SETH BERNARD - ALBUM BREAKDOWN AND INTERVIEW

In the great state of Michigan, tucked inside the Northern lower peninsula sits the city of Lake City. Home of Miltner Park, Lake City Taphouse, and most importantly: Seth Bernard. Born and raised on Earthwork Farm, Bernard grew up with roots in folk music and customs based around community, arts, and agriculture. This has immensely influenced his style as a singer/songwriter, earning him a reputation as one of Michigan’s musical leaders along with eight jammie awards as an artist and producer for his extensive work. It was an honor to interview this local legend in regard to his newest album: Unrest and Rest (released September 4th, 2023).

KENZIE: What first got you into music?

SETH: I don’t ever remember music being absent from my life. I always remember being intuitively and instinctively attracted to music. Especially the energy and atmosphere and pulse of live music. My parents were very encouraging and we had instruments around the house. They brought me to music festivals from a young age and I had wonderful teachers and mentors who helped pass along the gift of music and help me find it within myself. So grateful to have had community support in my musical journey from a very young age.

KENZIE: Who, if you had to choose one, inspires you the most to make music?

SETH: In a real practical way, my friends inspire me to make music more than anything else. Last night I had a couple friends over, and they took a couple instruments off the wall and started playing. When my friends make new music, it inspires me to make music. When I think of making music, I am inspired to call on my friends to collaborate with me. I also feel inspired by a sense of responsibility and the necessity to grieve. I think I most often turn toward making music when I feel overwhelmed with emotion. Those are times that I turn toward my process as a lifeline and they have proactive practice.

KENZIE: What is your creative process like? Are there any “unorthodox” aspects of it in comparison to other artists?

SETH: Ever since I was 15, recording on a cassette 4 track machine has been my dream board and sketchpad. It remains to this day. I always have the 4 track ready to go downstairs. Some of it gets shared with my patrons through Patreon. Some of it gets released to the general public through Bandcamp or larger streaming services. Much of it has yet to be digitized! From that small frame of four tracks and lo-fi means inspires an ethic of trying to play the parts well and capture the essence and then move on. 1 to 3 takes should do it on any given part. I’m always trying to find new approaches and rediscover old approaches from a new vantage point when it comes to creating songs and producing records and creating live shows. I have a lot of projects and aliases that help me expand into wider territories of creativity, kind of like wearing a mask can help us find and express more of what’s within us.

KENZIE: Who is one artist, big or small, that you would love to collaborate with?

SETH: Kendrick Lamar

KENZIE: How did growing up in Michigan impact your sound, if at all?

SETH: even if I moved to Singapore, you couldn’t take the Michigan out of me. The waters, the forests, the people. And the culture of collaboration and mutual support. My music is place based.

KENZIE: What is it about music that makes you feel passionate? What exactly lights your fire, so to speak?

SETH: Music as a vehicle for social change lights my fire. Music as a container that is large enough to hold any emotion of any intensity level makes me feel passionate.

KENZIE: How would you describe your overall style as an artist to first-time listeners?

SETH: I try to have them describe it to me! One of my favorites was “Encouragement Music”. The most recent one I got was “Midwestern Earth Rock”!

KENZIE: What music did you grow up listening to? Do you think that impacted your style in any way?

SETH: I grew up listening to a lot of folk in americana. A lot of Singer songwriters and harmony singing. And then in the 90s I got into alternative music, grunge, R&B and hip-hop, and I discovered music of the 60s and 70s as I was learning to play guitar. All of that stuff had a huge impact on me.

KENZIE: Describe Unrest and Rest in three words.

SETH: My 13th album

KENZIE: It’s been said that this new album includes some “new territory”, what do you think about this new step and your general growth as a musician?

SETH: I’ve been taking vocal coaching from Hannah Laine of Earth Radio and that has been very supportive for me! One of my mentors told me that my last album was his favorite, he just wished I opened up and played more guitar on it. So on this album I tried to play more guitar! I actually played lots of different guitars through all kinds of different amps and pedals and the combinations of guitars and amps and pedals got to be quite a puzzle of tones and colors to collage together. There were times when it felt like a big mess. By the time we were done, it felt like each room was decorated correctly and the house was finished. We found the way the art wanted to be shared.

KENZIE: What artists do you currently listen to that truly help you strive to become better and better in your career?

SETH: One new band that has really inspired me over the last year is The Smile. Thom and Johnny from Radiohead’s new project with Tom Skinner. I love the music and I love the energy and I am inspired to see art rockers in their 50s playing at a tremendously high level of musicianship with so much freshness and artistic vitality.

KENZIE: Aside from music, it’s pretty documented that you are very involved with community and local projects. Care to speak on that or shout out any organizations that are doing fantastic things?

SETH: Big shout out to Title Track and all of my colleagues on the board and staff who are working for clean water, racial equity and youth empowerment every day. Folks can learn more about our programs and our ongoing work at titletrackmichigan.org. (linked at end of review)

KENZIE: This is a fun question I always like to ask; what was the first song you learned? (Whether it was on the guitar, keys, bass, etc.)

SETH: More than Words” by Extreme was my first guitar riff! The first song I ever played and sang in public was “Sweet Baby James”.

Unrest and Rest, a celebratory collective of “music for the times we’re living in”, is a work of intense magic from Seth and collaborators Justin Avdek, Patrick Booth, Samantha Cooper, Adam Danis, Dominic Davis, Ian Gorman, Jordan Hamilton, Drew Howard, Mark Lavengood, Charlie Millard, Peter Madcat Ruth, Gabrielle Schaub, and Mike Shimmin. The record possesses the twanginess of Father John Misty (Josh Tillman) and melds the warmth of Fleet Foxes, the cherry on top being Seth’s all-embracing homey nature. The incorporation of often-overlooked instruments such as the 12 string, the saxophone, the clarinet, the violin, the fiddle, the harmonica, and the mandolin elevate the musicianship of Unrest and Rest to a level I’ve never seen before with such a genre.

A track that stuck out in particular to me was Think Outside The System: the album’s sixth song. As an openly avowed fan of rock n’ roll, the upbeat nature of the guitar had me hooked within the first few seconds. The prevailing fire of Think Outside The System was intense yet good-natured and the writing had tears spilling over my waterline. “Our story demands fires of redemption” Seth sings in the opening verse, followed by “Confluence of crises crushes our hearts to feel. Think outside the system, learn to think outside the system. It’s never a done deal, there is always a way to heal.” post-chorus. An honorable mention (and second place in my unofficial Unrest and Rest ranking) is track nine, Dream Wolf Dance. “I’m awake. I’m alive. With a will to survive.” has become my mantra ever since the song was bestowed upon my naive ears and it comes to show that Seth Bernard could very well be the next Bob Dylan from a songwriting perspective, who can be too sure?

For information, music, booking, and more, visit Seth's official website.

For information about Title Track Michigan, visit Title Track Michigan official website