Fresh off a three-week West Coast run highlighted by stops in cities like Seattle and Austin, Jason Singer is resting at his house in Nashville for a couple of days. His band Michigander is in the opening stanza of a North American headline tour, which runs from October 2024 to February 2025. The next leg of the tour will include a stop at Barley’s in Knoxville’s Old City on Nov. 22 featuring support from Knoxville native Cece Coakley. Singer has become a big fan of Coakley and as a result is bringing her along for the entire 28-city run of Michigander’s October and November dates.
Singer likes to do things his own way, having waited roughly nine years since his first single dropped to finally release a full-length album. The self-titled debut is set to come out on Feb. 7 – the same night the tour finishes with a hometown show in Middle Tennessee.
Singer took some time out of his recovery period to hop on a Zoom call and give BLANK Newspaper some insight into both the tour and the upcoming record release.
BLANK Newspaper: Are fans getting a sneak peak of the new songs at these pre-release shows?
Jason Singer: We’re performing some of the singles that are already out and playing unreleased songs, as well. Which is scary and really exciting at the same time.
BN: How has the audience been reacting to the new music? Have you edited unreleased songs or made changes to the album because of the tour?
JS: We tried really hard to make that not happen. The more you play the songs live, the more you think, “That would have been cool to add on the recording.” But that’s what makes a show special. I mean, I don’t want to see a band who’s just gonna play the exact set or play the songs exactly how they are on the record.
BN: Why are you just now putting out a debut album?
JS: It’s only been EPs and singles so far, but it’s finally time. I have the songs and the audience for it. I wasn’t ready until now, so I’m glad I waited for it.
BN: Are these songs you’ve collected over time, or did you sit down to write this project?
JS: I wrote about 40 songs after the last EP and narrowed it down to 12, so it was a process of writing and recording at the same time. Seeing which songs fit and what songs we needed to make it feel like a cohesive record. Not that it’s a concept album, but I wanted it to be a collection of my whole life.
BN: Does that make you feel vulnerable?
JS: I think I’ve prepared myself for it. I’m glad I took the time to do it, and I feel like it couldn’t have happened earlier. I feel like now I know myself as a person. Stylistically and musically, I have a pretty good understanding of who I am. I want to be really proud of it, and objectively I am.
BN: Can you talk about how you developed that style or who influenced your sound?
JS: There are a ton of influences, but I’m at an age where I have put enough hours in that I don’t think they are that overpowering or visible. I’m a combination of all my influences, and I feel that’s how everybody is in every aspect of life.
My biggest thing always is not to chase a current trend. Usually when something awesome happens, artists will try and mimic what they do, but I just want to enjoy it for what it is. I don’t want to use a certain synthesizer or type of guitar just because everybody does it. I don’t want to be time-stamped; I hope people will listen to my music 10 years from now and say, “When did this come out?” I don’t want people to know.
BN: Do you keep that mindset when it comes to social media trends and trying to navigate how to promote yourself?
JS: I’m totally down to play the game when it comes to that stuff because social media is just a means to an end. It’s a tool, I’m not a tool. The music itself is what will be around forever.
BN: So you are originally from Michigan, now in Nashville. What was it like getting into that music scene for you? Were there any people or moments that made you believe you could pursue this full-time?
JS: There were so many local bands that were doing something at a level that was really inspiring to me, even if the shows sucked. Then there’d be some band from Kansas touring that would be playing in a church basement, and I would go to that and be like, “You’re in a band? This is your job? How are you doing this?” I was always so intrigued that they were out doing music and touring in a van.
Being a road warrior has always been really cool. A lot of people think you’re touring in a bus with people to set up and tear down all your gear, but the majority of artists don’t have that. It’s just us out there doing the thing and trying to make it work … hauling our own gear and sleeping on floors. There’s something about it that’s always been attractive to me.
BN: What are some of your tour necessities that maybe you would have conceded back in the day but now you have to have?
JS: Thankfully, we all get our own beds now. This year is the first year for that. The No. 1 thing I think is important on tour is getting good sleep. Aaron [Senor], my drummer, makes fun of me for all my little things, but I have a little sound machine thing, a little humidifier … a cheap sleep mask and melatonin, which I take every night. And then I have a handheld vape-looking thing for hydrating my vocal chords … a nebulizer. And I also have a thing called a Navage … it’s a new thing. My manager said if I use it I’ll never get sick, so I use it every day, and it’s helpful.
BN: What’s something you’ve learned about yourself or others on tour?
JS: Everybody needs alone time. When you’re in a van with people for so long, you just need that. We don’t listen to anything collectively in the van; we only wear headphones. It gives everyone the option.
BN: What are some personal goals that you hope to achieve by putting yourself through this entire tour and record release?
JS: I’m trying to take rest when I have the time to rest and go all in when it’s needed. In the past, it’s been hard to balance everything, but now I’m trying to be more mindful of the present and know what I need in what moments. Like this week, I’m taking time to rest and talk to some people on Zoom, and when we go back out on Thursday [Nov. 7], we’ll go all in.”
Michigander and Cece Coakley go all in at Barley’s in the Old City on Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale at: barleysknoxville.com for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
tyler@blanknews.com
