In Session: Mike Grosshandler

ALBANY – For the first time in eleven years, singer-songwriter, Mike Grosshandler, has released new material with his single, “About Time.” The result? A kickass rock tune that glides along and pushes the boundaries of being hard-rock without ever fully getting there. Overdriven-soaked guitars that are complemented curiously enough by an unexpected mandolin part, push this song forward almost to the same extent the drums and bass do. Featuring solos and great instrumentation across the board, it’s a fantastic song with which Grosshandler reintroduces himself.

I had a chance to sit down with Mike recently. What follows is our conversation.

Lucas Garrett: Thanks for taking time tonight, Mike! Glad we found a time to chat.

Mike Grosshandler: Absolutely.

LG: What made you release new material now, after eleven years of not releasing anything under your own name?

MG: Life got super busy, and other things took precedence. I have a full-time job; I have two kids. I’ve been in bands off and on, and my band The VeLMAS released a few Christmas songs a couple of years ago. I’ve been doing things musically, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to work on my own song. I’m glad I was able to finish something.

LG: Did you write that song recently, or is that an older song?

MG: I wrote it a while ago. I don’t remember exactly when I started it, but I know I’d been talking to the guys in The VeLMAS. We released our first record in 2002. When we released our second in 2003 or 2004, this song existed at that point. it’s 20 years old, but it’s evolved over the years. The riff and lyrics have been there from the beginning with a little bit of tweaks.

LG: How did you come to write that riff?

MG: It’s one of those riffs I had sitting around for a long time. I liked the way it sounded and it was fun to play. The rest of the song coalesced around it. I don’t remember where it came from.

LG: It has a pretty distinct 90’s alternative rock sound to it. But what are some of your other overarching shades of influences

MG: The 90’s is definitely my thing: I’m big into Nirvana; Alice in Chains; Hole; Smashing Pumpkins; Big Wreck… For this song, if I had to pick a few bands, the bands who had the most impact on it were The Smashing Pumpkins and Our Lady Peace. The leader and bassist of Type O Negative, Peter Steele, played bass and sang. This new song was me channeling some of his style [as well].

LG: Who’s on this new song?

MG: It’s mostly me. The drums are Ricky Little. He played drums with me before. There’s a mandolin part played by a friend of mine, Jason Maloney. He recorded mandolin parts and sent them back. I recorded most of it myself, but the drums I recorded with Tim Lynch at The Recording Company.  I’d said we needed tambourines in the choruses and [Lynch] had one at hand. He went in there and did one take; it was great. Everything else was all performed by me.

LG: Is this song going to be part of a bigger project?

MG: It’s part of an ongoing process. I’m in my forties – I’m 46 years old, so I’ve been playing guitar for over 30 years, which is insane to think about. I had more time in my teens and twenties, and I had lot more things to say. I probably have another twenty or thirty more songs. I look at my thirties and forties as keeping promises to my younger self: “You started this, now I’m going to finish it.”

LG: Do you feel you’re still able to connect to the music years later?

MG: There are some things I’ve listened back, and not really loved them as much. But I’m a better guitar player; I know how to use recording tools better. I have better ideas on how to arrange them, or use different lyrical ideas. I’m writing it with my younger self, which is a neat way to think about it.

LG: For people that want to hear the song, where are they able to find it and listen to it?

MG: I’m hoping to get, obviously, as many places that are interested in playing it. For now, it’s available on Apple Music; Spotify; Amazon; Google Music… It’s been released to tons of digital distributors.

LG: Is there anything else you’d like to go over that I may have missed?

MG: I have more songs that I intend to keep working on. This song, “About Time,” was just a single. But for the next time around, which I’m starting already… I’m going to make an EP. I have a lot of different stuff.

LG: Thank you, Mike, again, for your time. It was nice to talk with you.

MG: Absolutely. I appreciate it, man.