Oftentimes, the best things that happen to us come serendipitously. Whether it be stepping into a little hole-in-the-wall and discovering a community that you didn’t know existed, or following a friend to a club meeting that you didn’t plan on going to and finding everything you were looking for and a seemingly infinite amount of other events like this. These spontaneous moments can bring people who may have never met into each other’s lives.
This style of spontaneity was on full display at birddog.’s performance at the Basement. Liv was first introduced to the zoology student at an open mic event hosted by the UAB at the MSU Union. Their artistry clearly struck a chord, as we welcomed birddog. to the Basement a mere 3 days later. I was unfortunately not able to make it to the open mic event, but the moment I saw his setup — a simple acoustic guitar and harmonica — I knew we were in for a treat.
As soon as he plucked the opening chords to the opening song of his set, “Boys Smoking Cigarettes,” a wave of tranquility rushed over me, reminiscent of the emotions that come to me when I’m hiking in places where there’s no cell service and the only music is that of the birds chirping harmonizing with the howling wind and the percussion of dried leaves and twigs.
At the station, The Basement usually is a massive event. Numerous people come to the station to socialize and converse with each other, with the live music bringing an incredibly unique atmosphere that is nearly impossible to recreate. However, this time, everyone in the Broadcast Studio just sat transfixed, hypnotized by the music pouring out from birddog.’s guitar and harmonica, only interrupted by comments along the lines of “this is incredible.”
birddog.’s music is an amalgamation of his lived experiences. While he is a student here in East Lansing, he came to MSU from Montana after moving there from Texas. He mentioned Texas, where he spent most of his fundamental years, left the biggest influence on his music. His folk and Americana style truly showcases this. Some of his biggest influences, such as artists like Tim McGraw, Luke Combs, Zach Bryan and more, would be incredibly proud of what he’s been making.
Moving across the nation multiple times can make it hard to find a sense of community. Throw in growing up queer in the South, and it adds to the difficulty. However, he managed to find it in a coffee shop in Oklahoma, where his parents currently live. Though he only went there a handful of times, the sense of community that he found there was something he brought with him to Michigan.
The vast beauty of Montana also left a major impact on his music. From working in Yellowstone with the Montana Conservation Corps clearing weeds and restoring a geyser, to a canyon in Bozeman lending its name to my favorite song from his session, “Hyalite.” His love of nature also followed him to Michigan. Though not explicitly about Michigan, “Lake” was also featured in his setlist. When asked about his favorite nature spot near Lansing, he said Sleepy Hollow State Park, which is centered on Lake Ovid in Clinton Township. A great choice given the fact his show in the Basement happened in mid-September. He mentioned that the slightly spooky air lends itself to the immaculate vibes that he loves.
If birddog.’s love for nature wasn’t obvious enough, he also performed a song entitled “Mary Oliver,” a poet who found inspiration in nature and let the natural world speak for itself in her poems. Poetry is also an important part of birddog.’s writing style, as all of his original works initially begin as poems. Once the poems are finalized, he then goes back in with his guitar and harmonica and fleshes out his ideas.
Though music has been a part of his life for most of his life, he released his first song on streaming platforms, “Secondhand,” a mere four days after performing in the Basement. “Secondhand” was initially written as a part of his creative writing final in high school, and he chose to unveil that song first as it’s one of his oldest tracks, as well as one that he feels the most comfortable performing.
Though he may just be getting started as a performer, the sky’s the limit for birddog. If you want to stay tuned to what’s next for him, you can follow him on Instagram at birddog.music, as well as supporting him on Spotify and YouTube.
