What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
The name was a fluke of luck. I was driving around northern Michigan, US for work and I was in a very rural area when I saw a dirt road leading back into the trees and nailed to one of the trees was a handwritten sign that said MISERY. A light went off in my brain and I added lane and Misery Lane was born. I quickly did a google and social media search to see if there were other bands named that and there were not. I made a Facebook page and bought the domain name. My personal influences are anything that can inspire emotion. I don’t like to limit myself to any genre because each has its own stars and eccentricities that can really make a song stand out. For my playing I’d say my biggest influences are Stevie Ray Vaughn and Randy Rhoades.
Why and how do you write what you do?
I approach songwriting by just trying to give emotion a voice through music. Everyday is full of experiences and ideas for new music and I try to capture that essence in what I play. If the music speaks to the heart, then the lyrics should just flow naturally. Usually, I write the music before I have lyrics. There have been only two songs that I had the lyrics before I had the music, and they are “One Red Balloon” on the new album and “The Other Man” on the first album. I don’t really shoot for a theme when I write but more of the “what and I feeling right now” kind of idea. I then take those songs and see what works with each other and the album is born.
I write music to invoke emotion. I don’t want to just rinse and repeat the same drivel because one song got some popularity once. I also don’t want to write music that is stuck in a specific genre. I don’t want to limit our audience. I try to music that everyone can identify with no matter what kind of music you like. There is heavier metal songs, classic ballads, country-esque songs and hard rocking in your face ones. I don’t make music for people I make music for me and hope people can identify with it.
Why and how do you write what you do?
I approach songwriting by just trying to give emotion a voice through music. Everyday is full of experiences and ideas for new music and I try to capture that essence in what I play. If the music speaks to the heart, then the lyrics should just flow naturally. Usually, I write the music before I have lyrics. There have been only two songs that I had the lyrics before I had the music, and they are “One Red Balloon” on the new album and “The Other Man” on the first album. I don’t really shoot for a theme when I write but more of the “what and I feeling right now” kind of idea. I then take those songs and see what works with each other and the album is born.
I write music to invoke emotion. I don’t want to just rinse and repeat the same drivel because one song got some popularity once. I also don’t want to write music that is stuck in a specific genre. I don’t want to limit our audience. I try to music that everyone can identify with no matter what kind of music you like. There is heavier metal songs, classic ballads, country-esque songs and hard rocking in your face ones. I don’t make music for people I make music for me and hope people can identify with it.
How do you decide what to play live?
We pick the songs as a group and decide what order to play them in. We want to keep the crowd engaged but also not just have the same type of songs all in a row where everything starts to blend. Each song stands out on its own. The best compliment I was ever given about our set was by another band we were playing with. He said if I had to describe your set in one word it would be longevity because each song was its own show and that’s what people want. They want to be entertained, not just see 4-5 guys standing there staring at their instruments.
How do you decide what to play live?
We pick the songs as a group and decide what order to play them in. We want to keep the crowd engaged but also not just have the same type of songs all in a row where everything starts to blend. Each song stands out on its own. The best compliment I was ever given about our set was by another band we were playing with. He said if I had to describe your set in one word it would be longevity because each song was its own show and that’s what people want. They want to be entertained, not just see 4-5 guys standing there staring at their instruments.
What plans do you have for the future?
The plan is just to keep playing shows to support the new album as long as people continue to want to hear it. I am always writing so I already have some songs for the new album, but I don’t want to rush into anything. Rushed music is crap in my opinion and it shows in the recording. So, until then just continue to listen to the new album “Red Balloon” wherever you stream music. Check us out at miserylane.com and pick up some merch or leave us a comment on our Facebook page at facebook.com/miserylanemusic. Thank you for all the support we couldn’t do this without you!!!