Check out my interview with musician and artist J. Michael Phillips. His project ‘Whiskey & Roses’ with long-time friend Yelawolf is out now.

This interview has been edited for clarity

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can you talk a bit about your background in music, your friendship with Yelawolf, and how that led up to crafting this music project, Whiskey & Roses?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: As far back as I can remember I’ve been singing. My mother used to play folk music, so the ’70s, 80’s, folk, rock, country, and pop were all big influences on my childhood. I’ve come to find that Yelawolf and I share the same musical influences growing up, since we grew up in the 80s, and that made it very easy to work with him in the studio creatively. And we pretty much share the same belief system, so outside of music we’re brothers and it makes for a great musical collaboration. When in the studio, we didn’t plan on doing a joint album. Initially, we were working on my solo album, but after working on a few songs together, we realized that it would be pretty cool to record a joint album collaboration, and that’s what we did with Whiskey & Roses.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How was that creative/recording process different than your normal creative solo work?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: It was actually easier because Yelawolf brought a lot of creativity to the table and inspiration. We pretty much bounced ideas off of each other, making it pretty effortless to create this album.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How has having a difficult childhood and troubled past that eventually led to several stints in prison prepared you to be the artist and songwriter that you are today?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: While I was in prison, I chose to use the time to hone my skills. I wrote music nonstop, so it helped my writing. I studied a lot of music as well, so my understanding of different genres and influences became a part of what I do now. I definitely learned a lot while locked up and also learned that if I was capable of making great music while in there that I could definitely make great music while on the outside.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: So, reading that you’ve been writing poems since first grade, do you remember the first one you wrote and what it was about? How do you think writing poems set you up for success when it came to songwriting?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: I remember my first poem. It was pretty personal, pretty heartfelt from the perspective of a kid and his family. When you’re a kid, your mother and immediate family are your entire world, and that’s what I wrote that first poem about. It was called “Time.” Learning the structure of a song with a hook, verse, hook, verse, hook, bridge, hook is pretty much the same as writing poems to me, the only difference is one is sung and one is spoken.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What advice do you have for others who want to turn their lives around completely?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: My advice to others for turning your life around completely is you have to want it. You have to want better for yourself. You have to stop living for friends and others. You have to be selfish in a way and focus on whatever you’re trying to move towards. You can’t do the same things and expect different results. You have to change your environment. You have to change your surroundings. Don’t be afraid to move away to better yourself. Whatever you put your mind to, you are absolutely capable of doing. The only person who could stop you is you. So, if you want to change, you will change. All you have to do is move towards that goal and not allow others to influence what you do.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist and songwriter since your debut album, Urban Cowboy?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: I’ve definitely learned a lot from Yelawolf and others such as D Ray, Tasty Beats, Mike Hartnett, Jim Jonsin, and everybody I’ve been working with on a creative level has given me validation that my writing is different and good, and they have just given me pointers and stuff on things that I can work on. That has enabled me to be a better songwriter and to be able to touch on other subjects that I usually wouldn’t write songs about period.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: You’re currently on tour with Yelawolf promoting this project, how have the fans been reacting to the music live? What are some of your favorite things about touring this album with Yelawolf?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: The fans have been amazing. I’ve seen a lot of messages from fans saying that they might not necessarily have been sold on my music from just hearing it or seeing me online, but once they experienced me in person they could truly relate to me. And I’ve gained an untold number of fans, and it’s been a blessing. You know, when people see that you’re really what you say you are in person, it’s way easier for them to relate to you and to understand that you come from the same things that they come from. And, hopefully, they find encouragement and hope in the music and understand that they’re not alone in this, that we all go through hard times, and as long as we continue to push through them, that we’ll make it through whatever might be thrown our way, period. Some of the best things about touring for me are just getting to meet different people in all different areas of the country and to hear stories of how they came upon my music, or how my music has helped them through certain things. I don’t think there’s been one time after a show that a fan hasn’t brought me to tears from a heartfelt story, and I’m not ashamed of that. I feel deeply and so I think it’s a testament to my realness and my being a genuine person who cares when they see that vulnerability in me from speaking to me, and I know that will never change.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What is your earliest movie memory?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: My earliest movie memory is “Star Wars.” When I was a kid, I loved Luke, Skywalker, Darth, Vader, and all that.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What does music and the art of songwriting mean to you?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: It means everything to me. It’s my therapy. Music can encourage, it can build up, it can break down. It can cause you to be in a dark place. It can do a lot of things, and so what you do with the music that you create, or what you choose to do with the music you create, can have a serious effect on whoever the listener is. So, you have to be very careful in what you choose to put out there in this world.

THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

J. MICHAEL PHILLIPS: The best advice I’ve ever received was from one of my mentors. His name is Rocky Love from Toledo, Ohio, and he told me that success comes when preparation and opportunity meet. You can’t have success with only one of the two, but when both are acquired, then the opportunity for success is imminent. So, I always knew that as long as I stayed prepared, the opportunity would arise, and when the opportunity would arise, I would be able to meet that opportunity head-on, and success would come. And that’s what happened when I met Edward Crowe and Yelawolf. That was my opportunity, and my preparation was everything I’ve done in my life prior to that. Never giving up on my dream and never just taking it for granted. Continuously working hard at writing songs and performing and being who I knew I was destined to be. I just needed the opportunity, and Edward Crowe and Yelawolf  have given me that opportunity, and now the success is here.

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions, J. Michael Phillips.

You can stream the album from J. Michael Phillips and Yelawolf’s ‘Whiskey & Roses’ by clicking the album cover below or the highlighted link.