1.) We’re excited to be speaking today with acclaimed singer and songwriter Micheal Fordays; greetings and salutations, Michael! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, how was your summer of ‘23?

 It was productive. I released my new record “The Mind and Echoes” in June and spent the following few weeks in writing mode creating some new songs and polishing up some ideas I already had going. I started production for my yet to be released album which I anticipate will be released in 2024, all of which is where I find my joy! I hope you had a great summer!  

 2.) Speaking of the summer of ‘23, major congratulations on the recent release of your latest album The Mind And Echoes! What served as the inspiration for this mesmerizing new album? 

 Thank you. The inspiration comes from a variety of sources: For example I always dip into my life as an artist and the emotions of life. I ask (always) why am I here? Who am I? I revisit experiences I’ve had and the experiences that are current and haunting. I try to combine the concepts of these with the chord voicing, and melodies that I am longing to hear. I do my best to apply them to the Guitar, bass, and ultimately my voice. Just swirling in this Mind frame tends to yield tremendous results for me.   

3.) You produced The Mind And Echoes alongside producer, drummer, percussionist, organ maestro and keyboardist Dave Klein. What was your collaboration process like with Dave while putting the new album together? 

 Yes, I’m very lucky to work along side Dave Klein, he’s very talented and always has great ideas. Generally we record two songs at a time. After spending a few weeks in “writing mode” I’ll go into his studio (Dave Klein Recording) and record a simple “scratch track” (just guitar and a vocal) to outline the melody and structure. Dave will use this track to workout and rehearse his drum parts while I’m at home using the same tracks for my bass lines. During this time I rarely play guitar, I’m a bassist at that point and strive for the best I can offer as a bass player. Then we’ll go back into his studio and record the bass and drums live. Afterwords I take that track and work out my guitar parts. ( we also always add an acoustic guitar part under the electric tracks.) Once we’ve added the guitars we proceed to vocals, organ and percussion in preparation for the ear candy and ultimately mixing.   

4.) We’re big admirers of the High Point Now track off of The Mind And Echoes! Is there a VH1-Behind the Music origin story on this lovely tune? 

 (Always!) Again exploring the “in your head” aspect of the life in general feelings of struggle, failure and success I stumbled on the lyric “Time is a thief…” which morphed into the feeling of “We better love ourselves now!” And on to the realization of being at a “High point Now!”. The guitar line came together at the same time…all of this with a pencil, a piece of paper and a Les Paul without an amp, just trying to write my feelings down. (Probably with the T.V. on in the background.)   

5.) How is The Mind And Echoes album similar to some of your past music? How is it different?

 I’ve been writing songs for a very long time and after years of working and rewriting ideas and phrases I think I’ve developed something of my own style. For a while I would write songs on an acoustic guitar and push at the idea that “If you don’t have something with a vocal and one instrument, you don’t have anything.” I had some time to rethink my approach and had a desire to change the way I was doing things. When I was younger (playing in the band “Mind Over Four”) I didn’t even own an acoustic guitar and everything was written on electric guitar. I decided to go back to that approach and care less about the style and just do what came out. Even though the approach and production changed, and even though I was getting crazy about effect pedals which I rarely used in the past, the songs themselves were just my style of writing. It has been said that a good solid song can be realized in any genre. The song doesn’t change, just the instrumentation, playing and production style. 

  6.) On the heels of the recent release of the new album, can fans look forward to catching you on the touring/performing circuit in the coming weeks and months? 

 Unfortunately I haven’t been exploring that aspect of performance lately because of various logistical reasons. However it is a strong point of my musical makeup and it is always in the back of my mind.

 7.) Who inspires you musically?

 I keep my mind open to inspiration and I do hear things that are really well done. My biggest inspiration especially when I was much younger is that concept of someone suggesting “Wait until you hear (fill in the blank) some band, artist or song, when I was younger ,days or weeks could pass before you actually heard that person’s recommendation and in the meantime, I would try to imagine what the “amazing” song or artist must sound like. The actual sound would rarely live up to my preconceived, imagined idea in my head, so I started shooting for that version. As a songwriter/guitar player I was moved by The Beatles, Hendrix and Bowie. After a while when I was developing my lead/solo skills I started looking to jazz for inspiration, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy and Grant Green. I really like The Dead Weather, Mark Lanegan, All Them Witches, Ty Segall and of course others which I can’t recall at the moment.   

8.) You hail from the City of Angels, Los Angeles! How do those roots inform you as an artist and as a person? 

 Well for one thing, being born and raised and trying to find myself as an artist, especially regarding playing in a band and performing live, I realized that a lot of people are drawn to LA because they are seeking personal goals. Someone in their home town told them they are the best looking, most talented or whatever, and they come here to “Make It!. This does not always bring out the best in someone regarding kindness, empathy or genuine loving human interaction. I have briefly lived and played in other areas where the emphasis was directed at everyone doing well and people helping people, which I think should be the universal agenda.  

 9.) In your humble opinion, what differentiates The Mind And Echoes from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene? 

 What separates my work from others is simply my personal input. The success or interpretation of quality as it stands is not mine to say. I can only do what I do the best that I can and through experience try to make the next work better. I will say that among my goals are to make the next set of songs better in the aspect of composition, arrangement, performance and production. That is my current goal as I work out my newest songs.   

10.) As a singer-songwriter, which generally comes first for you – The lyrics or the music? 

 They hit me hard equally. I’ll have a lyric/poem that I just have to write for self expression, that I look at later sometimes and say “Wow, did I write that?” and it will inspire a new song idea, conversely, I may come across a musical idea, a guitar phrase for instance, that immediately inspires the foundation of a song that I just can’t get out of my head.   

11.) At the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a spin to The Mind And Echoes? 

 Honestly I just want people to hear my music. I hope in my heart of hearts that they will become a fan of the song and perhaps be interested enough to research my other work. And, if I may be so bold, I would hope to inspire other artists to push the bar even higher!