We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mike Fogleman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mike below.

Mike, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Pasadena has been a slow burn of a creative project. In 2019, we were pretty inactive as a band, if we were even a band at all. We were asked by some friends if we would be interested in reuniting and joining them for their show in the upstairs room at Smith’s Olde Bar. I don’t think we knew what to expect or if anyone really cared, but to our surprise, the venue was full and singing along to our songs.

A few months later, we decided to put some energy into writing some new material. While we were anxious to continue the writing process, we were delayed by COVID and scheduling. We spent the next three years writing and recording songs and finally released our full length record, Let This Be A Lesson To Your Leader in late 2023.

It was meaningful because Matt Wells brought in song demos with really good bones, but everyone brought something to the table writing their own parts and remolding the songs as a unit. It felt like a new chapter with new energy.

Mike, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Pasadena was the product of a bunch of guys who wanted to try something new. Some of us had recently married and we weren’t really interested in the full investment of making a band work. We wanted to write songs that dug a little deeper, have some fun, and play some shows. That was the goal and it worked out.

We built the plane while we were flying it. We were fortunate enough to have artists like Manchester Orchestra pull us into their label, Favorite Gentleman, which supported several other independent artists. We also received several opportunities to open for Jason Isbell, Limbeck, and other artists we enjoyed. A lot of what we learned was where to put energy.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

We have been fortunate that people that listen to Pasadena share us with their friends. They repost our songs, invite people who have never heard of us to our shows, and repost when we announce a new song or event. I think those are some of the easiest ways to support artists and it goes a long way for smaller independent artists like us.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Putting out a full length album was a big goal for us. It took a long time as we had to find the right songs and we did it over a couple of years. We are a bit impatient, so we released the record in chapters and then finalized it with the last batch of songs in late 2023.

We all have other priorities in our lives, whether that is family, careers, or other projects, but I think we want to play a few shows and ultimately do another album. We just have learned to be patient.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/pasadena_music
• Instagram: instagram.com/pasadena_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pasadenamusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Pasadena_Music
• Other: Listen to Pasadena: https://ffm.to/ltbaltyl

Image Credits
Andrew Thomas Lee (promo photo/studio shots) Kurtis M. Johnson (live shots) Adrian Laster (live Shots) Brandon Clark (album cover)