Almost A Dirty Dozen with MICHAEL WARD from MICHAEL WARD WITH DOGS AND FISHES – March 2026

Photo credit: John Vigran

According to a recent press release: “Blending blues, Americana, Memphis soul, and classic rock into a distinctly West Coast sound, supergroup Michael Ward with Dogs and Fishes have shared their new single, “Animal Magic,” recorded at the iconic Hyde Street Studios. The group features singer, songwriter, and producer Michael Ward, drummer Prairie Prince (The Tubes, Journey, Tom Waits, XTC), guitarist Chris Von Sneidern (John Wesley Harding, Chuck Prophet), saxophonist Richard Howell (Etta James, Earth Wind & Fire), bassist Marc Levine (Barry Manilow), percussionist Fernando DeSanjines (Chalo Eduardo, Escola Nova), and keyboardist Joshua Raoul Brody (BATS Improv, The Residents, The Marsh Theater). For Michael Ward, animals have never been metaphors alone. They have been companions, witnesses, and quiet teachers. Even the band’s name points to the philosophy: dogs and fishes, land and sea, instinct and flow, suggesting coexistence rather than hierarchy, relationship rather than dominance. Ward’s world shifted 33 years ago when a five month old dog quite literally wandered into his studio in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, Hyde Street Studios, beginning a partnership that would shape years of music. That lived experience of interspecies companionship pulses at the heart of “Animal Magic.” The supergroup will be playing a one night only show at NYC’s most storied listening room, The Bitter End, on April 1. Tickets are available now.” We get Michael to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

At first glance this tune is a full on love song for my dog, dogs in my past, and dogs in general, and it’s certainly that, but the subtext is the concept of dogs as messengers of the communion of all creatures and our shared destiny. The cover is a 17th century etching with a text inscribed on its body referencing Sirius, the Dog Star, and how, as the brightest and nearest star in our sky, is somehow central to how the universe is organized. Deep stuff I realize, but you asked.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was one of those kids who got into choirs when I was in grade school, and after a while the choirs got good enough to be invited to sing for groups like the Lions Club and similar fraternal organizations, which seemed to have their events during school hours. This meant that I had the delicious privilege to leave school in the middle of the day, which gave me an inside look at the kind of special schedule available to the musically inclined. I lived in Tucson at the time and eventually joined the third rung of what was a truly world class outfit, the Tucson Boys Choir, the top tier of which played the Ed Sullivan Show every year, along with the Beatles and many more. I never made it that far but I caught the bug.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Anything that played Ed Sullivan from then on seemed to define what was truly special and worthy of attention and admiration, and those Beatles shows were the top of the heap.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

David Byrne would be the guy. His boundless sense of the possible when considering music and song craft as an art form reliably rings my bell. There would be so much to learn from him as someone who began as a rock composer and performer and ended up pushing the limits in so many adventurous  directions.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I love walking my dog. She takes so much pleasure from engaging with whatever and whoever comes along as a friend to the world. It’s a privilege and a lesson be involved with her and just a reliable up.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

A mixture of a wide variety of genres; rock, jazz, folk, R& B, Latin, and more free form almost theatrical  stuff, always with a story to tell with a strong and vital lyrical connection to the wonderful and dangerous world we’re currently living in and all its political implications , always willing to take some chances and stretch what we’re used to, always done with a religious devotion to the pocket, It must groove above all.

7. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

When I was much younger I was involved for several years with the Institute for the Study of Non Violence, an activist organization working to end the  war in Vietnam. It was co-founded by Joan Baez., who I had great admiration for, but for all the years we worked in association together, I never found a true comfort in her presence,even though I spent many years working with her ex husband, David Harris, and her son who is a great percussionist who I’ve known since he was a baby and who even spent some time in the band and has recorded with us several times and toured with her for a long time, she always had the whammy on me despite her gracious spirit.

8.What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

There is no feeling that comes close to the lift  you get when a band of prepared and motivated musicians hit the pocket in unison for a sustained period.on a song I feel deeply about. It is more elevating and wonderful than it should be, but any veteran musician can give you time and place when they experienced such events. If I couldn’t play , I’d write and do some kind of visual art; paint, sculpt, photography. direct, make movies. I’d stay busy.

9. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I would really like to discuss lyric content, intentions, constructs, poetry. I don’t think I’ve done enough interviews to be wary of the process. I don’t care to be misunderstood or praised for something I’m not proud of.

10. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I’m old enough to have whole catalogue of regrets, not that I feel like listing them.

11. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam is a truly transcendent piece of work. The band sounds so dangerous and inventive, the songs are so fully realized conceptually and lyrically, The production is close to perfect and the whole thing has such unity and lasting weight. The politics seem organic and integral to all separate elements.Truly something to aim for.

MICHAEL WARD WITH DOGS AND FISHES LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews