's always an
honor to play for good people and musicians that I respect.  I like being a part of something
bigger than me and watching the energy build over the weekend.

5. Brooke: How has your music changed since last year’s festival?
Mike: I've become better at improvising and re-arranging songs live.  My dynamics have
gotten better.  I have a few new songs since last year I'm really into.  

6. Brooke: What would you tell a potential new festival-goer about why they should
come to HLMF 2026?
Mike: You will make friends, guaranteed, and the music is killer.  The whole experience is
well curated.  Your only requirement is to hang out, chat people up, and enjoy yourself.  I
hold onto that feeling for as long as I can after the weekend is over.

7. Brooke (Mike actually gave me this question idea and the next one for interviewing
other HLMF musicians so I’m giving the question back to him to answer!):  What
was/is your favorite instrument you’ve ever owned and why?
Mike: I bought my second guitar from a little music shop in my hometown.  It was owned by
old man whose son didn't have an interest in taking over the business.  I was a fresh faced
kid and he talked to me at length about guitars and showed me some cools stuff.  I'm pretty
sure he sold me the guitar at a loss and I may have been one of his last customers.  The shop
closed a few weeks later.  I played that guitar for ten years and wrote a million songs on it.  

8. Brooke: How often do you write, create, and practice?  Do you rely on inspiration or
discipline, or some combination of both? 
Mike: I write songs in batches of three to five at a time.  The mortality rate is pretty high. 
Usually, only one song out of the litter will survive.  Once I'm writing, I'm pretty disciplined. 
A good song can slip away if you don't give it the attention it needs.  Inspiration is nice, but I
don't rely on it.  The work of songwriting is more reliable and educational.