Guitar Lessons with Singer-Songwriter, Passenger

I got a pinch of tobacco in my pocket. I'm not going to roll it.

Hey guys, Erica Rouse here in the Young Hollywood studio with Mike Rosenberg, aka Passenger, welcome.

Thank you very much. Twinkling in the silvery night.

All right, let's talk about your album, All the Little Lights. What was the inspiration behind it?

I think a few things. You know, I think it's quite a a transient feeling record, you know, because I was, you know, I've basically been traveling for the last five years, pretty much nonstop. So, I think there's a lot of a lot of the songs kind of referring to travel and and sort of And though the sand may be washed by the sea, and the old will be lost in the new. Before we know it, we'll fall for three.

Now, you've been touring like crazy lately. What's one of your favorite places to play?

Um, that's a really good question. Yeah, we've been all over the place in the last few years and uh, you know, we've just been up in that sort of northwest corner. So, like Portland and Seattle and Vancouver. Really enjoyed it up there. It was really, really good fun.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Um, I think there's like there's there's four or five like top, top dudes for me. It'll be like Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell. So, if any of you guys are watching and you're bored Let's get on that. And I shake your hand and I take with me where I go. Three words on the tip of my tongue, not to be spoken or sung, whispered to anyone till I scream them at the top of my lungs again. And though the sand may be washed by the sea, and the old will be lost in the new.

Now, you always talk about, is it busking?

Busking. Yes.

Can you explain to us what it is?

Busking is uh playing on the street fundamentally. Uh and that's kind of how I've built my career, you know, because five or six years ago uh I didn't have any money, didn't have a record label, didn't have any really any direction of of of how to get my music to people. So, I just started playing on the street. And uh I fell in love with it and just and then I started traveling with it and just going to different towns and you play in on the street for like two or three days in each town and then play a a gig in a pub as well. And then you'd move on and that's kind of basically what I've been doing for the last

Kind of like a nomad.

A bit like a nomad. Yeah, with the whole beard and sandal vibe. Yeah. I think people really appreciate the busking because it allows people as well who who maybe can't afford to come to a concert or missed out on tickets or are too young or too whatever the reason why they can't come to a gig, they can always come to the busker.

Absolutely. Well, you only need the light when it's burning low. Only miss her sun when it starts to snow. Only know you love her when you let her go. I was going to ask you, "Let her Go" is that from life experience?

Yeah, you know, it it definitely does have some personal experience in there. But I think what's cool about that song is that people seem to hear it and they put their own experience into it. When you let her go.

How long have you been playing guitar for?

Um, I started learning guitar when I was about six or seven.

Would you say you're a pro?

A pro?

A pro.

Staring at the I don't think so. I mean, like there are much, much better guitar players than me. I just play guitar cuz then I can write songs.

Now, what's your writing process? Cuz I know you write a lot of your own songs. Is it does it take a while to kind of come up with one? Do you sit down and

Yeah, it's it really varies. Like um, songs can take months. But "Let Her Go" actually, it's funny, it it happened in about 45 minutes, you know, from start to finish just kind of fell out, you know. Um, which is always a good sign, I think, because it just means you haven't thought about it too much. You know, music sometimes shouldn't be thought about, it should just be felt, you know. Sounds a bit cheesy, but it's but it's true, you know. And and I think that's why partly the reason why it's a song that people can connect to so so quickly. Only hate the road when you're missing home. Only know you love her.

All right, I want to talk about a video that I saw on your Twitter. It was of a cat on a Roomba chasing a duck in a shark suit. It's it's involving everything that's funny. Like this cat is, yeah, if you haven't checked it out, go on to YouTube, type in like, yeah, cat on a, what are they called? Roomba in a shark suit. The cat looks so just like I don't know, just annoyed/like

He looks annoyed, but he also is like this is this is kind of what I do, yeah. When you dive too deep.

Well, I want to learn how to play guitar like a pro. So let's let's figure this out. Okay. Little guitar lesson.

A little bit. Yeah. Let's do this. Let's do this.

Have you got a Roomba?

No, I don't. Do you want me to sit on it and play the guitar? That's a problem. Give it a go.

I thought we were just going to learn like A chord, B chord.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Maybe we could just we could just do a chord if you want.

Okay, let's do a chord. Okay, do this. All right. Better idea.

So, put this finger on here, uh-huh. This finger on here, and this finger on there. And hold them down really tight, even if it hurts. All right? And then just And then just It's kind of like an A minor.

Uh-huh. That sounds good. Sounds great. Sounds really good. All right, perfect. I'm going to practice next time I see you. I'm going to bust out a song for you.

Awesome. Okay.

I'm going to be in a shark suit.

I can't wait. I'll be in a shark suit too.

Cool. On a Roomba.

Good. Thank you for having for coming for having us.

Thank you for having me. Of course.

Only know you love her when you let her go. When you let her go.