The Secret Beach is the moniker used by Canadian songwriter and recording artist Micah Erenberg, whose refreshingly plainspoken candor has become a dominant through-line in the singer/songwriter’s ever-expanding catalog. Whether releasing records under his own name, or lending his talents as a producer, Erenberg exists in a constant whirlpool of creation.
This latest offering, Songs From The Secret Beach, finds beauty in the mundanity of daily life. Produced by Erenberg, and mixed by revered producer/engineer Rob Schnapf (Kurt Vile, Beck, Cass Mccombs), this collection is at once an exercise in restraint, as well as an arrestingly lush exploration of sonic possibility.
On “God Is,” Erenberg places God in a number of all-too-human situations with clarity, confidence, and grace. The song is delivered with sensitivity and humor, a masterful performance from Erenberg. In our interview, Erenberg spoke about what makes him tick.
Explain the title of your album.
I come from a place where there is a secret beach. And I recorded all of these songs there. That’s why it’s called Songs From The Secret Beach.
Tell us about the first song you wrote.
It was called Walk Away and I wrote it with my friend Zander in his basement on Bannerman Ave in Winnipeg. Same street the Guess Who started on!
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
Lyrics and melody. They pop into my head and then I start writing. Sometimes I get the whole song done without even picking up an instrument. Recently, I have been recording instrumental songs and then putting words to them after, and so far it’s pretty fun to do it that way, too!
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
Sour candies, writing songs, talk radio.
What do you think you could do to make your music or shows more accessible to a more diverse audience?
Definitely getting a more diverse group of people on stage is a big one. Also, just checking in with the venues and making sure that they have good safe spaces policies in place and that they haven’t knowingly supported any harmful stuff in the past.
Songs From the Secrete Beach will be available on 8/24
The Secret Beach — Instagram, Spotify