Mike Edel is a man between two countries and — after a day of delivering concert tickets around Victoria, BC on a borrowed bicycle — he asked Rocktographers’ Tyson Elder for a ride to ferry terminal to take him back to Washington state. During that short drive, they chatted about new music, getting married, getting seasick and, of course, his upcoming concerts this week at Copper Owl.
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Mike Edel: I want to interview you!
Tyson Elder: Do it!
ME: What has been your favourite non-traditional show? Whether it be different venue, space, or something you’d normally not check out? Not the kind of concert you could go to every weekend.
TE: That’s a tough one. I always loved Andy’s place, Victoria House Concert B. That was always a place that felt like a community of friends. I remember seeing Acres of Lions there and Tyson Yerex’s keyboard was basically on my lap the whole night, because that’s how tight the room was. I’ve wandered into a lot of pop-up shows, and I admire people for trying new things in new spaces.
When I was younger I was always at Big Fernwood to see friends play, and now that’s gone. Even if it was still around, I’m 31 and that’s too old to be there. I can’t go back.
ME: I’m 32 and I have a new song called 31.
TE: Is it about being 31?
ME: It is. I’ll play it at the Copper Owl.
TE: Is there some new music coming?
ME: 2018’s music industry buzzphrase is “New Music Coming Soon” [laughs]. I have a new single out called Finish Line, which is a song about the importance of time. I wrote the song for my wife, Alissa.
P.S. everyone I got married. It was pretty low-key.
Alissa was doing a masters program and decided to drop out because she wasn’t happy. Eventually she did go back to finish her degree, but thinking about it, I wrote this line in the song: “there is a marathon in your mind / there is no clock / just a finish line.”
In 2018, it’s easy to get depressed because of the news. Stuff just happens so fast and it feels like you have to keep up with it all. Creating music lately has been one of the most important things for me. Giving things time and space is so important. Amazing music doesn’t come from just going into the studio and banging it out. Making music that has depth comes from writing.
TE: The more you can work on something, generally the better it gets. Unless you’re Brian Wilson. Then it consumes you [laughs].
ME: I’m really slow at making things and Finish Line is a microcosm of what making new music has been about. I don’t even know if a body of work matters right now.
TE: I see both sides. I do enjoy that bands can put out a single and few months later put out another single without making an album, but I am also very analog with how I listen to music. I really enjoy putting a record on the turntable and reading the liner notes. There is something to be said about a complete work.
ME: It’s the best of times and the worst of times, because anyone can do anything at anytime ever. The can be a good and a bad thing.
TE: Hell, I made a whole career out of that. These days anyone can take a photo.
ME: It’s almost like how the photography world transformed like 10-15 years ago. Not everyone had the ability to take a photograph, and now it’s at our disposal. We are both holding phones that can take great photos, and I think that’s what’s happening to music in 2018. The tools are available to everyone, and anyone can make music. There are no rules these days. It’s kind of the wild west.
TE: With anyone being able to make music now, it’s really opening people up to hearing new music and genres. You might hear something from one of those sources and want to incorporate that into your music. Music grows and evolves into something new
ME: At the same time, I think 15% of the music on Spotify is good, and the other 85% is shit. My goal is to make music that is in the good 15%. It was the same for bands like The Beatles and Tom Petty they had to work to get to the top.
TE: It’s like you said earlier time and dedication to craft is what makes that 15%.
ME: That and great songs not slick production. Slick production is great, but putting the work in is what makes great music.
TE: With you are bouncing back and forth between Seattle and Victoria a fair amount these days, is there a preferred way to get between the island and the states? Any tips?
ME: My wife lives down there and I eventually plan to live there too. My favourite way to get back to Washington is taking the Coho or as we call itm the Wes Anderson ferry. It was built in the ’50s and they haven’t really done anything to it aesthetically. They’ve just kept it up. They’ve just kept painting it the same shade of green, and it’s awesome.
TE: That’s the only ferry I’ve ever gotten seasick on.
ME: Alissa told me she was going to propose to me on the ferry, but I was like, “You can’t do that… I need to do that.” Six months later it happened, but in the Rockies, not on the Coho [chuckles].
TE: I like Washington State ferries. I love that you can get a beer on their ferry.
ME: [laughs] I bring beers on BC Ferries.
TE: But they don’t sell Red Hook on the Coastal Celebration.
Mike Edel will be performing on March 20th and March 21st, 2018 at Victoria’s Copper Owl with Scenic Route to Alaska. The first concert is sold out, and with the addition of Kirsten Ludwig on the second night, it is expected to sell out as well. Tickets are $12 in advance.