Exclusive Interview with PETER MICHAELS JR.

Peter Michaels Jr. (PMJ) comes from NYC and plays his little ditties for the wonderment of all who lend an ear. He’s always tinkering so who knows what he’ll do next! Check out the exclusive Interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

I started playing in a pro setting in a Beatles tribute band when I was in middle school and we played until I was in college. After that band dissolved, I went and started playing out my originals and produced albums, really taking it seriously in 2019.:

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

I learned guitar on my own through a cd and later reading chord books and just playing in school bands. My first actual instrument is drums, but guitar and bass are what my focuses are and I usually write on guitar. I eventually ended up going to the New School for Jazz in NYC. I had to drop out after 3 semesters because it was too expensive.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘PETER MICHAELS JR.?

Beatles were always present in my life. Other groups from that time like the Who, Monkees, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones all had a grip on me as well as a lot of 70s rock and folk. When I was in college jazz definitely shaped how I composed and arranged my tunes, particularly Monk and Mingus. I enjoy their energy. I also take a lot of liberties Ween and Frank Zappa take in their albums. I love how seriously they take humor and I try to include that sometimes when I write. My dad’s stage name was Pete Michaels and when I played in the Beatle band with him I billed myself as Peter Michaels Jr, naturally. It stuck, though around the scene people call me PMJ sometimes.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

I hope the topics and the emotion behind them resonate with people. I feel like the songs stand alone and it doesn’t matter who’s singing them or hearing them. I feel like especially with this tune, Fed Up, I feel like the message in this song is an attitude shift I’ve been noticing when I talk to friends about the social culture nowadays. Everyone’s kind of a hypocrite and I’m trying to express it in this song.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?

As I said, I played in a Beatle band for a while. They were definitely a template on how I started producing songs. The Beach Boys were a close second, especially those lush arrangements. I got into King Gizzard in college and they introduced a new way of doing it for me as well. The mix of all my influences come out partially as musical love letters to these artists, usually if I hear a tune and want the same energy but with my flavor. Sometimes the influence just creeps into the writing and I don’t notice until much later.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

I believe it is a key element in all of those contexts. Art as a whole is a very direct expression, whether it’s with a serious message or the exact opposite. Fed Up can be seen as a serious message in a very light presentation. The song is rocky and poppy but the words are calling out keyboard warriors. I do feel technical skill has its place, but if that’s all the music is then it has no soul and I don’t very much enjoy listening to that.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

I write for myself so I don’t get bored. It fulfills me quite a bit in that way. But I’ll even go back to albums I recorded years ago and find myself enjoying them more now than I did then. Usually that time away makes the imperfections you hear vanish, or almost become more endearing to the tracks.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

I usually start and finish writing a song in one sitting, or else I’ll never finish it.

Maybe I’ll add something later on but it’s usually one and done. Sometimes I find myself jamming on a progression, or I’ll have a fun string of words and build a song around that. Fed Up was written a couple years back, but the album it’s part of was mostly hastily written late one night, just sort of going through everything about the world I had a distaste for in that moment. The album took on a concept and Fed Up was a song I had lying around that fit the context very well, so I put it in.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

Trying to keep an optimism about releasing songs is always something. I enjoy my music, but it gets a bit discouraging when not too many people hear. Especially nowadays the market is so saturated it’s hard to navigate. But everyone seems to find their niche. I hope to find mine and breed some good art for them to enjoy.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

I will say the album I’ve been working on is something I’m very proud of and hope that people hear and enjoy. It was written in May of 2022 and between me leaving for tour and moving it’s been a slow build but I think it’s gonna work out good in the end. Everyone who’s been a part of it is excited about it and so am I.

11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

Naysayers don’t get me down. Everyone has an opinion and sometimes people just like to get on their soapbox. I kind of cover that in Fed Up. I do get a bit annoyed sometimes, as anyone would, but you can’t let it get you angry, despite this song having that tone.

12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

I love the creation of studio work and forming something with great attention. I also love playing out live. Live shows are fun because you get an instant response from people. Putting out a song or album is a game of hopefully the like it. I like having that connection with people in the moment.

13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

I feel interpretation is important in all art. What I’m saying could mean different things for different people. I know what I meant while writing it, but my experience is only mine. Someone else could have a different backstory. I feel maybe it’s good for the listener to know where my head was at, but at the same time, I don’t even know what I’m writing half the time. And my opinions and emotions change too. Fed Up could have a different meaning to me in 2 years.