Myron Elkins didn’t set
out to become a full-time
musician. After graduating
from high school, the then 17-year-
old instead became a welder in his
hometown of Otsego, Michigan and
had every intention of making that his
career. However, fate had other plans.
Three years ago, a relative signed
him up for a battle of the bands at a
local venue, despite the fact Elkins’
only prior experience with live music
was playing at church and a few bars
in the small Michigan town where
he grew up. With just three weeks’
notice, Elkins put a band together
featuring three of his cousins and a
friend. Although the group didn’t win
(they came in second), the experience
opened Elkins’ eyes to a very different
career path.
Now, at 21 years old, he’s poised
to become one of music’s most
intriguing new artists with the
release of his Dave Cobb-produced
debut album, Factories, Farms
& Amphetamines, via Elektra/
Low Country Sound. Across the
album’s ten tracks, Elkins crafts
sharp observations informed by his
working-class upbringing, infusing his
music with rich personal experience.
“I actually wrote a lot of these songs
on the album in my head while I was
welding,” he says. “I just loved to
play and write all of the time. Finding
people who want to do that with you
isn’t always easy, but we made it
work. And with this bunch of songs, it
made it all worth it.”