MIKE MASSER On the Making Of ‘True Grit’
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in 'True Grit?'
Sure! One night I was watching this documentary on the Cecil Hotel. There was a story of a lady that went missing and was found in the water tower on the roof of the hotel a few weeks later. I remember thinking It was such a crazy story, I sat down and wrote the song “Black”.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'True Grit?'
I enjoy the recording process. I look at it as part of the creative process. You can start hearing the songs come together. I go about the recording process differently than most bands. I will record as I write. For instance, Most bands have all songs written when they go in to record. Since I play everything, I need to record the song to write all the parts. Once I have a song written and recorded, It could be weeks before I record another song. Once all the songs are recorded I will record the vocals and start the mixing. I hate the mixing process, It’s so repetitive.
What is your personal favorite song from 'True Grit' and why?
That is a hard question to answer. It’s like picking your favorite child. I like them all for different reasons.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I started playing in bands when I was in high school. Doing mostly covers and playing party’s when we could. When I was in my 20’s I started a band and recorded my first album. I had a lot of firsts with that band. We had a little taste of success with that band, but after 5 years the band broke up. I joined another cover band after that just to still play. I love playing music and really didn’t care what I was playing as long as I was playing. After some time with that I was getting burned out. Not with music or playing guitar, but all the stuff around it. The constant gigging, partying, the egos that surround all that and the industry itself. At that moment I honestly felt I was done with music. At that time I didn’t want to have anything to do with bands or the music industry. For about ten years I rarely even touched a guitar. My wife and my best friend started asking if I ever missed it and of course I did, just not everything that came with it. My wife and best friend helped me realize how much I love music and I could do it for myself. Do it my way this time and do it all myself. So I got to work on it. Since then I have put out 4 solo albums and 1 album and 1 EP with my side project Rictus of Rage.
What is your songwriting process like? How do you usually start crafting a new song?
For me, songs come from everywhere. It could be from a movie I watched to a life experience. Sometimes I will let the riff or music dictate what the song will be about. Feel the mood or energy of the music and let it tell me the subject. Most of the music I write is simply sitting on my couch with an acoustic guitar and fiddling around till something comes out.
