Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Whiteside.
Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Though I’d like to say I grew up in San Pedro, California, if I’m honest, I did most of my growing up here in Saint George after moving here in 2005. It was a difficult transition, but thankfully, my parents had fostered a deep appreciation for music in me from a very young age, which always kept me going. They had both been professional opera singers, and though I never felt like pursuing that particular style, practicing guitar and drums every night in my bedroom felt better than good – it felt like destiny.
While attending Tuacahn High School for the Performing Arts, I started playing with my friends Matthew Dumas and Josh Beahm in a group that we first called the Lloyd Bridges’ Aquarius Experience, but eventually changed the name to The Fillmore Odd Generation. Both names, and most of the music, came from Beahm, who remains to this day one of the most gifted guitar players I’ve ever heard, and I’ve played with some genuine pros. Sadly, we all started to move away from the area once they’d graduated, but I knew that somehow, I’d find a way to play music. Yet even after a couple of years of playing with various friends while attending Dixie State College (or Dixie Tech, whichever you prefer), nothing really materialized.
So in 2013, I moved to Eugene, Oregon. Matt, who I mentioned earlier, had an extra room for rent, and had nothing but nice things to say about the area, so I figured, “why not?” And truly, that’s where things started for me. It took a couple of years to get my bearings, but once I landed a coveted sales position at the local Guitar Center, I started Muscle Beach Petting Zoo with Andrew Srack.
Within months, people were asking us to record at their studios, open for their tours, play their house shows… for a while, it was truly all we ever wanted. For whatever reason, people loved us, and we were extremely humbled by their support. I had also joined forces with Thom Simon, a psychedelic indie project from Kansas that had recently relocated. In the summer of 2016, we went on our first tour together, which lasted almost two months. As if all of this wasn’t enough, I was also playing with Era Coda and Childspeak.
For a couple of years, I managed to juggle an inhuman amount of musical responsibilities, but eventually, something had to give, and I reduced my workload from four bands… to three. At the time, it seemed like a reasonable compromise, and soon after I even managed to get it down to two. But this is when my next frontier came into view at a blog called Fecking Bahamas. Fecking Bahamas had started around the time I moved to Eugene, and was always premiering the coolest bands from all over the world. They weren’t the biggest online magazine, but they were one of the most comprehensive. I sent them an email about contributing an article on things like guitars, effects pedals, etc. and surprisingly, heard back within a day. After a year of contributing, I was promoted to Deputy Editor, and within another, the blog’s founder, Nikk Hunter, asked me to take over.
Nikk was the first person to take me seriously not only as a writer, but a leader, and every day with the blog is still an honor for me. I get to talk to people all over the world, from artists to label reps and publishers, and its given me incredible insight to apply to Childspeak and MBPZ, who are both still active today – even if I’m living a couple of states away. Though my heart for the most part, will always be in Oregon, there was something else pulling me back to Saint George.
When the pandemic hit, obviously, everything changed. Childspeak was about to tour the West Coast with Zeta, a legendary Venezuelan band we’d been introduced to via our mutual producer, the Grammy-winning Marcel Fernandez, and of course, that didn’t pan out. I genuinely didn’t think we’d be able to play for another couple of years at least, but as sad as I was, it was the perfect time for me to put work into a documentary series I’d been working on with a childhood friend for months. Though it’s still in pre-production, writing and researching for the project has been insanely rewarding and beyond educational. While waiting for things to progress, I teach guitar and drums at Music & Arts, and do various odd jobs around town to save for my eventual return to Oregon, where I can get back to touring, recording, and living out my dreams.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have been smooth moments, but they rarely last long, which is to be expected in almost any artistic trajectory. But reading about how difficult it is for a band to break up, go through lineup changes, etc., is much different than living it. That was always part of the challenge for me: “how do I read about all of these magical careers but apply those lessons to my own?” It’s still quite difficult, and you rarely have the time when going through those things to ask yourself how your inspirations might have dealt with a given situation.
On top of that, I think that the film world that I’m currently ‘working in,’ is a bureaucratic nightmare compared to even the most contentious parts of the music industry, and it’s been a reality check for sure since moving back to Saint George. Odd jobs to help pay the bills in the meantime are extremely hard to find no matter who you are, or at this point, even where you are. But like most situations in life, a good attitude is crucial to overcoming things like that, and maybe a little luck.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Ultimately I think I can just simplify it by calling myself a musician. I have been playing guitar since I was around five or six years old, and took up drums soon after that. I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished with those instruments, whether it be working with Marcel Fernandez (Foo Fighters, ZZ Top, Molotov), getting a sponsorship with Earthquaker Devices, or touring with some of my favorite bands, but as far as what sets me apart, I think it’s just my attitude. I’m always trying to learn new things, and that makes me a good listener, which can be difficult to find, especially when artists or creatives are generally focused on their output.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
These days supporting a musician through streaming their music is, unfortunately, meaningless. The best way you could support someone like me, is buying music and/or merchandise from Bandcamp, following social media accounts to potential sponsors can see the metrics, and simply telling your friends about what we do. Whether it’s Childspeak or Muscle Beach Petting Zoo, or just about any other independent band, that system of value should apply.
But if you want to support me directly as a writer, you can donate directly at buymeacoffee.com/feckingbahamas, and it’s always immensely appreciated, as most of what I do there is entirely free.
Contact Info:
- Website: feckingbahamas.com
- Instagram: @loud_atlas / @feckingbahamas / @childspeakmusic @musclebeachpettingzoo
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckingfamahas/
Image Credits
Joe Termes (Louder than Light)
Sam Gehrke
