The creation of art can be either be a freeing experience for the artist, a liberation of the ideas that spring forth from their mind and soul. Or it can be a confining one, as the struggle for authentic expression suffocates the artist both as they create their work and as they explain to others exactly what was created. For Mike Countryman, a professor and the Program Coordinator at Centennial College for Communications and Media Fundamentals, the creation of his latest album “TV Amerika- Songs for the Unfree” was definitely a freeing one. Slightly ironic, considering the name of the album, but a truthful assessment.
Released on YouTube on October 8, 2020, the album was a passion project of Mike’s that he worked on over the summer. The album consists of 13 tracks that are inspired by 1990’s era electronic, dance and house beats. The tracks, mostly instrumental with some sampled vocals, are sometimes hopeful and divine, sometimes chilling and almost alien-sounding. They are all hard-hitting, intense and makes the heart jump in your chest.
Mike has been a member of the bands Put the Rifle Down and Dark Ages, both bands that were largely inspired by 1980’s synthpop sounds and incorporated both electronic and live instruments. He began to transition into using purely electronic mediums to create his music- primarily using a laptop, which he says has been both a blessing and a curse.
Creating music that way is much cheaper and requires less space than if you were using live instruments. It also allows for some spontaneous moments of serendipity and magic when you are mixing your music on a computer. Mike’s favourite track from the album, “The Only One” included a vocal sample from a disco song from the 1970s that he stumbled upon. It just so happened to be perfectly in sync and have the right beats per minute to match the music he dropped it into. Though Mike aimed for exploring 1990’s era dance music throughout his album, he never went for a specific sound. It was more about picking a synth beat and seeing what he could create with it.
But when questioned about the exact meaning of the album, there was no straightforward answer. “I have no idea. I’m not so interested in art as a message. I’m not so interested in music where the singer is really trying to tell me something about the world.”
The lack of an overarching meaning for this album was clearly not out of a lack of care, but a reflection on his life post-band and as a full-time faculty member of Centennial College. In his twenties, Mike explained, he cared a lot about signing record deals, getting his music out there and what people thought about his music. Now, he was more interested in creating music for himself and to share with his friends.
“I’ve been a musician for a very long time so that I am confident in my abilities and know what to do,” he said. His lack of care of what people think about his music was also a freeing one. It resulted in an exhilarating album full of experimental and unique sounds.
So how does Mike make the time to work on full-length albums while working as a full-time faculty member? He attributes it to his excellent time management skills. It took Mike four years to write his first novel (yes, he is also a novelist on top of everything else) and a lot of times, he didn’t want to do it. But he explained that if you really want to do something, you will carve out the time in your day to work on it. You will push on, regardless of what people think of you or your art.
So take note, Centennial students. Once you find your passion, you will lose the crushing expectation of perfection that all too often shackle the artist down. Instead, you will find the freedom of doing what you love without caring what other people think of it.
By: Robin Hyewoan Song, Public Relations - Corporate Communications Student