Amongst breathtaking landscapes, Michael Rudd sings of a weary search for something he’ll never find. Many listeners will recognise that feeling of looking for more, seeking a new way of life that always remains just beyond our reach. The video, created by David Rosenfield, was filmed in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains at the eastern edge of Albuquerque, NM, and those awe-inspiring mountains add an expansive feel to Rudd’s reflective words and melodic journey.
Languorous instrumental layers are the perfect base for Rudd’s smoothly tuneful vocal performance. Those musical textures are delivered by a group of talented players: Brant Leeper’s Hammond Organ swirls and rises above Asher Barreras’ upright bass and cello and their warm, sweeping sounds.
“Going to the Mountain” is the title track from Rudd’s second solo studio album. He says: “The title of the album comes from one of the singles. It’s the only title I ever considered. The song ‘Going to the Mountain’ takes the perspective of a person who’s always seeking something else, something that he can’t name and that he knows he can never find, but something that he still feels compelled to search for, which he will for the rest of his life. The other songs on the album are about people like him, always moving toward a point just past the horizon.”
As well as Leeper and Barreras, Rudd is joined on the record by Mark Clark on drums, Pat Malone on guitar, and Jen Bixby on backing vocals. He says of these fine musicians: “I’ve been gifted to be in the studio with incredible musicians and friends. It’s been two albums now with them, and there will be another one in the fall of 2025. The process is always a true collaboration. Every note they play is all about bringing out the essence of each song. I can’t imagine playing and creating with anyone else.”
Back in the summer of 2023, Rudd began hearing songs in his sleep, fragments of lyrics and melodies surfacing in dreams, sometimes so powerfully that he would wake in the middle of the night. Within weeks, he was hearing songs throughout the day and night, making recordings of snippets and full-blown songs. He would piece them together, adding lyrics and verses. During the following year, over a thousand voice memos became over a hundred songs, leading to “Going to the Mountain”.
Check out our exclusive Q & A with Rudd below for more information about the single and the new record.
Exclusive Q & A:
What is this song about and what inspired it? Why is it important to you and what about the song really speaks to you?
“This song is probably the most personal on the album, but it also applies to everyone I’ve ever known. The need to keep searching, to keep looking for something that’s more meaningful or more authentically spiritual, is a central part of being human. For me, it’s been a lifelong struggle, both fighting the need and giving in to it, especially when ego and vanity get in the way. But the idea of ‘going to the mountain,’ while sometimes debilitating and self-defeating, has also, in the end, kept me fully alive. At this point, it’s hard to imagine my mind being completely at peace, and I’m okay with that.”
What was the writing process like for the song?
“The song first came to me as I drove across the Sonoran Desert on my way to San Diego to meet my daughter, who lives in San Francisco, and then most of the rest of it came on the drive back home to Albuquerque. The phrase ‘going to the mountain’ was there from the beginning. It wasn’t the only song that came out of that road trip, but it was the only one that made it on the album. As I drove, I recorded my voice on the voice memo of my phone, which I do a lot, especially when I’m walking or driving. Then I finished it at home a day or two later with my guitar, though it wasn’t until just before we started sessions at Frogville Studios that I was satisfied with it.”
What was the studio session and recording process like for this song? Any great stories from the creation process?
“Like we always do, we put everyone in the big room at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe, NM, and played until the song sounded right. It didn’t take long. I came in later that week to sing. The studio sits up on a hill overlooking the city and the valley and the Sangre de Cristos beyond. That vibe filters into the studio itself, especially when it’s just Jason Reed, the engineer, and me in the building. On that day, I needed everything quiet around me to get to the heart of the song, and that’s what I got.”
Are there any lyric lines that you really love or that really are important to you? What do you feel makes them resonate?
“I’ve sung the song dozens of times, but there are parts of it that always move me in the same way. During the chorus, the line ‘I’m looking for something/That I know I’ll never find’ is at the source of everything that I feel, both the desperation to find whatever it is and the acknowledgement that finding it is impossible. In my best moments, I realise that ‘finding it’ is beside the point. The other line is the other voice, the voice of reason and wisdom: ‘You can’t run forever/You can’t run from yourself.’ The first part of that might be up for debate, but not the second.”
Who directed and filmed the video? Where did you film it? Whose idea was the video treatment?
“David Rosenfield filmed the video, which was shot in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains above Albuquerque. We shared in directing it, though he had most of the good ideas. David brings an innate understanding of the light and colours of New Mexico. That comes out in almost every image.”
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this song and watched the video, what do you hope that is?
“I hope that listeners connect to the idea of ‘going to the mountain.’ To me, it’s a universal need and a universal truth.”
How does this song fit in among others on the album? How is it similar or different?
“Like ‘Going to the Mountain,’ many of the songs on the album are about individuals trying to understand or accept or redeem themselves. ‘Going to the Mountain’ is the only song that implies that the root of the struggle may be spiritual in nature.”
What made you want to name the album after this song?
“The people that I write and sing about are all going to the mountain in their own way.”
What is coming up next for Michael Rudd?
“I’ll be back at Frogville Studios in March to record my next album, which will be released in the fall.”
