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At GMA Week 2005, we got to meet and interview one of the newest artists on Rocketown Records. It was an enjoyable time of learning more about him and how God is working in his life and how He has brought him into this season of making records...
MQ: Want to talk a little about your debut album? I know you've done some producing in the past, among other things, so you're not exactly new to the music scene...
MOlson: Yeah, I started off producing indie records in Minneapolis. So, this record was a natural outgrowth of that. I worked with a producer - he would executive produce the projects that I would produce. So, often times, local artists would come to Nate Sabin and say, "I want you to produce this record", and he'd say, "I don't have time for it right now, but Michael can do it." So, that brought me down here (Nashville) and I established a lot of relationships down here through that. So this record was a real, natural outflow of that. We came down and made a record at the Art House - Charlie Peacock's place - and worked with great musicians. It was released as an indie project (Sept. '04) and I signed with Rocketown in January ('05). (Note: Michael's debut CD on Rocketown was released on July 12.)
MQ: Can you tell us about the album - how you would describe it lyrically and sonically?
MOlson: There's a huge lyrical theme. It's really the story of my life, and I think it will be till the day I die, probably (laugh). It's the theme of God's grace. I feel like I'm a poster child for God's grace. I grew up in the church, but really never experienced the love of Christ, really, until I made enough mistakes to discover it for myself. So, that's the theme throughout the whole record - how grace has impacted me, how it's challenged me, and how it's enabled me to live a freer life. Musically, I'm on Rocketown, so, I'm a singer/songwriter. I tend to write things from an acoustic guitar. So, they kind of start off in a folksy place - and I think they have some folksy roots to it. But I'm also a producer, and I am a fan of produced music. I grew up in the CCM world - listening to that stuff. So, it tends to go from folksy and evolve into a POP/ROCK/AC kind of place.
MQ: I've read that you're proficient in several instruments too...
MOlson: Yeah, I grew up as a drummer. I grew up in a really, really musical family. My dad was the church organist. My mom was the assistant choir director. My brother is a great keyboard player. And my sister...well, if I told you how talented she was, you wouldn't want to be talking to me anymore. She's just a phenomenal singer and writer. But, I grew up a drummer - first and foremost. If you ask me now, it's really my first love, but I rarely get to do it anymore. I grew up in a piano house, so I picked up piano from my family. And then when I got to college, I was with a bunch of friends, all of which were fairly proficient acoustic guitar players. My best buddy Ben, is a great electric guitar player and he introduced me to acoustic guitar and I fell in love with it. So, it's been that kind of experience for me.
MQ: When did you realize that music was something you wanted to do - something you had a passion for? Maybe there wasn't a particular time, since you grew up in it...
MOlson: Really, that's the truth for me. I've always known deep inside of me that music was something that I wanted to do with my life full time. I mean, it was just a matter of what that would look like. So for me, it evolved and it will continue to evolve. You know, I did all I could in the context of a local church. I went to school to study music. I got my degree. After that, I went on staff at a large church in Minneapolis/St. Paul as a college age worship leader. So, I've done that for two and half years. And now of course, moving me into a season of writing, and a season of making records and sharing stories through song. And I think that will all continue to evolve in the future.
MQ: What do you love most about music in general?
MOlson: For me, it's always been the emotional quality of it. I'm Scandinavian, and we tend to be stoic - I don't know how I ended up this way, but I can be a mess. The simplest musical phrase can totally disarm my heart. And the emotional quality of music, to me, has always been something that has really, really resonated in my heart, in my mind. I try to key in on that in my writing. I try to hit emotional hot points for people because I feel like, while it's unhealthy to be conquered by your emotions, emotions make up a good deal of who we are as humans. So, it's not healthy to ignore that.
MQ: How do you approach songwriting? As a producer, you've probably got a certain feel, sound or cadence that you want it to go toward...but does it just happen?
MOlson: Yeah, it's a shooting match there. I don't think there's a cookie cutter way to come about songs. In my experience - which is limited compared to others - if anybody would tell me there was a cookie-cutter way, I wouldn't believe them. I find that usually I come up with strong choruses first, and then construct songs. This is stereotypical for me: strong choruses that drive home a point - like "I Believe in Jesus". When I wrote that song, I came up with that hook, chorus first. And it was something that was just, deeply ingrained in my heart. That's what I wanted to communicate, so, I built the verses around it.
MQ: Do you still get to lead worship any?
MOlson: I'm officially still on staff at my church until the end of the month (4/05). So, I lead and produce the band there. I think that is something that I'll always really be passionate about. It's such an integral part of the Christian experience - corporate worship - and so, I'll always have a really special place for that in my heart.
MQ: Is there any message that you hope to convey in your music? Especially to this generation - people our age - with all that we're dealing with these days. The culture, the media...everything is just pulling on us. Is there anything you hope people could take away from your record?
MOlson: Absolutely. You know, I think that it is so easy - with all this stuff that we've concocted - to get caught up in the form, and miss the power...of the message of the Gospel. And for me, umm, I just had a radical experience where I encountered the grace of Jesus Christ. I grew up in the church - I mean, I was like a 'pew hugger'. I was almost born on a pew on like, Wednesday night church service. I grew up in it, and it took me twenty years to discover the grace of Jesus Christ for myself. So, I think if there's anything, it's that God's grace can actually impact the way that you live your life and cause you to live freer than you could without it. If people could listen through this record and get that, that would define success for me.
MQ: When you sit and ponder God, what amazes you most about Him?
MOlson: Well, I think when I look - what naturally happens to me when I sit and think about God, I'm amazed by - I see His hugeness. I just see how puny I am in the whole scale of things. And just the fact that He's concerned! He gave us in His word - Jesus said, "Don't worry about tomorrow", "I know how many hairs are on your head", "Don't worry about what you're going to eat, what you're going to wear", "I know you, I love you". To think of all of the things that God could have said, but He chooses to express His love for us. That to me, is an amazing truth. It's life transformational truth.
MQ: What do you think of the modern worship movement? Do you think it will be a long-term change?
MOlson: I think that's a continual process that will happen throughout history - I think it has, and it will continue. You know, I recently heard something that I've never heard before. It was a speaker at our church - a really brilliant guy - and he said that this is the first time in the history of the church, ever, that there are four generations present. And naturally, what happens, in my opinion, is there's conflict. And that's not a bad thing. It's not bad to shy away from it either. I really believe that it's incumbant upon younger generations to first, respect the heritage that they come from and deal with an attitude of respect and appreciation for the heritage that they've received. But also to discover what their identity is in Christ. And that just doesn't apply to worship music or a certain genre of 'marketplace' music or whatever - that's working out your salvation with fear and trembling. That's what that is. And so the music - what people would call the "worship chorus" is just, in my opinion, an outgrowth of that process - and that's a very, very healthy process. I don't think that this form of music that we're discovering is here to stay. This process will happen again in the next generation, but I'm really thankful that it's going on.
MQ: Yeah, some of these music discussions, just a personal thought, sound like Jonah grumbling, where someone says, "I don't like that kind of music! We're not going to use that." - but God is working through it, you know what I mean?
MOlson: Sure.
MQ: How do we categorize something that the Holy Spirit works through and communicates truth to people? And for example, you coming from a musical family, how did you know what you were going to like - and what kind of music, and what instruments you were going to play? Nobody said, "You're going to do this..."
MOlson: And I really think that...it's a scriptural principle that God always communicates to people in the context of the culture that they live in so that they will understand. Like the Old Testament prophets, they showed up every once in a while. Why? Because they could communicate in the dialect of what people were speaking. And then Jesus used parables so that people would understand. So, I think we'll continue to see that - that God cares about the continuation of His salvation history and message so much that He will use examples from the context of current culture in order to engage those people. That's a very scriptural principle.
MQ: At this point in your journey - your musical career, what are you thankful for?
MOlson: Oh man, so much. If you would have asked me four years ago where I would want to be right now - who I'd want to be working with, without hesitation I could look at you in the face and say "right where I'm at". So, I've never been more amazed - in the entirety of my life - at what happens when you submit your desire to the Lord. And He actually knows you better than you know yourself (laugh) - which is a weird thing - but He will grant the desires of your heart. So, I have so much to be thankful for. I've got a great family. I've got a great record label family. I've got a great marriage. I'm really blessed. I don't even think I could key in on one thing, there are so many.
MQ: Where do you see yourself in five years?
MOlson: I hope to be making records, still...what I'm doing right now - and getting better at it...honing in on my songwriting craft...figuring out and defining myself more concisely...developing my skills as a producer and being able to continue to write really accessible songs and encourage people. I think my life, the lions share of the time I've got as an energetic young person, I'd love to spend that time encouraging others.