All Around, the latest EP released by quintet Micah Olsan, is not unlike anything you’ve heard before. In fact, the sound is pleasingly familiar. Precise finger style guitar and an almost cathartic wailing take its time on melodies for songs that’re in no rush. Listening to Micah Olsan reminds me of growing up with impromptu jam sessions on my grandfather’s sun-porch in Milwaukee. When the spirit moved him, my grandfather would rock back and forth with his eyes closed, hands on the piano, howling with a sadness so deep it was beautiful to hear. Micah’s nowhere near as old as his sound. He’s just sincere and undeniably talented. I caught up with the musician to discuss his namesake band’s inspiration at their EP release show held last month at Uncommon Ground.
I was excited to hear that you guys are from Milwaukee, my hometown.
I actually grew up in Richfield, Wisconsin, in the middle of nowhere. I studied guitar in Madison, started playing around with bands there, and then came to Milwaukee. I have a guitar studio there now and I teach at School of Rock in Shorewood [a village of Milwaukee County]. That’s the day job.
When did you first know your calling was music?
I saw Elvis and Buddy Holly in second grade on an old infomercial peddling cassette tapes, something like the best of the ‘50s. I got a guitar in junior high school and started writing songs, playing coffee shops, and inviting my friends to listen. Then, I moved to Madison and formed a few bands there.
Was writing music your therapy during tormented high school years?
[laughs] Absolutely! And those were the types of songs I would write. I wouldn’t necessarily say tormented, but other people my age would relate to what I was saying, you know.Now, I don’t even want to play them. Every once in a while, someone I went to high school with will come to a show and yell out for us to play one of those songs. I’m always like no, no, no. We’re not going there.
I want to talk about your motivation. Music isn’t the easiest career choice. Today, for example, you drove to Chicago from Milwaukee on the rainiest day of the month to play in a tiny venue.
Yea. It took us three hours to get here.
So where’s your drive coming from?
After I moved to Madison things really changed for me. My focus shifted. I found these people who were learning to read music, jazz, and all these styles I had heard but never really appreciated. Once I started getting into that [scene], I studied a lot of classical finger styles, a lot of bluegrass…
I’m glad you brought that up. Coming from a small town in Wisconsin, what veered you toward a bluesy sound?
I don’t know. I always got into hearing music that I shouldn’t stereotypically be into. I went to the first Bonnaroo [Music and Arts Festival]. That opened me up to a lot of underground music bands like Galactic and more funk groups. I started listening to guitar player Keller Williams. That turned me on to other finger style players like Michael Hedges and Nick Drake – both just phenomenal acoustic players.
Your music style, then, grew from a sincere love of the sound. How did you meet others with that same love to form the Micah Olsan Band?
I knew Cody [Cody Calderon, Drums] from gigs at the Bad Genie Lounge in Milwaukee. He and Dose [Adam Dosemagen, Bass] were already collaborating on another project. Dose plays upright bass, and I love the way a bowed bass sounds with finger style, mixed with different Latin rhythms. The three of us started playing together regularly and the band grew from that core. We wrote an album released last November, “Highs, Lows, Peaks, Rivers, Valleys”.
Any groups you’d count as influencers?
Talking Heads generally has an influence on all of us in the band. I really got into Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo early on. The huge band sound with percussion players, and horn sections, and dancers and all of that– it’s incredible. In Milwaukee, bands like De La Buena, R.A.S. Movement, and The Aluar Pearls do more Afro Beat sounds. That African style guitar is amazing to hear.
Sometimes on Chicagoings.com we’ll feature road trip destinations. Is there any place in Milwaukee you’d like to recommend for live music?
Go to the Jazz Estate. They’re well known in the music community. If you want great music in a nice club, it’s got live jazz every night of the week. The Hotel Foster, too, is always a cool place to hang out.
All Around is out now. Keep up with Micah Olsan’s tour schedule and download more music from the band by vising their site MicahOlsan.com.