Simple Special Moment is the new release written by Michael Coleman, aka The Metropolitan Cowboy

See Your Shadow Songwriting is a creative institution run by Artistic Director, Michael Coleman also known as "The Metropolitan Cowboy".

See Your Shadow Songwriting current focus is contemporary country and western, but The Metropolitan Cowboy is also responsible for writing and producing material in all genres.

You can learn more about See Your Shadow Songwriting by going to www.seeyourshadow.com or simple reading the interview below.

What first drew you to music?

I always had a love for music, in terms of being an avid listener. We always had music of all types playing in the house when I was growing up and I have a very extensive vinyl, tape and CD collection, so when I decided to pursue a career in the arts, I thought songwriting would be a natural way for me to merge my natural talents as a poet with my love for music.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Your music background?

My story is a simple one yet complicated at the same time. I grew up in San Diego and that is my hometown. Most people think it is somewhere in the south and I get Texas a lot because of the cowboy hat, but I am a big city boy.

My introduction into the playing and creation of music came when I was nine and started to learn the violin to play in the local junior high school orchestra. At that time, there was a special program that allowed elementary students to play in the junior high school band and orchestra. After learning the violin, I went on to the marching band as a percussionist and the rest is history so to speak.

May I ask how you arrived at your artist’s name? Give us the scoop.

Well, See Your Shadow comes from the fact that my birthday is Groundhog Day. I wanted to set myself apart from other songwriters, especially in those early days.

So even though it was just me alone in the beginning, I presented myself as the entity known as See Your Shadow whenever I pitched to Nashville and then it actually did morph into then entity that we are now with me still at the helm providing the head and the heart through the work I write.

Now my name, The Metropolitan Cowboy, came from a television project, a show that I was behind and as we were searching for what to call the show, my creative team said I was very metro because the way that I dressed, and I always was wearing a cowboy hat because of the country music so we called the show The Metropolitan Cowboy Show and that has been my name ever since.

You are the musical director, writer, producer of See Your Shadow. Can you tell us a little bit about it? How it came to be? The vision?

Well, See Your Shadow is best described as a band that is not a band. I think someone in the press called us that and I actually thought that was good. We really are a collaborate network of vocalists and musicians that bring the work I create to life.

I am at the helm of the organization and through who I call my See Your Shadow Network of Stars, we bring the work that I write and produce to life.

I started it as a solo operation and then it just grew as I surrounded myself with more and more people who had the same passion that I did. How we are different is that the songs we create are the stars. The songs are always front and center and everything else takes a backseat. I put so much emphasis on the songs and that is why songwriting is in the name.

Tell us about your latest song, “Simple Special Moment”.

I really love this piece because it truly is one of those pieces that capture the heart and soul of the human experience and that is always the focus of our material.

The piece explores the theme about how an encounter with a stranger impact us and gives us a memory or an emotion that we hang onto. Our lives are filled with all these moments.

Do you have any other plans relating to this release? A video?

I initially was going to do a video to the piece, then I thought that the piece is so vividly written, and I didn’t want to do something so literal because the story is so well laid out all anyone must do is close their eyes and listen. The song I plan on using as the theme to an upcoming television project that I may be doing.

Do you create and release or do you plan each release?

It all depends. Generally, each release is planned unless we are doing something for a special occasion like when we did our women’s empowerment anthem, “I Know My Worth”. That was created and then released with a specific date. I usually go over the body of work and see which one moves my spirit as the next piece.

Are there any challenging aspects to writing and/or recording your music?

Well, there are, but not the typical ones you may think. What is challenging for me is that when I am in the throws of a project, I live and breath the project. It’s all consuming and sometimes that can be hard to take for the people around me, but it is that level of passion that shows through in the work, it is like a double-edged sword.

What is the best song you ever released and why?

Oh jeez, that is like asking which one of my kids is my favorite. There is work in my catalog that hasn’t been released that I hold dear to my heart and our fans will get to hear some of that in our anniversary retrospective.

I think up there on my list, however, is our breakout record, “I Will Tell Jesus You Said Hello” because it was the one that really got folks to take notice of the sophistication of the writing.

What songs do fans seem to favor?

That is a toughie because every person connects with the work differently and you never know what song is going to move people. With that said, our fans do love our Christmas record, the award winning, “Christmas on Cellblock 9” and our dance and disco piece, “Rug Burn” and women have loved our empowerment anthem, “I Know My Worth” and seem to appreciate that a man can embrace the whole woman power movement.

Do you, or would you, like to perform live?

We are primarily a studio entity, but we have done live performances, but it has to be for a special occasion.

Which of your songs is or do you think would be, fun to perform live?

Oh, without a doubt, our southern rock instrumental, “My Worth”. That is such a showcase for the talented musicians, and it is their time to shine, they are front and center showing what makes them the stars that they are.

What do you value more, creativity or perfect execution?

Creativity of course, because you have to have that element to remain original and sometimes projects are misses when it comes to their execution, but if the level of the creativity is there, you can always reimagine the project until it is executed flawlessly.

What would your ideal press headline, either now or in the future? In which publication? Why?

It is funny that you should ask this question, because when I started out, I had one goal and that was to be successful enough to be a little blurb in Entertainment Weekly when I died. I wanted that as part of my legacy and I think that still is part of my goal.

Share a funny moment or positive experience that has happened during your career?

There have been many, but I think one that really sticks out is when I was mistaken for Darius Rucker and pulled up on stage at an Ohio State University tailgate party to help the house band sing “Wagon Wheel”.

What makes that story even funnier is that I had not heard the song at the time, so I had no idea how it went, but you go with the flow. It was hysterical, but also a comment on societal stereotypes because the band was playing a country set and they saw me getting into the music that they drew that conclusion.

Are there any musicians who inspire you? What qualities do you admire about them?

There are too many to name, but the one that inspire me all have the same qualities and that is a level of passion for what they do that is embedded into their soul. It is the same passion that I have, and I tend to gravitate towards and are inspired by those types of people.

Other than fame & fortune, is there something you hope to achieve through music?

Fame and fortunate is not something that is on my radar. If that is your motivation in this industry, you are in it for the wrong reasons. With that said, I want my work to be my legacy and that is what is important.

Do you have a preference, vinyl records, cassettes, or downloads?

I would have to say, I love all the old school mediums. I have a huge collection of vinyl, cassettes, and CD, but I do not have a huge collection of downloads. If that answers your question.

What is your favorite/best outlet to connect with your followers?

Facebook is my preferred platform and I encourage people to not only follow See Your Shadow on Facebook, but to also friend request me personally. I love that personal connection with the fans. See Your Shadow Songwriting or Michael Coleman, The Metropolitan Cowboy.

Are you currently working on any projects we should look out for?

We have a few things in the works. See Your Shadow has a milestone anniversary coming up this year and we will be doing a two-disc retrospective, we will have another single out this year and of course we end every year with our award winning, “Christmas on Cellblock 9.”

Is there something you like to say, that I didn’t cover?

I think that it is important that fans continue to support the indies as that is truly where you get the material that feeds your soul. I am extremely grateful for all the fans of the work I create and am truly humbled by how well it has been received.