About Michael Feinberg
Bassist Michael Feinberg’s latest album takes you through the wild ride of the pandemic. Waking up “Every. Damn. Day” to the horrible news cycle of police brutality and out-of-control politicians, feeling a little “Janky in the Middle” of it all, and mostly just hoping you can see the light at the end of these “Hard Times.”
But Michael’s music finds order in the chaos. Take the aforementioned tune “Every. Damn. Day. (Burn it Down Blues)” as an example. It’s forged from two seemingly unrelated themes, which build into a musical mayhem. However, the most chaotic section is also the part that feels the most constant. In between each repetition of the theme, there’s a wide range of emotions: sweet, harsh, or aggressive. But in the end, the music always returns to the same theme. There’s a consistency in the disarray — just the same as we must start the day over, and over, and over again amidst the turmoil of life.
Michael explains that there is a constant duality in life. In order for balance to exist, you must have an equal amount of all ingredients. If you have sections of loud dynamics, you need sections of quiet sensitivity. When you have long moments of tonal music, you crave the sound of dissonance. In life, you must taste bitter to know the sweet. And while the album takes us through the ups and downs of life, it ends on a positive note with the title track. This soulful recording celebrates coming to the end of “Hard Times” — making it through the trauma to experience achievement and success. The harder you work for it, the sweeter the reward.
Listen to the full interview with Michael Feinberg to learn more about his album Hard Times. He talks in-depth about his phenomenal band, his compositional process, and why he’s dressed as a cowboy on the album cover.
Resources
Learn more about Michael Feinberg on his website, You can find Hard Times anywhere you stream music. It’s also available for purchase from Amazon Music.
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