Interview: Mike Mickelson of Bearfoot

by Brett Ryder of McKinneyNews.net

A fiddle or two, a mandolin, an upright bass, and an acoustic guitar. Throw in a batch of delicate three-part harmony and you’ve got a sophisticated musical outfit on your hands.

Friday, Bearfoot, a five member bluegrass band hailing from Alaska, will descend upon the McKinney Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. for what promises to be an evening of engaging musicianship and entertainment. (Ladies and gentlemen, these guys and gals can play and sing.)

Mike Mickelson, the 25-year-old guitarist of Bearfoot (not coincidentally), spoke to McKinneyNews.net from the road.

How would you describe what you’re doing musically?

We started out playing bluegrass, but now we’ve moved on to a broader musical category, Americana.

What’s Americana music?

Basically, it’s kinda folksy music from America. It’s bluegrass and country and we even lump a little bit of jazz and blues into it just to mix it up a bit.

Why not rock out? Isn’t that what people your age are supposed to do?

You know, uh, there’s all sorts of ways to go about music, you know? All of our parents played acoustic music. You might listen to all sorts and varieties and one just sort of strikes your fancy. We really enjoy this. I played in a rock band when I was in high school, but it didn’t give me the feeling that I get with this stuff.

What feeling are you getting?

It’s a high level of musicianship and it’s really challenging. You have to keep working at it; you can never be satisfied. It’s the thrill of musicianship.

How did you guys begin getting noticed?

We won the Telluride "Best New Band" contest in 2001. That showed us that we could do this professionally. The previous winners were the Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek.

Where do you want to be in two years?

Well, the band’s just signed a record label contract so in two years I hope we’ll be getting greater national exposure and drawing a larger national audience.

A record contract?

Yeah. It’s with Compass Records out of Nashville. We’ll be hitting the recording studio in late November.

Is this a big deal for you guys?

It hasn’t really set in yet, but yeah, it’s something we’ve been working towards for quite a while.

Are you looking forward to people fawning all over you?

Me personally, I’m not too concerned about the fame, but I certainly wouldn’t mind making a little more money.

Are getting rich out on the road right now?

We’re making a living, we’re paying the bills.