Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael StClair
Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Music has always been a part of my life. When I was five, I began playing the violin. A few years later, I began playing the trombone, which is still probably my primary instrument today.
It was really in middle school, when I began playing the guitar, that I truly learned to love music. I enjoyed the freedom of teaching myself, and on guitar, you can discover one pattern that unlocks a ton of new possibilities. Because of this, you can begin creating your own music more quickly than with other instruments. It’s very exciting. Soon, I found a similar excitement on the trombone and ended up attending college to study that instrument. During college I picked up piano to teach myself jazz harmony and began gigging as much on upright bass as trombone. Throughout college, I also explored composition and arranging.
In my professional career, my skills as a multi instrumentalist led to opportunities to record and perform as a sideman with many incredible songwriters. Over time, this led me to increasingly focus on the craft of songwriting and to launch my band Pocket Sounds as an outlet for those songs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s rare that a musician doesn’t counter some struggles along the way. There have definitely been struggles. In 2019, Pocket Sounds was beginning to make progress. We had been on a tour of the south east, played shows in New York City and Connecticut, opened for major acts like White Denim and The Polyphonic Spree, and I had been selected to participate in a wonderful program called Project ATX6. Project ATX6 used to select six Austin songwriters each year to take trips around the world playing various festivals, as representatives of the Austin music scene. We had taken two wonderful trips to Toronto, Canada and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We all know what happened 2020. On relative terms, I can’t complain too much, obviously. But, having five solid months of sideman touring lined up for the year, and some momentum with Pocket Sounds, I had no non-music income at the time. It was definitely a wake up call to how precarious life can be. The shutdowns coupled with a bit of related loss of direction on my part definitely put the brakes on any momentum the project had at that point. But, as as often the case with setbacks, a lot of growth came with it. We’ve got a new record on the way, are back to playing shows, and sounding better than ever. I’m very excited for what the future holds!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I think as a sideman, both on recordings and live, people think of me as someone who can add a little extra sparkle that sets the music apart. I’m rarely the center of attention. You won’t hear me do too much shredding most of the time. But I try to find interesting answers to compositional questions. I tried to create parts that are authentic to my own personality and style. I try to relax into the song and the musical choices being made around me, and then add my own unique response to that environment. Often, people will send me a song saying, “I know this needs a little something extra, but I’m not sure yet what that is.” Helping search for that “something extra” is one of my favorite things is to.
As an artist, that is a big part of what I do as well. The name Pocket Sounds was inspired by the small sounds in music. The ear candy that you only hear when you have headphones on. I want the textures in my music to be almost like the musical version of macro photography. To put an emphasis on the small. I want to put the background into the foreground. And then I want to add lyrics that help people find the feelings and thoughts that are in the background and to briefly put those into the foreground.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I always love collaborating, performing, recording, and writing with other musicians. That’s how I have developed most as an artist and a musician. I hope I’m doing that for as long as I’m doing anything.
Readers can find Pocket Sounds on social media and I always love to hear from folks whether it’s about collaboration, to talk about music, or just to say hi. They can support us by coming to see our live shows, listening to or purchasing our music/merch, or following us on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, BandCamp, and other musical platforms.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pocketsoundsmusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pocketsoundsmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAORYBA0ih2oQ8m8qGQK9bw
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/pocketsoundsmusic
Image Credits
Kate Blaising
