With a collection of 4 songs he’s contributed to previous Daydream Generation compilations being made available to download as “the playground EP” today, I figured that it’s as good a time as any to find out a little bit of everything I wanted to know about Michael Crowther, the brains behind it all.
Smally: Well first and foremost I suppose I’ve got to ask why The Playground? And who is Mixmaster Migity?Mike: well why any band name at all? I have a hard enough time naming my songs, if were to reference anything it would be “the world is your playground” im a life experience junky. try me ive already done it.(Mixmaster Migity is) yours truly, a name given to me by my friends who really inspired me to make it this far with my music in the first place. much respect to Reggie Hollywood and Dj Ice Cold, can I get holla? they were my first unofficial basement band members mentors, mentals.Smally: One of the things I love most about your music is the atmosphere of the songs – it reminds me of The Beatles circa “All You Need Is Love”, like you’re recording in the middle of a party. Can you describe the process of how a Playground song gets from your head onto a recording?Mike: wooo doggy dats a doozy. well my process changes as I change. record in bedrooms, don’t add lots of reverb (actually none) just lots of tracks. some times I write a melody in my head while driving my car or doin something menial and american then I whistle or sing that melody all the way home to my guitar or what ever and try and figure it out. but I like to think of song writing as completely out my control, meaning that ifyou let your subconscious do most of the work. as for the recording process now days I have one mic and my DI box set up at all times to catch ideas if need be. I usually chop the song together then I get reallyloopy on blue betties and belly burners and try to perform my little heart out. its really all about performance. its also a battle between recording andwriting, cause if you record some thing to soon or too late the feeling is lost. some songs need to be record while you write and some songs you want to wait until theyre fully baked.Smally: It makes for a very unique sound – who are your biggest influences? What ingredients go into the Playground melting pot?Mike: thats a good one, lots and lots of music. the obvious sixties and seventies bands, Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Cash, Zeppelin, the velvet underground and Lou reed, Grateful Dead, Nick Lowe, David Bowie,Beach Boys… any and all Motown music.. theres alot of daniel johnston influence probably more than any one else. lets just start a list I guess. newer bands, MGMT, LCD Soundsystem, Dr. Dog, Spoon ( I looooovvve Spoon) Of montreal, Grandaddy (not so new but still one of greatest of all time). Kings of Leon, Spiritualized, Spaceman3. The Shins. alright I missed so many but theres a bunch of shit i listen to , Im a fan of all types of music even rap and country.Smally: Yeah, you can definitely hear all that diversity coming together in your songs – sometimes it sounds like some weird organic psychedelic hip-hopconcoction. Can you ever see yourself going or experimenting with electronic instruments? And is there any genre you can’t stand?Mike: Yeah im actually a huge fan of electronic music and electronic instruments, I just pick and choose where to use it is in my music. I did start a track with the Cardboard Man but we never finished it, he’s a hip hop artist in minneapolis here. if there is a genre i don’t like its because of the people who listen to it not the music itself and boastful rap music makes mesick. the message of a song shouldn’t be ” Im gonna change the world rite after I get my mansion and mercedes, Im the best there ever was and I deserve the world because of it” how many of these “Best there ever was” rappers can there be, you’d think just one. and if you really are the best you shouldn’t have to tell your listeners, they would just know, ya know?Smally: How did you get into writing your own songs?Mike: well it took a very long time, I didn’t know how to sing or didn’t know I could sing until I was 20 (24 now) so I wrote my first song then. I had been playing guitar and mandolin for a few years but never really got the hang of song writing, I always thought I would be a good band member/ multi-instrumentalist but never thought I would be the front man in a one man band. at the time all my friends started to write songs and recorded to a four track. this was a very hazy period in my life not exactly sure what or why, needless to say I didn’t have the life skills to really make some jive ass turkey nah mean.Smally: You mentioned “Blue Betties” and “Belly Burners” before – do you think drugs are conducive to writing great music, or does it sometimes get in the way?Mike: I was only half serious im more of a coffee and cigarettes kinda guy, and a hopeless pothead. My hard drug years are mostly behind me. I think weed is good for writing and performing but everything should be in moderation other wise it is a definite obstacle. no one does really great work when ten feet deep in shit. so I try and stay away from the hole. its fun to dip your toes in every once in a while though.Smally: I think the daydream generation is very much a coffee, cigarettes and hopeless pothead scene, most folk are past the fry your head early 20s and now trying to make sense of it by writing songs. You used to frequent the now sadly defunct Brian Jonestown Massacre forum and I can remember a few times you being a cheeky monkey and rubbing folk up the wrong way. Where are you virtually hanging out now?Mike: im a myspacer , but I try to pop into forums every once in a while and stir things up. one thing you’ll notice about the truly avid forum junky is that they are complete assholes. apparently Intellectually superior, yet emotional stumped and creatively nonexistent people. they have lots of opinions but honestly, whose listening to them in the first place cause there just critics. those who can do, those who can’t teach. I think there are a lot of teachers in the world and not enough doers.Smally: What’s the music scene like where you are? Are you an island in an ocean, or just a drop in the sea?Mike: Minneapolis is notorious for having tons of bands and artists floating around, Dylan, Prince, The Replacements, and now Tapes and Tapes, The Hold Steady, Cloud Cult etc. but there’s not a lot of money floating around for it at-least rite now. we are an indie rock city though and I like it very much. It seems like everyone in this city is working towards blowing the scene up here and its exciting to be apart of, even though know one knows who I am. Its just nice see so many people working for no money but love what they do.Smally: What can we expect from The Playground in the near future?Mike: a six song EP is in progress, It should be ready in about 2 1/2 to 3 months. I am working on it with my friend Oathman Smihi. we jive. we are in a drummer conundrum at the moment but that seems to be a minor set back cause its gonna be sweet. I think it will be excellent or bodatious or something radical well just have to wait and see.Smally: Oh yeah, and I’ve always meant to ask – How is The Playground spelled? Playground, PlayGround, or PlaygrounD? I’ve never been sure but have never got round to asking.Mike: neither have I, for some reason I mix upper and lower case letters at random with my handwriting so im going to say for today that its “the playground” all lower case letters just like e.e. cummings ya know.Smally: Well thank fuck we got that sorted out – so you can spell it however you want? I like that. Well, I guess that’s it – thanks for taking the time out of your crazy existence to answer these questions. Finally how about “what will your musical epitaph be?”Mike: “welp! I made it this far now all i have to do is decompose” prolly a country tune with lap steel and dogs hollowing in the background.Listen to “Come Out And Play” from “the playground EP“available to download for free at the dgRECORDS link at the top of this page:
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