Meet Michael Tipton of Parkville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Tipton.

Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up outside of Kansas City in the small town of Lawson, MO. In my early 20s, I taught art at before and after-school programs in the KCK School District while also touring with a band. We had some successes and had a great following but life happens and the touring came to a hault. At some point I began my journey in Marketing and Sales, working with a couple KC agencies and eventually leading a team.

In 2010, I started a band called Molly Picture Club and we toured, did SXSW showcases, and released 3 albums as well as had some of our music licensed to The Discovery Channel and Keepin’ Up With The Kardashians. During that time, we played a tribute night at RecordBar where the band being attributed was Talking Heads. I am a giant Talking Heads and David Byrne fan, so after we played that night tribute night, I began putting together a Talking Heads tribute band, Found A Job. We are now on year 12 of performing and frequently sell-out venues with a high-energy, choreographed show.

In my career, I went from the agency side to the “client-side”, eventually becoming the COO at Redemption Plus, an international wholesale toy distributor for family entertainment centers. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a role and it fits so well with my personality and musicianship because it’s all about fun!

During Covid lockdown, I started going back to the music I grew up on: Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Wille Nelson, etc. I began learning songs from the 1940s and 50s. Over a few months, I fell back in love with traditional country music again and began writing songs. I had had a songwriting “drought” of over 4 years at the time, so it was reinvigorating to have this rush of creativity back. I put together a country western band to play my original music with some lifelong friends and up-and-coming musicians from the KC/Lawrence area. I released an album last October and had success in both playing a ton of shows and getting my music on several modern traditional country playlists.

In June, I signed a development deal with a label in Nashville and will be recording in Nashville by the end of the year. My band is called The Scoundrels and has some of the finest musicians in the area. I also host a podcast that puts a spotlight on the incredible country and folk scene here in Kansas City. It’s called “Bottom’s UP: The Country & Western Music of Kansas City.” I’m currently working on a reformat of that podcast to include interviews and storytelling of the scene in our city. This is truly my purpose: To support and connect musicians here in KC and tell the rest of the world about them!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not at all. There have been ups and downs along the way. I used to busk on the Plaza to be able to afford Christmas gifts for my kids. I ran out of song ideas for years. There were years when I battled a deep depression and lived out in the country, so I was also isolated from my friends.

In starting any project or band, there is always a period when no one is interested. It’s difficult to cut through the noise with music because the number of songs released constantly becomes overwhelming.

I went through a divorce and had to restructure my life. I started therapy and moved out of the country to be closer to my support system. I have 4 kids and raising them has always come with challenges.

The amount of times I have felt that I had to “start over” in life are quite a few, as I suspect it is with most people nowadays. What I have learned from that is how to take responsibility and persevere.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have played, written and recorded music across a variety of genres: folk, electronic, country, funk, pop, punk, and hard rock. The common connection between all those genres, in terms of the music I write or play, is that it’s all very danceable. If folks are not out on the dancefloor, I have failed at my job for the night!

I’m perhaps known most for Found A Job, where I lead a band of 8, paying tribute to Talking Heads. We have an incredible following in KC. I do the singing ala David Byrne and embody his nervous twitches and vocal inflections. My band routinely also hosts dance classes to learn the choreography of the band and provide our fans with a great workout. Found A Job consists of Matt Hayden, drums; Justin Skinner, percussion; Brent Jamison, bass; Katelyn Jamison, vocals; Camry Ivory, vocals, and Ashleigh Guthrie, keys. Even when people aren’t familiar with the band Talking Heads, they get converted to Found A Job’s energy and joyful tribute.

By doing my podcast focusing on the country and western scene in KC, I have gone to over 80 shows in the last 8 months to support other artists. In this way, I’ve been able to meet most of the musicians in that scene, the bar owners, and the other supporters that make our KC scene a thriving one. I might be 1 of 10 people showing up to a gig, but I’ll help you load and unload your equipment (haha!) and get some video on social to help promote the folks I really believe in.

My country and western band The Scoundrels (Michael Tipton & Kate Valliere, The Scoundrels) has some of the most active and talented musicians around and that’s something I really pride myself on: It’s a hot band! Nate Holt on keys, Sam Shoemaker on pedal steel guitar, Mike Alexander and Jace Hughes on electric guitar, Aaron Lewis on bass and Justin Danner on drums. I have been to enough shows around town to know everyone’s setlists, so I curate my band’s choice of covers so we don’t overlap with other bands too much. I go mainly for great songwriting and storytelling songs and that’s given our audience a breath of fresh air in not to hear the same songs that 10 other bands play around town every week.

My album “Out of The Woods” tells my personal emotional journey from a place of darkness and loss to a time of redemption and healing. I named the album as I did because I felt that my emotional journey and artistic journey as a songwriter and storyteller emerged from “the thicket” around the same time, landing me in a really great place to clearly pursue a vision for my songwriting career. My next set of songs are in the works, but I’ve noticed the re-emerging theme of those songs as being centered upon empathy, which is not a point of view people often hear a country artist come from.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Books: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. The way he writes provides an amazing baseline for inspiration in telling stories about real people.

It’s A Long Story- Willie Nelson. This is autobiography and it’s got some really amazing stories in it.

My Years with Bob Wills – Al Stricklin. A biography of one of the most original minds and talents in country music. This is written by his bandmate Al Stricklin (I got a signed copy off of Amazon somehow!) and really show the BTS generosity of Bob Wills.

Podcasts: Cocaine & Rhinestones – amazing stories about country music history. My Friend, The Serial Killer because murder (lol), and Disgraceland.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaelbtiptonmusic.com
• Instagram: @michaelbtiptonmusic
• Facebook: @michaeltiptonmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-b-tipton/
• Youtube: @michaelbtiptonmusic
• soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/MERRR8i8WiatetMNA
• Other: Found A Job insta and facebook handle: @foundajobkc

Image Credits
Morgan Miller Photography