In November, WYEP welcomed Michgander back to our studios. Kalamazoo native Jason Singer is out on the road with his band, and stopped by WYEP for an interview and a few songs after a Sunday night show at the Thunderbird Café & Music Hall.
Singer talked with WYEP Music Director Kyle Smith about new production styles, collaborating (and meeting other artists through social media) and recovering after some pretty severe injuries.
Interviewer: Kyle Smith
Engineers: Thomas Cipollone, Tom Hurley
Set list:
Emotional
Misery
Superglue
Giving Up
Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity:
Kyle Smith: Jason Singer is here from Michigander, and it's great to have you back! That song is a little synth-driven — the idea of the song and the production part of it — but it was a nice version. They're here in our studios. Is that the direction you're going? I just heard that song for the first time about three weeks ago, and it’s got some different production to it.
Jason Singer: Maybe sometimes. I don’t know. Someone last night came to us after the show and said they liked how everything sounds a little different. I’ve finally realized there’s a plethora of vibes happening with the songs. The record isn’t synth-driven, but there are a lot of guitars. At the show last night, I was playing piano, which I've never done on stage before. We recorded an upright on a lot of songs, so I'm excited for people to hear the whole thing. In the past, we were always afraid of making something that wouldn’t work live, but now in the studio, I don’t care. I just want to make the best thing.
Smith: That’s great. It’s a good way to look at it. Who was the person you worked with that helped shape this first full-length album?
Singer: Jeremy Lutito from Nashville. We worked a lot together on this. We wrote a lot of the songs together and worked out of his beautiful studio in his backyard for months.
Smith: Well, that’s amazing. And congratulations on your 10-year anniversary of making music! A lot of times, you were making music in your bedroom when you first started.
Singer: Yeah, all the music was made in my bedroom. Taking it from the bedroom to the stage sounds weird, but it's special.
Smith: It’s pretty amazing to be able to be around musicians and have people come in and visit. It was almost five years ago when you first came through on a promo tour and introduced yourself with "Misery." I remember it from back then. What’s happened since? Have you traveled abroad and toured much before this path?
Singer: I’ve toured a ton — around the country, not necessarily abroad — but I’ve played here at places like Thunderbird and Club Cafe. I’ve always toured in my van. We don’t sleep in the van anymore, thankfully, but we still travel in it. We've played so many shows in so many different places, the weirdest and coolest spots.
Smith: What are some takeaways from touring?
Singer: I come from a small town where the nicest restaurant is Applebee’s, so getting out of that bubble and meeting people from all walks of life has been eye-opening. I think people often fear the world and others, but most people are just trying to be the best version of themselves despite being human. That’s one thing I’ve learned.
Smith: The debut full-length album will be out Feb. 7, 2025. It’s hard to believe! And also, "Misery" from almost five years ago. You've worked with a lot of different folks over the past few years, but I noticed you collaborated with Manchester Orchestra. How did that come about?
Singer: If I remember correctly, I posted an Instagram story of me covering one of their songs and tagged Andy [Hull, of Manchester Orchestra]. Andy followed me back, which was cool. Then I told my managers, and they connected the dots. I went down to Atlanta, and we spent two days there writing and recording that song. Fun fact: I’ve never played drums on a Michigander song, but I played drums on that one. It's heavily edited, though.
Smith: It’s amazing how social media connects musicians. I've heard this several times — folks have either heard something or reached out on Instagram. It’s like the story of Cautious Clay and John Mayer connecting. Is that something you enjoy or want to explore more?
Singer: I love collaborating with people. It was new to me a few years ago, but now it’s kind of my preferred way of doing things. Especially when you work with people you’ve had success with, or just because the song is good — that's what makes it successful. I really enjoy working with other people and playing with the guys who play with me. It’s the best.
Smith: We’re Live & Direct with Michigander today, talking about the past five years. You came through in 2023, but during the pandemic, we couldn’t have a live audience. It was great to touch base with you then, but I don’t think we realized what you went through in 2022. You've mentioned it a few times, but it's worth repeating because of the song you’re going to play next. You had some pretty tragic events that year, right?
Singer: Yeah, I broke my leg, and a month later, my wife got run over by a truck. She’s okay now, but it was rough.
Smith: I remember you had to be airlifted during a music video shoot, right?
Singer: Yeah, we were shooting in the middle of nowhere, and the firefighters had to rescue us from the mountains. There was no cell service, and it was pretty wild.
Smith: Well, you’ve made it this far, and you're back in action. We’re looking forward to the album in February and appreciate you coming in today to play live and chat with us. The song you're playing next, "Giving Up," is a bit of a reference to that time period, right?
Singer: Yeah, maybe a little. It’s a song about trying to live your life in a way that's true to yourself, without compromising too much for others. It’s called "Giving Up."