INTERVIEW: Indie Folk from Michael Lyon

In the sun-soaked landscape of Southern California, singer-songwriter Michael Lyon crafts song that have drawn comparisons to the likes of Cat Stevens, Neil Young and Ben Gibbard. As a true one-man band, Lyon weaves intricate tales through music, playing all the instruments; vocals, guitars, piano, keyboards, strings and percussion. With influences spanning from The Beatles to Chuck Berry, Cat Stevens to Neil Young and even the timeless mastery of Mozart, Lyon invites us to immerse ourselves in his fourth album since 2015, the captivating What Could Be.

The album opens with “Sunrise,” a fitting introduction to Lyon’s world of indie folk. The track begins with bright acoustic instrumentation, setting the stage for Lyon’s gentle, heartfelt vocals to carry lyrics brimming with charm and depth. As the melody dances gracefully, listeners are embraced by the warmth of Lyon’s musical embrace. “Want To Be A Flower” introduces a mellower, contemplative folk sound. Lyon’s lyrics whimsically express a desire to become a flower, a sentiment that takes root over a backdrop of stripped-back acoustic guitar arrangements.

“Love” evokes echoes of The Beatles, showcasing Lyon’s knack for harmonic vocal arrangements. With the gentle strumming of acoustic guitars and layered vocal harmonies, the song basks in the warmth of sincere sentiment. It’s a piece that stands as a homage to the timeless melodies that have shaped Lyon’s musical journey. One of the album’s highlights is “Justice Day,” which radiates with playful piano chords and an upbeat, bouncy vocal performance. It’s a showcase of Lyon’s songwriting versatility, displaying his ability to craft engaging compositions that effortlessly elevate the listener’s spirits.

“Family Tree” offers a reflective glance at the intricate branches of the familial tree that leads to our existence. Lyon’s delicate acoustic guitar plucking, accompanied by soft string flourishes, creates a timeless sound that serves as a reminder of the connections that bind us all. The album gracefully concludes with the title track, “What Could Be.” In this moving composition, Lyon’s emotive vocals are delicately interwoven with intricate acoustic guitar backing. It’s a heartwarming finale that captures the essence of Lyon’s exceptional songwriting.

What Could Be was brought to life at ReadyMix Recording Studios in North Hollywood and Van Nuys, California. Engineered and co-produced by Paul Horabin, the mastering, executed by Don Tyler at IO Mastering, adds the final polish to this remarkable body of work.

We caught up with Michael Lyon to find out more about his musical journey so far, his new record What Could Be and what he’s got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with Michael Lyon below.

Hey Michael, how’s things?

I’ve long been a fan of how R.E.M. answered that question: “It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)…” In my case, it’s not every day I’m able to release an album that took almost four years to cross the finish line.

How did you find making your new album ‘What Could Be’?

Considering that a number of its songs, like “How Long It Takes” youtu.be/njNnXVWnXrw – and “Love” youtu.be/7nPdwphQW2I – were written & recorded during the pre-vaccines stage of the pandemic, in my recent experience: nothing quite like spending hour after hour in enclosed indoor studio spaces (risking life & limb) to get yourself “into the moment” of raising a song up to that next level.

What message did you want to get across with this release?

I think it’s summed up by the title track, “What Could Be” youtu.be/vZwyUPXanno For all our challenges, there remains a world of opportunities open to us — if we’re willing to put in the work, choose empathy over fear, and not waste the limited time we have.

What’s your earliest memory of making music?

When my parents began taking my brother, sister and me to church when we were little, lots of things there went over my head. But when it came standing up and singing of the hymns, THAT gave me goosebumps. I wasn’t thinking about it as “making music” then, but looking back on it now, that’s what it was – not so much the words that excited me (“Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war…”) rather, a joy I felt being part of a beautiful melody.

Which artists do you draw most inspiration from today?

Because my songs & albums are in the realm of “singer-songwriter,” though I pay attention to today’s hit-makers like Swift & Sheeran, somehow I can’t help myself from returning to the source – legendary originals like Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell… whose songs set such a high bar for everyone that’s come after.

How else do you find inspiration for your music?

It often happens for me when I least expect it. Take the time a few months ago while changing TV channels during dinner. I mistakenly pressed a couple of extra numbers on the remote, resulting in some crazy number to come up on the screen. As luck would have it, that one (“1949”) happened to be a real station destination – playing classical music 24/7 with no commercials – and beautiful artwork in the background So many incredible Mozart piano concertos since then (and countless other inspiring pieces of music – often hundreds of years old – I’d never heard of before) inspire me almost every time.

What do you love about your local music scene?

I confess my local scene has largely been the studio the last few years. I live near the Southern California coast, only a few miles away from where the Beach Boys grew up, so I need to do a better job of exploring the area. But I will say this: when your (British-born) engineer happens to be a cross between George Martin and Geoff Emerick – with a wife who toured the world singing with folks like Joe Cocker and Tanya Tucker (informally, his studio is known as “Abbey Road West”) surely you can do much worse than hanging out with him – including ample time for taking (Yorkshire) tea breaks.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy your sound?

While it’s true that my songs are not envisioned as stadium rock anthems, having myself more-than-once engaged in furious tug-of-wars up in front at Stones, Who, Zeppelin, Springsteen… performances, don’t expect me to minimize the liberating feeling of “not being fooled again/sent off into the night – usually in one piece – at concert conclusion (to the soothing strains of Greensleeves over the loudspeakers). But I at least like to think my songs & sound could be enjoyed in all types of settings. For those tuning in at home, it’s a treat for me when listeners are able to go more in depth with the music, say, in “album form” as opposed to ships passing in the night on somebody’s playlist.

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

Your question reminds me of something I heard George Harrison say in a radio interview about the importance of continuing to do what you’re doing. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, but by all means keep at it, he advised (drawing on his experience) and you will get better at writing songs. To the extent I’m able to remain in rhythm with myself (keeping it about the music, without getting distracted by the 1001 things not about the music) there’s at least a fighting chance my sound will continuing evolving in interesting directions.

What artist have you been listening to most recently?

When I found out my wife would be teaching (piano) late this evening, meaning no home-cooking, I drove over to Subway – hoping to score another footlong tuna sub of my dreams. Not only did my sandwich artist go the extra mile in filling up the sub, but I lucked out with the car radio on the way over, able to enjoy the last minute or so of a song I’d heard previously many times (performed with choral singers) but never before as a violin/piano duet. It was Morten Lauridsen’s “Dirait-on” – one of his “Chansons des Roses,” set to poems of Rainer Maria Rilke – with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and pianist Fabio Bidini – open.spotify.com…LCZVq4

What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?

I’d like to take them on a journey, lift them up along the way, and drop them off at the end of the song without regrets they came along for the ride.

What’s been your favourite live performance so far?

My favourite and most nerve-racking (after cast in a production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance) was the magic moment at the beginning of the show, striding to the front of the stage, onto a rock, and delivering the opening solo, “For today our pirate ‘prentice Rises from indenture freed Strong his arm and keen his scent is He’s a Pirate now indeed!…”

Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison… and because two of them are no longer with us, it would have to be up in heaven. For non-believers, it came pretty close to a dream experience in real life a few months ago at LA’s Greek Theater, catching Ringo and His All Starr Band, featuring Toto’s Steve Lukather & Warren Ham, Colin Hay from Men at Work, Edgar Winter, Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band and Greg Bissonette.

Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?

I think it’s what everyone can get better at, myself very much included: believing more and more in yourself – developing the unique voice each of us has. For more detail, please visit and say hello at https://www.michaellyonmusic.com/

Finally, what do you have lined up for the rest of 2023?

Finding an audience for the new album – and not letting that get in the way of writing and recording better songs for the next album.

Listen to What Could Be below