The Mike Polizze Interview
Philly-based multi-instrumentalist, artist, and founder of veteran rockers Purling Hiss and Birds Of Maya, Mike Polizze, has been on the scene for well over two decades. A concrete figure among peers and the city’s cosmically creative community, Polizze’s atmospheric ability to pull together volume, texture, and controlled chaos initially put him on the map. Still, his solo material stands in stark contrast to the songwriting shadows of many iconic influences and effortlessly drifts into the never-ending ether. Following up on 2020’s “Long Lost Solace Find,” Polizze returns with the highly anticipated “Around Sound” and quickly places himself in the ethereal embrace of meditative melody.
Photo: Patrick Hickey
Are you originally from Philly? As a multi-instrumentalist, how did you initially connect with music, more specifically songwriting, and the guitar? Who were some of your earliest influences, and how quickly did the gap from listening to wanting to create music take place for you?
Photo: Constance Mensh
I grew up in Media, PA. I lived in Philly for almost 20 years, but have returned to my hometown, not far from the city. Most of my family, including my father, is from Philadelphia. He was the earliest influence on me instrumentally. He was a saxophone player and had an extensive jazz record collection. I got my musical performances from as early as being in my crib. It’s not what he did professionally, and he didn’t play out, but he was educated in music and was talented. I have some old cassettes of him playing music with people and solo from the late 1970s. I was a kid in the 1990s without older siblings, so I listened to a lot of what was on the radio, TV, and at mall record/CD stores. Then I turned to classic rock as a teen, mostly, like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. I began playing piano as a kid, and by 13, I started writing songs on the guitar and recording on a 4-track cassette player in the early 2000s. I was about 19 or 20 at the time.
With a career that goes back to your time in such influential groups like Birds Of Maya, whose debut was released on Holy Mountain by the late John Whitson, Purling Hiss, who released an album in 2023 “Drag On Girard,” and Watery Love, I’d like to know about these projects, the overall creative chemistry of working on some of the albums recorded, and some of your most fondest memories.
Photo: Constance Mensh
Right after I got my 4-track recorder in 2000, I was finally able to start going to more shows in Philly. I had a few times as a teen, but I usually skipped going to the legendary Stalag 13 shows (among other places) to trip in the woods before I finally got it together. By 2004, I responded to a tear-the-phone-number-off ad in a record store, which was to try out for what became Birds of Maya. We all quickly became best friends while living together in Fishtown (Philly), and playing music all the time. This was mid-aughts, when searching Mediafire blogs for rare records came into abundance, and I got into all kinds of stuff, such as Träd, Gräs & Stenar, Amanaz, Ted Lucas, and several others. Eventually, we released a CDR that (Jason) designed, screen-printed, and passed around for a year or so until it made its way to John Whitson. “Birds of Maya - Vol 1” was released around 2008 on vinyl, and I began recording more 4-track psych-related material that would become early Purling Hiss records before they were released on Permanent Records, Woodsist, Richie Records, and Mexican Summer before signing with Drag City in 2012. There are many great memories, such as the mid-to-late aughts in Fishtown. Those were the halcyon days for sure, with peak music making, shows, and making friends. I posted a video recently of Birds of Maya playing a free show in a park with Jack Rose.
“I reunited with old friend and collaborator Jon Khanlian, who has made many music videos with me, on a quick trip to NYC. Starting in Jersey City, then onto Manhattan, I donned my Holt (a guitar of mysterious Texan origin), with him following me (with a big old Panasonic and Nikkor lenses, which seemed to turn some film heads) for a few hours. On a whim, with no tripod or plan, we bounced from the subway to the street, busking and strumming among folks going about daily business. Filming on an overcast day in April, he caught the footage, and I (later) edited it into a music video. The song itself is a reflection about being young and who you become. ‘Is there anybody out there that can drag me away?’ … ‘just a wide-eyed stray’ … ‘you don’t want to go down that road …’ Conceptually, we thought going into a city full of people (while asking if anybody’s there) would present interesting imagery.”
Photo: Patrick Hickey
Stepping into the world for the first time as a solo musician with your 2020 debut “Long Lost Solace Find” on Paradise of Bachelors, what was your initial process for approaching this reality, and how does this compare to being in a more band-type setting in the past? Were there any pressures or particular anxieties that went with that territory for you in the beginning? Working with such folks as Kurt Vile and Jeff Zeigler, what was the overall experience of releasing this album, which would eventually lead to your highly anticipated 2025 follow-up, “Around Sound?”
Yeah, playing solo live and taking everything on myself as an artist could be a bit daunting. By that point, I had started doing some Purling Hiss solo shows around 2016 or so, and shortly after that, Paradise of Bachelors asked me to do a record. I multi-tracked it rather than using a loop pedal as I was doing live, and had Kurt Vile on some songs. It was recorded by Jeff Zeigler, someone I’ve worked with several times, and when it finally came out, it was right in the middle of the pandemic. It felt like a good shift. I needed to do it to step out of all the noisy din, as a songwriter. The experience of working with Kurt and Jeff was great. I’m highly appreciative, and I think it helped to be around them for inspiration, their knowledge, and overall experience.
I understand these songs were recorded between 2022-2024. Concerning “Long Lost Solace Find,” how quickly did the material for “Around Sound” come to you? I’d love to know some of the backstory to tracks like “Fast Blues,” the album’s epic ender “Four Celestions,” as well as the album’s title track.
I became more interested in finger-picking during the pandemic. By that point, we had a child, and I wasn’t playing loud music as much. I wanted to strive for something more reverent to express more musicianship in my playing, writing, recording, and approach in general. I just focused more on the guitar itself by zooming in and putting it under a microscope. This was a much different contrast to past endeavors. I don’t think it took any longer to write an album than usual. It took a while to record with my limited schedule and being a dad, etc. As for the backstory, I wanted to focus on acoustic guitar more and try to expand by coming up with motifs to capture the ones I like via a thousand voice memos, several sketchbooks with scribbled lyrics and drawings (many sketches ending up in my liner notes).
Photo: Alejandro A. Alvarez
Released just last week, what was most important for you to achieve both artistically and personally on this album, and how much has your general approach to crafting songs changed over the years? Is there anything else you would like to share further with the readers?
An important aspect of this is to grow as an artist and evolve. I never like making the same thing twice, but it’s still always me. I plan to learn my instrument more, which didn’t bother me much before, but now I’m more open to it. I think crafting songs has just changed by making albums and moving onto something different, because I don’t want to do what I just did previously. I will keep making music as long as I can. Thanks.
