Have you ever found yourself revisiting a particular dream more than once?
I sure have. When I was a little kid, I used to have a recurring nightmare that our house was on fire. I would escape only to look back and see my mother in the house. That dream was so traumatic that I can feel those emotions and fear remembering them.
Nowadays, most of my recurring dreams involve my wife and kids, or flying. Recently, I dream a lot about us living with my parents in a very strange house with a swimming pool in the family room. The house is always in this hidden little neighborhood in Frederick, Maryland that always intrigues me.
I have a lot of dreams about flying. I don’t know what that means, but I’m always either riding a bicycle, like Elliot in E.T, or almost swimming through the air. The most common one involves my flying above the woods on Catoctin Mountain where I went to camp and then went on to run that camp for many summers. Maybe my spirit yearns to haunt those mountains with the Snallygaster and Dwayoo (see my EP, Mountain Monsters of Maryland to learn about those) when I’ve left this plane of existence.
In your opinion, what is an essential life experience that every individual should undergo at least once?
It’s difficult for me to nail down one, because I truly believe that we need experience it all. The joys, the pains, the heartaches, and even the brain-numbing boredom. Though, living in or even just experiencing another culture for a bit may be the most beneficial experience. Seeing the world through another’s life experiences, or simply seeing how other people live broadens one’s perspective and teaches a level of empathy that cannot be learned otherwise.
A lot of people can get that traveling internationally, but that is not the only way to do that. Here in America, one can easily go from suburbia to the inner-city, from north to south, or go live and work on a Reservation. So much could be gained from truly sharing experiences. We all have something to teach, and we all have a lot to learn.
What’s currently playing in your ears?
Well, I am mastering some acoustic recordings I made during the pandemic lock down for my “COVID Sessions with Mike” daily video series. I am going to start releasing select covers to DSPs. So, that’s currently in my ears. Otherwise, I am really enjoying Luke Combs’ new album, Fathers & Sons, and Willie Nelson’s new album, The Border. Post Malone’s I Had Some Help and Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy) get stuck in my head a lot lately, and I have to play them to get them out. Of course, “Frog Eye Mud Bog” is on my daily playlist, because it is my summer anthem!
What is one book that changed your life?
I found Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man by Archie Fire Lame Deer and Richard Erdoes to be pretty life changing. It gave me insight to a people, culture, and struggle that I had not known.
My maternal grandmother was born on what was Lakota land. Her mother and step-father allowed some of the old Lakota to continue using the ranch for their camp as they migrated in their traditional ways. Those elders taught my grandmother to speak Lakota as a child.
I would spend a lot of summers in South Dakota. As a kid, my grandmother would tell me not to tell the people what my last name was. I really didn’t understand until I got older. I was just so enchanted with the Lakota people, their traditions, and their history. As a college student, I read everything I could and took every Native American course I could. That’s where I found Archie Fire Lame Deer, and met folks like Wilma Mankiller of the Cherokee.
To this day, I recall the lessons of Archie Fire Lame Deer’s life as he shared in that autobiography. His wisdom was gained through life experiences and traditional teachings that have been passed down for generations.
If we’re treating, what beverage would you choose?
Jameson Irish Whiskey is my drink of choice. I like to sip on that whiskey all night long.
Share with us a significant dinner memory that stands out for you.
While I can’t think of a significant dinner memory, my most amusing dinner memory involves tomatoes and a governor.
I was having dinner with Maryland Governor William Donald Schaefer and a host of other elected officials. I was seated between Governor Schaefer and a friend. At the time, I did not care for tomatoes, at all. The salads were served with cherry tomatoes, and I did not want to look like a picky-eater. So, I popped a cherry tomato in my mouth and bit down. The explosion of tomato in my mouth nearly made me vomit in the governor’s lap. My friend saw the expression on my face and asked if I was ok. I just buckled down and swallowed with little appetite left.
I still don’t know if Governor Shaefer was aware of how close we all were to disaster, but years later he remembered me and told me he’d been monitoring my career. That probably has more to do with ambushing him with journalists, photographers and a petition, and not a cherry tomato incident.
I have since acclimated myself to tomatoes and accept them without regurgitation.
Can you recount a challenging work experience that you consider to be the least enjoyable?
In my life outside of music, I design, build, and manage I.T. systems. My team and I do everything top to bottom. My most challenging and least enjoyable always involves the physical building of a network. Pulling cable through existing spaces is horrible. We have, on too many occasions, had to network large campuses including barns. Crawling through the rafters over pig pens, cattle stanchions, and horse stalls is very dirty work. No matter the location, I always end up covered in who-knows-what, and looking like a chimney sweep from Mary Poppins. It gets in your nose, your ears, etc.
Reflect on the day that brought you the most joy in your life.
The days my children were born brought the most joy in my life. My oldest two are twins, and my youngest was born two and half years later. Becoming a father and raising my children with my wife continues to be the greatest part of my life. I cannot put into words the joy of the days my children were born. Seeing them for the first time, holding them, bathing them, putting on their first diapers, knit hat, and just all of the love is overwhelming. Those moments will be front and center in my mind for the rest of my days.
If you had the chance to jet off anywhere right now, where would your destination be?
Unconventionally, I would choose my family’s ranch in Twilight, South Dakota. There is something magical about that place to me. The butte, named Deers Ears, and the vast openness makes me feel peace. It’s where my grandmother was born. I feel a sense of connection and peace there. It is one of my happy places.
Who holds the title of your favorite fictional hero?
Huckleberry Finn is my favorite fictional hero. He struggles with society’s unjust rules and laws versus his realities. We see him struggle with these throughout Mark Twain’s story and the consequences of decisions he makes, good or bad, throughout his adventures.
How would you like people to remember you?
I hope that people will remember me for being a good, loving, and giving person. It would be a bonus to be remembered for my music, but being a good person and father is all I need.