Mike Procyshyn is back — at long last. For Procyshyn, writing yearning, atmospheric Americana is old hat. His new album, Good Man, Bad Wizard is his tenth full-length release. Hailing from Kenora, Ontario-based singer-songwriter Mike Procyshyn blends lines and influences from classic country to 90’s alternative. There’s a playful nostalgia at the heart of these songs, songs that feel like a box of Polaroids, drinks with an old friend, late night phone calls, and strange dreams. The lead single, “Long Time” embodies those feelings: bittersweet words of old friends reconnecting, set to an uptempo twang.
Unsurprisngly, Procyshyn has a wry sense of humor. In our interview, he delves into his sense of imposter syndrome and the embarrassing catastrophe of performing his first original song to his high school crush.
Who are some of your musical influences?
John K Samson, Neil Young, Jeff Tweedy, Randy Newman, Blue Rodeo, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt. I think, for me, lyrics always come first. I’m looking for a good story.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
“North Star” by Jason Molina (Magnolia Electric Co.) The song aches, in every right way. Every line is a gut punch.
Explain the title of your album.
Good Man, Bad Wizard is pulled from The Wizard of Oz… I’d always liked the phrase, but it came more into context while talking about songwriting with a great friend and musician Reilly Scott. We’d talked about how in the arts, you tend to feel a huge imposter syndrome. When are you actually a songwriter? When you write a song? When someone hears it? When someone buys it? It’s not like going to school, getting a degree and having a certificate on the wall that says “ I am a doctor.” It’s a nebulous thing. Same for painters, and poets, most other artistic pursuits. The joke I made was that we’re all just waiting for a Wizard to come and say “Yes, you have a brain, you’ve always had one… here’s a diploma.”
Tell us about the first song you wrote.
Alright… circa 1997… there was a German exchange student, her name was Nina. Nina, was blonde, pretty, and way out of my league. I wrote a sappy love song for her. I summoned all my courage, and phoned her to sing her this song. Now, in my mind… I’m Richie Valens, singing “Donna” to Donna in a phonebooth during a rainstorm. In reality, she put the phone down and walked away. Maybe that’s where the sad songs come from.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Write the songs you want to hear. Write something that means something to you. If you’ve never been to California, don’t write about California. California has enough songs. Be honest, but unafraid to blow a scenario out of proportion for the sake of a good story. Be available to the muse… when an idea hits, just keep writing. Don’t edit now, just get things to paper, and sort out the details later. If you push it off, you may never come back to that same place.