The last year has been a wild ride for the Mike Leslie Band. Starting with the release of their first album in December 2012, the three-piece band featuring Mike Leslie, Mike Parrott and Bryan Reilly has played almost every notable venue in the metro-Detroit area and won the People’s Choice award at the Detroit Music Award’s. On Friday, January 17th, the band will host a release party for its second album at the Magic Bag.
What’s your favorite song on the new album?
Parrott: “Weathervane.” It’s fun, catchy and simple. I think there’s beauty in simplicity.
Leslie: “4am Blues.” It’s straight up blues music and totally different from the rest of the album. I think it’s a really good representation of us as a 3 piece and what we can do.
What’s your writing process like?
Leslie: Except for “Save Me” which Parrott wrote, I write the music and lyrics for each song. Then, the other guys put their 2 cents and create their parts.
So there aren’t set writing sessions?
Parrott: No. I’m really glad we don’t. You can’t force art. I think having set times to write dampens the creativity. If you’re inspired to create something, it’ll just happen.
How would you describe this album?
Leslie: It’s a record that you can definitely listen to all the way through and go on an adventure.
Parrott: You won’t get bored because each song is a different style.
Leslie: If I was to put categorize it into one general style, it would be pop rock. But, it’s got alternative, soul, funk and blues. I’ve even heard a couple people tell us that “Save Me” sounds a little country.
What’s the promotion aspect like for a band in Detroit putting out a new album/hosting a release party?
Leslie: You have to use every single thing within your means. Some things are free like social media, which is fortunately one of the biggest ways to promote the album and show. You also have to utilize physical means like street teams. We’ve made calls, done interviews, sent texts and met up with people to talk about the album. We’ve also gone to a lot of local shows to spread the word. It’s definitely more than putting up a Facebook status. You have to be careful, though because you don’t want to over promote and push away people who might be interested.
What’s the game plan for after the release party?
Leslie: The biggest thing is distribution. Our goal is to spread our music around the world. Part of that will be to physically go to places so we are going to tour a lot. Eventually, we want to get a record deal that primarily deals with distribution.
Parrott: Writing will always be happening in the background while we do other things. It’s imperative because it keeps you in musical shape, keeps the creativity flowing and your fans stay interested. You become a dying band if you don’t keep putting out new music. Our goal is to release a new single and EP within a year.
The Detroit music scene is extremely competitive. You’ve done a great job of getting your music out to people and now you plan on extending beyond this area where there will be even more competition. What do you think sets you apart from other bands?
Leslie: As far as competitiveness goes, I’m not going to say that we put on a better show than other bands or are better than others. I will say our audience keeps growing and growing because we play every show like it’s our best ever. The thing is hooking people in and showing them what we can do. Once they see that, it’s an easy decision that they’re going to come back and next time bring their friends.
This band is your career, which is a risky move in an industry that is so difficult to break into. How do you response to people who think you’re crazy?
Leslie: There’s no such thing as job security anymore. Even an engineer at GM has to worry about getting laid off and everything is a competition. This is no different. I’ve never played a show and thought, “I don’t love doing this.” I take that as a sign that we’re doing the right thing.
Parrott: We had a radio interview where we were asked, “Say 3 years down the road, nothing is happening. What’s your fallback?” Mike and I both looked at each other and said, “There’s nothing else. This is it.” Even with not having a lot of money and all the other struggles, we’re happy. We’re doing what we want to do and are passionate about.
Join the Mike Leslie Band wsg Chris Degnore and the Black Drops as well as Seven Birds One Stone tonight at the Magic Bag in Ferndale. Doors open at 8pm. $10 cover, 18+ only.
