…misunderstood reality, MIKE DERRICK Keighley Heights
Mike Derrick Keighley Heights is available on Spotify, SoundCloud
by Walter Price
Mike Derricks’s recent prog-pop single “Keighley Heights” really paints a picture. The sprawling and personal track recounts a coming-of-age chapter in the songwriter’s journey when things could have gone in any unforetold direction…only to be guided back on course, if you will, by a school break trip to the countryside with some friends for some reflection…and a bit of memory-making good times as well.
In a quote proved to the GTC, Derrick recalls the experience, “I wasn’t putting in the work with my studies, and I was worried about flunking out of the university. There was this joy of being with my friends, and this pit in my stomach because I worried I was going to be a failure in life,”
Nothing like a weekend of drinks, some smokes, and fresh air in scenic English landscapes to snap one back to reality. As the song tells the story of this moment in beautiful detail, maybe it also tells the tale of a young man who ultimately may have relied too much on the good feelings that the booze and comradery provided, and at some point along the way, the drink took over as Captian of this storyteller’s life.
Another intimate quote from the San Francisco-based producer/multi-instrumentalist details how he conquered or better yet calmed the beast and found a whole new creative drive, “The catalyst for my songwriting has been calling it quits with drinking, Suddenly, I had lots of time on my hands, and I naturally caught the music bug after many years dormant. I didn’t have the confidence before, and I don’t think I really had anything to say. But since I wrote my first song, there’s been a flood, and I haven’t looked back. I can’t get enough of music these days!”
Dreamy-psych “Keighley Heights” is a maliciously crafted and picturesque song that’ll resonate with anyone who remembers those fleeting moments that later played a way bigger role in one’s experience than they may have previously considered. And Derrick’s bare-it-all songwriting, lush arrangement, and tasty guitar work make this an indelible modern folk song.
Stream it here at the GTC.
MIKE DERRICK Keighley Heights
Artist photo and quotes courtesy of Public Display PR
Performed, written, produced, and arranged by Mike Derrick
“True to his words, Mike has emerged a prolific artist who released his debut, My Old Friends, in October 2021, and, just over a year later, is now putting out his sophomore album, For The Sake Of It, to be preceded by the single Ditch the Rosaries. On his albums, Mike is the sole songwriter, producer, recording engineer, and he plays all the instruments except drums and percussion. His music is produced at Mike’s home studio, much to the frustration of his teenage daughters.” – press