Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Michael Legere who discusses the creative process behind his new single, “Yourself,†off his new album, “Ourselves in Public.”
Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?
Michael Legere: I was raised in a really musical family, so it was always a really huge part of my life. I remember when I was little my family would have these big parties, and my brother Stewart would play a bunch of covers and everybody would sing along. Me and my siblings would learn 4 part harmonies to all these songs when I was like 7 and 8 and we would all sit around sing and play music together. I played in a band from junior high on, first playing the drums and then picking up a guitar, and I was really into big collectives that had that same kind of fun and communal energy I was used to, especially Broken Social Scene, so that’s kind of why I moved to Toronto in the first place. I figured there was a really rich music scene here of the kind of indie rock I was into and I wanted to be a part of that, so I picked a University here when it came time and that’s how I maneuvered that.
Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?
Legere: It differs depending on the project. For this solo album, Ourselves in Public, I had this concept, of kind of exploring the different facets of persona and social identity, and I wanted to write an album around it. I actually came up with the idea and the album name first, and then started to write some songs around more specific aspects of that. Some of them I started with a title and an idea and then wrote some music that created the mood I was going for and then wrote the lyrics. Some of them started with lyrics. I was thinking about the concept for some time, jotting down ideas and lines that I thought would fit it, and also recording audio in any public place I was able to- because I knew I wanted to use that sort of stuff.
Review Fix: What inspires you?
Legere: People inspire me. My family is definitely a big source of inspiration for me, my brother and sister are both really driven thoughtful artists, and my other sister is really artistic and one of the smartest and most personable people I know. They all challenge and inspire me for sure. Other artists inspire me as well, I’m definitely spoiled living in Toronto around so much awesome music, it makes me always want to create more and just get better and expand my view.
Review Fix: What makes “Yourself” a special track?
Legere: It’s a bit hard for me to answer that one, because I’m so close to it. But I think it’s got a defiance that I’m proud of- it’s kind of about not letting what other people say you are dictate who you actually are, if it doesn’t serve you. The feeling of standing alone, being lonely, but also being ok with it. I wrote it on the first thanksgiving I ever spent alone, which, coming from a big family was a strange experience. So I had family on the mind a bit, not specifically mine, but how that institution plays into the development of a social-identity and persona.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Legere: Indie folk rock with an emphasis on lyrics.
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Legere: I’m about to go on tour for a couple weeks and I’ll be playing half solo half with a band. Some of it will be more stripped down than the album, and some of it will be more rocking, but I’m playing electric on all of it which is different. I played all the instruments on the record except for the cello in The Sudden Downpour, and I’m physically incapable of doing that live by myself so I’ve brought on some friends to help me recreate them. The band is actually two other members from Century Thief, Omar Shabbar and Colin McNally, so we’ve been playing together for a while, it feels pretty natural.
Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018?
Legere: Well, mostly to get my name out there more and have more people hear my music. I’m doing some touring, so when that’s done I’d like to plan another tour for later in the year too. I’m working on writing the next batch of solo material as well, and as much as I loved working within the concept of this record and doing it all myself it feels really freeing to be able to move past it now and focus on some other stuff. As always a big goal of mine is to just keep getting better and trying to make something different, hopefully something that resonates with people, but I’m trying not to let that goal influence the work too much.
Review Fix: What’s next?
Legere: I’m working on an EP, it’s more electric and louder, a little less folky.  I’m playing some of it with a band for this tour and it’s feeling really good so I think I want to capture it that way, and because I’m working out of a studio now I want to take advantage of the tools I have access to and make it sound really huge. I started Ourselves in Public by recording in rented rehearsal rooms, and working out of apartments and stuff, it wasn’t until later in the process that I was able to start working in a studio. I redid some stuff, and considered redoing all of it but it had a lo-fi charm that I didn’t want to lose. But I’ve also started to write much more stripped down stuff too, so I’m considering doing two separate EPs to explore those different sounds. I’m also doing a bit of producing, working on a friends record right now, and I’m in the later stages of recording a Century Thief Ep, as well as a Places Erupt EP, so I want to finish those in the next couple months. I’ll be playing more, writing more, touring more if all goes well.
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