Exclusive Premiere: Mickelson Takes Flight on His “A Murder of Crows” Music Video

Singer and songwriter Scott Mickelson has had a lot of thoughts and ideas developing in his head in the time since his, and everyone else’s, world changed approximately two years ago. Like all great artists, he’s taken positive inspiration from it all, all while making sure to press the record button as he sits with his guitar, reflecting and deliberating about life and living.

Today, we are reaping the benefits of Mickelson’s meditations on the world, with the debut of his new music video for “A Murder of Crows.” The song, which will be found on his forthcoming Known To Be Unknown album, is essentially Mickelson gathering his thoughts on the pandemic lockdown, and how much it divided everyone, and in some instances made previous friends enemies, based on their take on the whole crisis.

Discussing the song and the associated video, Mickelson says:

“I wrote ‘A Murder Of Crows’ in the first weeks of the lockdown. Being asked to self-isolate with no end in sight was stressful on everyone and at that time folks were either doing what was recommended or resisting. Mandates, COVID cards, every step of the way, the two sides became more polarized. In ‘A Murder Of Crows’ I share both sides.”

Adding more colour specific to the video, he continues:

“When I decided to create a video for ‘A Murder Of Crows’ I simply did not have the money to work with a videographer so I started searching license-free video sites to see if there was maybe some footage that could help me tell the story. I’d never done this before and once I’d found a couple of clips that impressed me it started to fall into place. It took me about five days of editing and I feel the video expresses the song beautifully.”

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Mickelson decided in the 1980s to make San Francisco his adopted home, a city that more closely matched his character and lifestyle. He has had a very successful career, releasing albums and singles, with his 2015 debut record Flickering earning Grammy Awards nominations for Best Folk Album and Best American Roots Performance. That debut record garnered Mickelson quite a fanbase which he has further expanded over the years, thanks to excellent reviews and a first-ever European tour in 2019.

Unfortunately, the pandemic would follow in the following year which forced multiple tour cancellations, but he is now getting back on track, with “UNarmed American” released this past November, the first single from Known To Be Unknown. With so many musings and so much to share, Mickelson is looking forward to returning back to the road soon, eager to make up for lost time.

Artwork for the single “A Murder of Crows” by Mickelson

Artwork for the album ‘Known To Be Unknown’ by Mickelson