[Cover photo credit to Michael Weintrob]
Nashville-based Mike Mizwinski, better known as Mike Miz, is a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Northeast Pennsylvania who has opened for Jason Isbell, Jakob Dylan, Blues Traveler, Derek Trucks, Chris Isaak, and many more. He released the album Only Human via Blackbird Record Label in 2023. Now, he’s working on an upcoming acoustic EP and is currently on a solo acoustic tour through Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Illinois, and Michigan.
Today, we’re very pleased to debut “On the Rocks”, the third single release from Mike Miz’s upcoming acoustic EP. Written and produced by Mike Miz, “On the Rocks” arrives on Friday, April 19th, 2023 via Blackbird Record Label.
“On the Rocks” is a song that comes from a particularly deep and reflective place, sharing the perspective of someone struggling with cycles of addiction and recovery, and over the course of this roomy track, we encounter the wearing qualities of that repetition. Hope may seem far away, but the meditative qualities of the song, along with its emotive sticking points, suggest that realization might be key to the situation in some way. Mike Miz includes a lot of salient detail to really anchor the biographical feel of the song, like external time, referencing 30 day cycles as a role in recovery, the limitations of health insurance in helping with medical needs, and the idea that chemistry is working against the will of the narrator.
Just as important, though, are the internal thoughts and states which contribute to the scariness of the situation. These include ideas of the past, present, and future, as well as the shame they carry. The lyrics reach for concrete imagery to convey these patterns, like waves crashing down, to suggest the destructive patterns and shattering qualities of this struggle. Key to conveying these emotional states are Mike Miz’s vocal choices, line by line, in a song where vocals are very much fore-grounded. The vocals are raw and creaky in places, certainly not neatly polished, and even the melody is driven by the subject matter rather than the other way around. Most chilling, but possibly most effective, is the repeat vocal delivery of “I like the feeling when I’m falling down…” as an explanation of dependence and the attraction of that state. By sharing such intricacies of a very human experience, the song is much more effective in pointing out the realities of dependency and why it’s so hard for most people to make a comeback. It’s a brave song that makes sure to avoid cliches and easy answers.
Mike Miz shares:
“On the Rocks” is kind of like a reprieve that I feel I was granted, in order that I could really see myself clearly, but without the shame, regret, or guilt. I’ve been sober a few years now, and it’s taken me that time to gain enough distance away from that misery, to be able to sufficiently retell it in a meaningful way.
In the summer of 2010, Mike started his own project, MiZ infusing elements of Americana, Rock ‘n’ Roll, jam bands, and 60’s & 70s songwriters. Between 2011 and 2019, Mike Miz performed solo or with MiZ and opened for many beloved acts.
Focusing on composing and songwriting, Mike moved to Nashville in January of 2019, with his first Nashville-based album, Only Human, arriving in 2023. He is currently gearing up to release not only an acoustic EP, but also another full band album in 2024.
