[Cover photo credit to Corey Rourke Photography]
Lincoln, Nebraska native Mike Hollon has lived in San Diego, California and Kansas City, Missouri, but is now based in Asheville, NC, having moved there in 2021. The singer/songwriter and guitarist blends elements of Blues, Roots, Rock, Folk, Soul and Country to create his own Indie Folk style. Many of his songs are about “the struggle and strength of the human spirit, and his love of the open road.”
Hollon’s debut album, Irving Park, builds on several years of work as a solo artist and arrives on Oct. 17th, 2025. A regular live performer, he has some dates coming up and hear more from the new album.
Today we’re very pleased to premier his song, “1000 Days” from the album Irving Park, here on Wildfire Music + News. The song arrives this Friday, September 12th, 2025.
The concept behind “1000 Days” is very striking, counting up the number of days and hours that a person has spent attempting to get over a heart-shattering breakup with a romantic partner from a long-term relationship. There’s a lot in our public discussion these days about how to handle mental health, processing, and moving on when we face this kind of a crossroad, and Hollon addresses some of that in the song, but he also cuts through that abstract idea with the realities of the long tail that relationships have. It’s refreshing to experience a song that slices through those truisms with the daily realities of such a major life change, and speaks with honesty about the desire to emerge in a better place, emotionally speaking.
The music and the style of Hollon’s vocals play a huge role in coloring how the audience experiences this story and point of view. From the outset, sprightly strings suggest Americana traditions and an earthy percussion taps into Indie Pop and Rock, framing the song in a cross-genre and multi-generational field. That really does make the song feel like it could be about anybody and come from any particular perspective in life, while still being direct and true. As the song progresses, we move into a highly energetic mode, with bigger strings and drums that reflects the build-up of energy, not just of frustration, but of a desire for a better daily life than one stuck in the throes of loss. This kind of thing is what makes “1000 Days” not just a sad song, but rather one that is about processing and moving through pain.
We might further note that Hollon’s vocal delivery is emotional, but also highly energetic, at times almost confrontational, which suggests transparency with oneself. Lyrics like “wasted time”and “we did wrong” also show the speaker taking personal responsibility, and show a readiness to move into a more productive frame of mind. Audiences can follow the spirit and attitude of the song to find their way through their own grief to higher ground.
Mike Hollon says about the song:
This song is about the time after a breakup. The time you should have been healing and working on yourself. One day you turn around one day and realize – damn. I just wasted three years of MY time, after it was over. A thousand days puts that into perspective – it’s time to move on. Time is too precious.
On Irving Park, all songs are written by Mike Hollon, Produced by Dan Metzner and Mike Hollon, and engineered and mixed by Dan Metzner. It was recorded at Stewart’s Empty House Studio, Lincoln, NE. On the album, Hollon performs vocals, guitars, ukulele, harmonica, auxiliary percussion, and backing vocals, Mitch Benson on bass, Jeremiah Weir on piano and Leslie Organ, Kyle Karson on trumpet, and Dan Metzner on drum and percussion sequences, auxilliary percussion, and backing vocals. It was mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA, with assistant mastering engineer Costanza Tinti.
Live Dates:
September 11th – Wicked Weed Brewing – Asheville, NC…5 to 8pm
September 12th – Sweeten Creek Brewery – Asheville, NC…6 to 8pm
September 16th – Casablanca – Hendersonville, NC…7 to 9pm
September 21st – Hazelwood Brewing – Lexington, SC…3 to 6pm
September 26th – Appalachian Mountain Brewery – Mills River, NC…6 to 9pm
September 28th – Village Pub – Asheville, NC…5 to 7pm
