Backstage Pass with... Michael Celedon

From Accordion player to singer-songwriter extraordinaire--

paving the way with Michael Celedon

By: Nicole Roberge

            Michael Celedon is the best thing to come out of Texas since oil.  Sure, there are other good things in that state, such as the Astros, cotton, and square dancing, but none of them will affect you the way Celedon’s music does.  Raw and emotive, his songs are captivating and presented in such a manner that there’s not a single person his songs can’t reach.  His voice carries his affecting lyrics, while his intricate guitar playing drives the melodies.  His sincerity shines through in his music, and anyone who has seen him perform live has no doubt been touched by his luminous presence.  All this from a kid who once played the accordion!  Wow.  Thanks for picking up the guitar, Michael!  Otherwise, we wouldn’t have the incredible music that we do today.

            Here, Michael Celedon takes us from his first tastes of music to the promising career that stands before him today:

Tuned In Music: What is your first memory of being interested in music?

Michael Celedon: Wow, it’s so hard to find the first, but I would have to say that I fell in love with music back in grade school.  I played the piano only because my mother insisted on it, but I’m sure glad she did.  Even though I started with easy tunes like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’, I knew then that music can fill your heart and make you feel a way nothing else could.  I kept learning new instruments, in search for the right one for me, and I finally decided that guitar was the right fit for me.

TI: Did you always want to be a singer and songwriter growing up?

MC: No way dude!  That’s why I think it’s so shocking when old friends come out to some of the shows and hear me for the first time.  They’re like, “what in the world!?”  I definitely have loved playing music all my life, but I never really figured it as a career.  I went through many phases of what I wanted to do.  Like many others, I wanted to be a doctor, then professional baseball pitcher, then a male dancer.  Wait, I wasn’t supposed to let you know about that last one! Yikes.  I decided after high school, that I would start writing my own tunes and see where it takes me. 

TI: You’re a young artist—how old were you when started performing live?

MC: My mom has these old school videos of me in grade school jamming on the piano and singing for the locals.  I don’t know what I thought I was doing, but it’s a great laugh when we watch those.  I even did a Spanish song for a Cinco De Mayo concert.  So, we’re talking 6 and 7 years old when I was getting my jam on.  When I finally picked up the guitar, around age 19, I started playing with my friend Ryan Cabrera at open mics.  It was funny because I would be so shy and keep my head down as Ryan sang.  He finally talked me in to doing some harmonies on some songs and I guess you can say that I came out of my shell after that.  Now, I’ll get up and jam for anybody.  It’s funny how it all works out.

TI: Texas seems to have a great music scene—how has it influenced your career?

MC: Texas does seem to produce tons of artists these days.  I guess it’s in the water or something, but there are some really great musicians here and some haven’t even been discovered yet.  As a Texan, I used to listen to nothing but Tejano music.  They call it Tex-Mex.  I begged my dad for an accordion for my 15^th birthday and taught myself how to jam on that.  I know, I know, me on the accordion.  But, man it was awesome.  I would spend all day listening to Tejano tunes and figuring out the accordion parts.  I think the Texas music has helped me add many different flavors to my music.  It has definitely impacted me in my songwriting.  Guys like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Willie Nelson, and Monte Montgomery have opened the door for guitar players to push the limit with everything they do.  Don’t mess with Texas!

TI: You’ve played with a lot of great musicians.  What artist has been most fun to perform with?

MC: There have been so many crazy experiences that I could go on forever about, but I’ll mention a recent show with high school buddy, Ryan Cabrera.  That was a fabulous show on many levels. One was the fact that I hadn’t seen him perform live in forever with his full band and the other was that when all of us guys get together, it’s going to be a great night.  I opened his Dallas show, which was the first time he had ever headlined at the Gypsy Tea Room in forever, and it was simply amazing.  The crowd was on fire that night and it helped me put on one of my best shows.  Dallas rocks my socks off. 

TI: Who has had the most influence on you—not just your music, but also your outlook on your career path?

MC: I have a firm belief that God has been guiding me to where I am from the start.  Without his graces in my life, I wouldn’t be anywhere right now.  I have asked him to help me spread my love of music with as many other people as possible and help me overcome any obstacles that I might face.  My friends and family have always been that rock of support that I could always lean on, too.

TI: You have several songs available for download—what are your plans for those songs?

MC: Those songs are fun, because they have shown me where I have started and helped me see where I want to be.  I’d like to re-record some of those tunes and record some new ones.  It’s a long process of finding the right tunes to end up with, so I’m taking it as it comes to be by staying busy writing and always working on new things.  Hopefully soon, I’ll have all the right tunes to get back in the studio and finish what I started with that full length that everyone has waited so patiently for.

TI: Which song of yours would you say is the definitive Michael Celedon song?

MC: I don’t know.  That’s a really great question.  I think it’s different for everybody who likes my music.  Some people are in love with the sweetness of ‘Lauren’ and others seem to feel my pain in ‘Someday.’  I think both of those songs define me of who I am as a person.  I love the romance and the feeling of being under a love spell in ‘Lauren.’  It takes me to the park where I first sung that song to her.  Also, ‘Someday’ has always given me that sense that sometimes it’s okay to hurt and feel frightened of the world.  It’s a song, to me, that hits you hard and lifts you up at the end to a great understanding of your life at that moment in time.  I’m very emotionally attached to that song, so I try to make it the best I possibly can when I perform it live.

TI: What is the best fan experience you have ever had?

MC: Thanks to the fans, I am still riding this train.  They have given me nothing but love and support for so long.  It’s great to read all those message boards and emails of them telling everybody they meet to check me out.  I truly owe a lot to them.  Recently a few girls all pitched in and made me this huge cookie cake, wishing me a happy birthday.  They were in the front row during my show screaming at me to look at this cake, so I strolled on over and couldn’t believe how huge it was.  They went through so much to make all that happen and it just meant the world that they put that effort into an amazing gift.  And NO I didn’t share that cookie!!!

TI: Why is music important to you?

MC: I feel music has its effects on everyone.  Some people listen to classical music to relax and others listen to techno jams to break it down on the dance floor.  Whichever category you fall under, I think you know how a single song can take your breath away.  Music has that effect on me.  The way the lead singer from Keane hits those high notes or the rasp in Rachael Yamagata’s voice, or even the string section in Damien Rice’s music.  All these factors move me into my love of music and its power to resonate in your head for hours at a time.  I strive to make at least one person per show feel that way about any song I do.  I want them to be on that same level and feel that exact feeling that I felt at that particular time.  Music is my high and I love it.

TI: What do you hope to accomplish in 2005?

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