Mike and Mandy
...are a married indie duo based in Los Angeles. Mandy can be seen in the St Vincent movie, “The Nowhere Inn,” as a member of St. Vincent’s extended family, and Mike may be best known as a businessman that was caught air-drumming to Rush in a Volkswagen Jetta commercial.
Their latest release, "Timeworn" is a song that reflects the anxiety and uncertainty of living through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. Mike and Mandy, capture the mood of a troubled world with their expressive vocals and lyrics. The song features dynamic guitars, powerful drums, solid bass, atmospheric synth and catchy melodies. "Timeworn" is a song that resonates with the listeners who are looking for hope and direction in these challenging times.
Who are the artists behind Mike and Mandy and how did you get into music?
Mike and Mandy are Michael Faulkner and Amanda Pajer. Performing artists in Los Angeles, Mike and Mandy met professionally on a Shakespeare play, after which they fell in love, took road trips, shared their love of music and married 2 1/2 years later.
Mike was a ska/punk singer and songwriter for 5 years, a reggae keyboardist, & a jazz, funk, and acid-jazz drummer. Mandy grew up in the heart of the US, singing with an Orchestra Children’s Chorus, an Opera Children's Chorus, and in musicals. She's sung country, jazz standards, rock n’ roll, and loved “hard folk” like Indigo Girls, classic rock like Pink Floyd & experimental artists like Bjork & Tom Waits. Both developed a taste for the roots of American music.
Mike and Mandy road trips are filled with ”alternative” artists like Radiohead one hour and jazz the next; Alt Country & Roots one minute and trip hop & hip-hop the next. They've explored nearly every genre of music in covers and gigs.
They give older songs complete reinterpretations and pour their hearts into passionate, evocative originals. Bringing that old punk DIY ethos, Mike and Mandy make all their music and videos at home or on-the-go, jumping out of the car to shoot a music video in front of a cool view. The road is wide, and each song is unique. They can’t wait to take a trip with new listeners.
What or who inspired you to create your last release, “Timeworn”?
Written by Mandy, “Timeworn” was originally conceived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic under stay-at-home orders. Yet still today the world still seems more chaotic than ever, with increased public protests on all sides of the political spectrum, off-season engulfing fires and cataclysmic storms. These modern times are encapsulated in lyrics about all-nighters, “fear-fighting all alone,” One speaker Mike and Mandy heard said, “the antidote to exhaustion is to stop the striving and go down.” Mandy would like to add that “this song was a result of ‘going downward and inward, contemplating, yearning, and feeling those difficult, sometimes contradictory feelings of both lightness and heaviness, joy and sorrow.”
I read that Mandy wrote the lyrics and Mike handled the arrangement, mixing and mastering. Do you always follow such a strict division of labor in your creative process?
Yes, it has been so far... but Mike couldn't complete a mix without Mandy's inciteful ears, and Mike certainly plays with the arrangements, sometimes surprising Mandy with what he comes up with. There are a couple songs in the pipeline that were written together, and future collaborations are sure to bend the "formula."
Mandy, how do you overcome writer’s block when you are working on a song?
It's very difficult. It's angst and turmoil almost every time. I believe there have been a few songs that came pouring out where I've been able to write almost entirely in one sitting, with such ease, but often it's a lot of fighting inner demons. To the concrete thinkers, my answer is that songwriting for me is time I have to proactively set aside, where I end up really pushing through my own BS. To the empaths, my answer is, song-writing for me is a sacred process where I am constantly depending on my own Higher Power while also dealing with my own brokenness.
Mike, what do you enjoy the most about arrangement, mixing and mastering?
I have such a broad taste in music that I love hearing Mandy's lyrics, chords and melodies and playing in my mind with how to "set" the song. I'm a big fan of harmonies and counter melodies, so I enjoy employing the bass as almost a lead instrument, or finding interesting ways to navigate between chords and accompaniment. I also am always open to learning to play new instruments and meld the acoustic analog sounds with the electronic elements of modern production.
How does your marriage influence your musical creativity? I suppose it’s beneficial to share the same passion, right?
We started collaborating on a song together while dating. In some ways we are just getting back to what was. In the beginning it was surprising because we worked on a song spontaneously...Mandy came up with lyrics and melody and Mike found a bass line and a groove... but that song got lost when a hard drive crashed, and we didn't really get back to working together in that way again until the pandemic hit.
One of the reasons I (Mike) fell in love with Mandy was her singing and creativity. It's rewarding to be able to support that. One of the reasons I (Mandy) fell in love with Mike was his arrangements, creativity and his ability to make ideas a reality. It's rewarding to be pleasantly surprised and amazed.
How has social media shaped the music industry?
Both of us grew up discovering music at the local record store, old and new. It was a place to learn and study. Then it was cassettes and mix CD's being passed around by friends, which was a form of social media, but much more social than what we call social today.
The best publicity is word of mouth... it's easy to discredit artists these days that don't maybe have the right social media stats, but happen to make good music. Not all stats are true. We know there is a way to leverage social media, but it can also take away from the artists' passion. It should be about the music first but now the artist is often spread thin with lots of concerns that have nothing to do with the music.
What are some of your upcoming projects or plans for the near future?
We have a few songs in the pipeline. We want to continue to reinvent old favorites and introduce our originals.
