Community Corner
Songmeister Mike Sutherly Hits a Chord With Most Any Guitar
La Mesan of band Sunrise treats writing songs as a casual thing―if it happens, it happens.
La Mesan Mike Sutherly has come a long way in the 16 years since he started playing guitar. Now 24, he has about 100 original songs under his belt―a process he says is continuous and requires a bit of luck.
“If I’m not doing a show, I’m working on new material or just trying to grow,” said Sutherly, a founding member of the band Sunrise who first learned to play with his dad. “I pick out a guitar and I just start playing, and either a song comes out or it doesn’t.”
If it doesn’t, he puts what he has “on the shelf,” bringing it back when the time is right. He says he sometimes simply grows out of a tune.
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One thing’s for sure―Sutherly isn’t picky about the type of guitar he plays. In fact, he’ll take whatever he can get his hands on “as long as it works.”
“Nothing will keep me from playing guitar,” said Sutherly, who didn't finish high school. “You can never stop learning; anyone who thinks they can is wrong.”
