Meet Mike Villines

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Villines.

Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I’m a Nashville-based singer/songwriter. I started in music as a bass player in my teens and went on the road right after high school with several bands out of Ohio, Columbus Fargo, Goin’ Home, and Stonewall. We played clubs and venues all over the midwest. I wanted to be where the music business was so I started making trips to Nashville, moved to Los Angeles, and spent 3 years playing clubs and venues in southern California and Arizona. Moved from L.A. to Nashville where I started getting involved in the songwriting community. Made another move to California, this time to Bakersfield, and spent 4 years playing the clubs and venues up and down the San Joaquin Valley.

Bakersfield was where I really learned and fell in love with country music. There are so many incredible musicians and singers out there. But the pull of the songwriting community was just too strong, so I moved back to Nashville, and this is now home. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to work with some incredible artists in my time here, some of which include Jeannie C. Riley, Billy Joe Royal, Roy Head, Larry Henley, Red Simpson, and many others. I love being part of the writer’s nights and have so many great songwriter friends.

Several years ago I made the decision to quit being a sideman and try to step out on my own. I made my EP “It’s Lost in Time” in 2019 with the help of my friend and collaborator Bob Huston, and started booking solo gigs as well as the occasional duo gig with Bob. I recently put out my first single called “Things That Hurt” which is available on all the streaming platforms as well as my EP. My goal at this point is to try to get radio play, keep playing the gigs, and keep building my following. I’m starting to branch out into other states and trying to build a solid fan base. I also stay busy with the writer’s nights, I’m learning to cowrite and trying to expand that part of my music life. I’m really excited about the new music I’m making and plan to release several new singles over the next few months. I believe the best is yet to come!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it’s been a smooth ride, but it has certainly been a fun one. Roadwork has always been a challenge. I started out in the midwest and weather was always a factor. We played 6 to 7 nights a week and were constantly dealing with snow and ice in the winter, the biggest reason I moved out west. California and the west coast really gave me my education in music and taught me how to entertain and keep my focus. It got me ready for Nashville in a lot of ways. The big challenge in Nashville is actually trying to make a living as a musician and a songwriter. It is the heart of the music business, but it’s also a place where so many people are willing to play for free, and a lot of the venues expect it. So you have to find a balance between making a living and living your dream. I find that the farther away from the center of town you go the better your chances of finding gigs that actually pay. And the amount of talent here is off the charts, so many incredible players, singers, writers, all of the best come here. It seems that most of the people who come here were a big deal in their hometown, but everyone has to start from scratch in Nashville.

It’s the most competitive place I’ve ever lived, and yet at the same time, it has a brotherhood aspect to it that makes it a fabulous place to be and grow. The songwriting community is like a big family. But most of the people that I’ve seen give it up do so because they can’t make a living here, or end up doing a job totally unrelated to music and burn out trying to do both. And we’re talking about incredibly talented people who should be stars. I play music because I love playing music, not because I think it will make me rich.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I call myself alt-country for lack of a better title, but my music is a mix of many different influences. I always loved the folk-rock sound of the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Pure Prairie League, Neil Young, that sort of sound. And then you mix in the southern rock sound with the Bakersfield sound of Merle Haggard and Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, mix a little Rolling Stones, put it all in a blender and that’s kind of the basis of what I do. I think what sets me apart is that my music is uniquely me. I’ve been able to forge my own sound and style that is a product of my influences and yet different. I don’t consider myself a great singer, or a great player, but I do try to write songs that mean something, and that are close to my heart.

And I work hard at what I do. And I try to tell a story. I’ve always tried to surround myself with people who are better players than me because that’s how you grow. I believe my best work is yet to come. I was the kid who lived in his record collection. That was my world. And I would love to think I could be that to someone else, that my music would be what they look up to. I hope people give my music a listen and I hope they enjoy it. That’s really all an artist can ask.

What makes you happy?
Playing music makes me happy. Playing for people and making them smile. Giving them a reason to forget about their everyday lives for a few hours and just enjoy hearing some music.

To me, that’s what it’s all about. And the thrill of writing a song out of nowhere and realizing that I’ve managed to create something new that has a life of its own. It doesn’t happen very often, I have to write ten or twenty bad ones for every good one I get. But when it happens it still feels like pure magic to me, like God handed me a little gift to share with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mikevillinesmusic.com
• Instagram: @villinesmike
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mikevillinesItsLostInTime/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/U6Em41Mu1ig
• Other: https://artists.spotify.com/c/artist/5ibLmsJ7I45WHwlliOznN2/home