Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
We speak to Los Angeles based artist Longplayer about his new music project, how going solo has given him freedom, and more
Mikey Longplayer, longtime collaborator of Drugdealer has ventured out on his own with his latest project Longplayer. It’s a musical journey infused with velvety layers, Beatles-esque guitars, and a far out sensibility. To be frank, this is essential listening for any psychedelic rock fan. His most recent single ‘I Saw You Turning Around’ is a heartfelt number that is reminiscent of Paul McCartney‘s ‘RAM’.
We caught up with Mikey to chat about the new musical project, the freedom it has given him, and MORE.
Kieran: Hey Mikey, thanks for chatting with us! How have things been?
Mikey: Hello Clunk Magazine! Thanks for having me. Things have been great, I just got back from the fall European Drugdealer tour. It was a quick tour centered around Pitchfork festival in London. Shows were great and I had a lot of fun. Other than that, I’m just working on some new Longplayer recordings at home in Los Angeles at the moment.
Kieran: How’s your 2024 shaped up so far? Any highs or lows?
Mikey: Biggest highlight for me was releasing my own music. I wrote some of the material during the pandemic so it was great to finally get it out there and be able to play live. Another high point was making the music video for “My Dreams Of You.” I had so many amazing friends come to my aid and I was completely blown away that we pulled it off, there was so many moving parts. The lowest point for me was definitely breaking my nose on my birthday playing basketball haha. I spent the whole day in two hospitals. Definitely a birthday for the books… I won’t forget that one 🙂
Kieran: So, you recently released your new single ‘I Saw You Turning Around’, can you talk to us about the release and what it means to you?
Mikey: I couldn’t be happier with how ‘I Saw You Turning Around’ came together. I ran into an ex-lover and wrote the song about them. It’s about embracing the past, trusting your yourself and letting go. On the production side of things it was such a pleasure working with Jay Watson on the mix. I saw him play at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery many years ago and I’ve been a fan of his ever since. Jay brought out all the aspects I wanted in this song perfectly. I’m actually going to have a music video premiere for “I Saw You Turning Around” on Dec. 7 at La Fe bar in Echo Park, Los Angeles. I’m really looking forward to that.
Listen to ‘I Saw You Turning Around’ here:
Kieran: You mentioned that George Harrison was a big influence on this track and I am curious to know who else influences you as a musician and why?
Mikey: Yes, I love Beatle George. I moved to San Diego when I was twelve and one of my close friend’s parents was Ravi Shankar’s assistant. She would tell me stories of George visiting and how he’d be gardening at Ravi’s. My love of the guitar and these stories stuck with me and he’s always been my favorite Beatle. I’m very influenced by a lot of people of this generation as well. I’ve been hanging with a lot of jazz musicians in the LA scene, you should check out Chris Fishman in Pat Metheny’s band. He’s incredible.
Kieran: How does your solo music differ from the collaborative work you do with artists such as Drugdealer?
Mikey: I’ve been working with Mike Collins (Drugdealer) for about 7 years now. I love working with Mike, I think he really brings out the best in people in the studio. He’s a great producer. I’ve had many occasions where his direction really elevated the music and took my playing to another level. As for my solo music I work on the writing mostly on my own and sometimes have friends play different instruments.
Kieran: Do you feel a sense of freedom when working as a solo artist?
Mikey: Absolutely. I actually really love to wake up as early as I can and spend my mornings writing. I’ll usually take a break at some point and exercise and then come back and work on something else. I tend to switch roles after I take breaks, for example maybe when I come back I’ll start mixing or recording instead of writing. Sometimes I even just switch instruments.
Kieran: The new single is pretty varied in sound, blending a multitude of genres and sounds. What is one artist you listen to that might surprise people and did it have any effect on this release or you as an artist?
Mikey: Philip Glass. I’ve been listening to the “Glass: Dance Nos. 1-5” on repeat the past few months. It’s incredible. I was definitely inspired by Philip Glass and Jay’s music to add the synth arpeggios in the instrumental section of “I Saw You Turning Around.” As for the blending of genres and sounds, I really love the music of Todd Rundgren, I love how the instrumentation from song to song can change drastically. This is something I’d like to focus on moving forward. I love experimenting and letting the song sort of have a mind of its own on where it wants to go.
Kieran: Lastly, what advice would you give any budding artists in this current climate?
Mikey: I would say follow your heart. Surround yourself with like-minded people and people that lift you up. Take chances and don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the music. Thanks for having me.