Q. What's the deal with "Monster?" Didn't you give that up? How did you get
it in the first place, anyway?
A. "Monster" was a nickname given to me by the actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd when
he emceed a show I was playing in. I did try to give it up with the release
of "Catch Me," and I went through a real Artist-Formerly-Known-As-Prince phase
where I took it personally when people insisted on calling me that. Over
the last year, though, I've noticed that the recognition factor is much higher
for "Monster Mike" than for plain old "Mike Welch." With that in mind, I've
ceased to care. People know me as Monster Mike Welch, and that's absolutely
fine with me.
Q. Do you consider yourself a blues player? Adding Insight to Injury didn't sound
like blues at all.
A. Yes. I've done other things, and I still do from time to time, but I'm best when I'm playing blues.
Q. Who are your influences?
A. The simple version? The twin peaks of the blues for me are B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Everything I do musically can be traced back to either or both. Apart from that, the core of my playing is the sound of the West Side Chicago players of the late 50's/early 60's, specifically Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and early Buddy Guy, and the people who worked with and influenced them, like Freddy King, Jody Williams and Ike Turner. I would also list T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson, Pee Wee Crayton, Robert Nighthawk, and Albert King as huge influences, along with the Houston sound of Clarence Hollimon, Wayne Bennett, Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland, and the startling Chicago playing of Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Luther Tucker, Robert Lockwood and Earl Hooker. Many of the signature quirks in my phrasing are variations of things I heard Little Milton play. He's criminally underrated, and any compilation of his Bobbin material will show you why.
Some of my biggest influences are the later generations of musicians who introduced me to all of this. Eric Clapton was a formative influence, and his long, fluid lines still show up in my playing to this day. Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan taught me different approaches to power and restraint. Anson Funderburgh had a crispness of tone and phrasing that I still aim for. Duke Robillard's wide ranging knowledge and slippery phrasing taught me how to apply the lessons of the blues in all different kinds of music. Most of all, Ronnie Earl was the biggest influence on how I put all of these influences together. When I first saw Ronnie, his power, dynamics, raw feeling, and intensity bowled me over, and especially on my earlier recordings, his influence is obvious. I sound less like him now, somewhat due to his influence again.
I guess that was the simple version...
Q. What have you been up to? Where can we get new music?
A. I've been working. The current CD, Cryin' Hey! , is currently out in Europe. American customers can purchase it directly from Dixiefrog Records. I will be touring Europe in the winter and spring of 2006, and possibly after that as well. As of right now, there are no plans for an American release or tour. I've also been working with other people quite a bit, and I will be appearing on Chicago Bob Nelson's Flying Too High and The Soul Band's self-titled debut, both of which should be out in the first half of the year.
Q. What is "The Son House Ingredient?"
A. See the Diary entry for
September 7, 2002 - I try to explain it there.
Q. What gauge strings do you use?
A. See the Gear section of the site.