The colors of raw, soulful music are just too bright for any paper to fit or page to hold.
Indie folk musician and songwriter Michael McArthur takes artistry to its epitome with his everyday writing approach that brings real life into creative flair. This as well as painting despite colorblindness, arranging community centered house-concert tours, and partaking in documentary films, McArthur lets his environment tint his craft – not the other way around.
Self-released on July 26th, 2024, McArthur’s single, “Too Hard, Too Fast,” tackles the difficult feat of standing up for yourself and its intrinsic consequences from waiting to face it. “One life, but you’re living it twice / Cold love, so you warm in the night,” his gritty and encapsulating vocals ring.
Following a January 2024 tour with Joe Pug, reaching Folk NACC’s #3 most added spot on the charts, and starring in Ashlee Mello’s documentary of McArthur’s three back-to-back sold-out hometown shows, McArthur and his unique writing style brings him to explore the arts in the most bona fide, alluring fashions.
We got to chat with McArthur about the new single, his painting pastime, career moments, and more.
How’s your summer been so far? Any notable highlights?
This summer has been one to remember. My twin girls turned 1 last month. We spend a lot of time outside. The beach, pool, parks. I started painting this year, and it’s been cathartic and meditative, which was unexpected. We’ve been hosting painting parties at our place. Basically we’ve got some easels, a bunch of canvas, paint, and brushes, and we invite our friends for dinner, then we paint and listen to music until midnight or so.
So you just put out your latest single, “Too Hard, Too Fast.” What does this song mean to you, and what’s the backstory behind it?
“Too Hard, Too Fast” is a song about standing up for yourself in the midst of three forms of struggle or abuse: physical, spiritual, and psychological.
Compared to some of your other releases, “Too Hard, Too Fast” has a very unique percussive presence. What led you towards the song’s melodic style and particular energy?
I’m glad you picked up on that. I recorded three songs with Aaron Marsh at his studio in Florida, and we’d start each session by me playing a song solo acoustic, so we could talk about what we imagine it could become. For “Too Hard, Too Fast” I had this idea to build a foundation of percussive instruments that would serve as the engine for the car, and everything else would attach to it and around it to help make it run. This comes from my love of rhythm. I played percussion in middle school band. Those were my first instruments. And to this day, the rhythm section of a song is typically what I feel first. Bill Withers’s Live at Carnegie Hall album is a great example of foundational rhythm.
You also released two EPs this year, Genesis Versions Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. What can you tell us about these collections of songs and why you chose to release them as two parts?
Those recordings were originally part of a full-length acoustic album called Elaine that I recorded at home and released in 2017. Shortly after I put it out, I took it down from streaming services. I guess I just wasn’t ready to share at that time. I never intended to re-release those recordings, but when I came back to them at the end of last year, I felt something. It was like reconnecting with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. The Genesis Versions are meant to be sort of a side quest, which is why I split it up into two EPs.
I see where you write everyday. What does this process look like, and does it ever feel too forced? And with all of your collected writings, how do you decide what goes into a song and what doesn’t?
Writing can mean different things. Logging lyrical ideas, conversations, song titles, chord progressions, melodies, etc. It all comes in waves. The goal is to be around to ride whenever you’re able. Some days are more productive than others. Some days I feel like I don’t know how to write a song at all, and others it washes over me without force. Either way, establishing that habit is an important part of keeping those creative muscles warmed and ready. As far as what makes it into a song goes, it’s all gut for me. Does it fit or feel forced? Does it resonate or disrupt? How does it make me feel to sing it? How does it make me feel to hear it? Songs are all about the soul, and the purpose of the writing process is to call on it.
Can you tell us about some of your personal goals as a musician and songwriter?
From the beginning, my goal as a musician and songwriter has been to create art that I believe in, share it, and build a community of people who’d like to be a part of that.
What does a dream collaboration look like for you? Whether in the studio, on stage, etc.
The idea of a dream collaboration for me is to have the chance to spend some quality time with artists who have inspired me to do what I do, and more importantly to keep going. A walk and a conversation would be more than enough. Some of my heroes have passed on and some are still around. Bill Withers, Tom Petty, Springsteen, Justin Vernon, Sam Beam, John Mayer, Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, James Taylor, Clarence Greenwood. This list goes on and on.
What are one or two pinnacle moments for you as an artist?
Writing “Elaine” and not knowing how much it would mean to so many. Making a record with Jacquire King who is now a friend and a brother. And a pinnacle that occurs throughout each year and always when I’m not expecting it is that the wind finds me in the middle of an ocean and gently pushes me forward.
If you could only deliver one message throughout your career in music, what would that be?
I imagine this has changed some over time. As I grow older, I see the world and our lives in it differently. If there’s ever a message, it will be one of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and peace.
