Bill Feehely’s What a Mind I Live In: A Jazz-Soaked Journey

Bill Feehely – What a Mind I Live In

No slick PR spin here: Bill Feehely is no passing stranger to reinvention. He’s that guy who stepped off the well-trodden path of conventional Nashville pursuits. Instead of leaning back into a songwriter’s chair and picking out easy hits, he carved out his own niche. A daring amalgam of theatre, music, and the slow-burn grind of creativity. Now, with his latest release, What a Mind I Live In, Feehely roars in with an elegant, jazz-sculpted swagger. As if raising a glass to all the greats who taught him to savour the old sounds, twist them around, and make them sing for him.

Born in North Plainfield, New Jersey, Feehely picked up music at nine and never really put it down. It’s like he decided early on that if the world wouldn’t give him a comfortable seat. He’d just build his own bench. After earning an MFA in Acting from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he studied with Bill Esper, he drifted through New York City’s unforgiving arts scene. There, he became a restless actor, musician, and director. They say NYC either makes you or breaks you. For Feehely, it was more like a masterclass in grit. He founded The Ranchers, performed all over town, and piqued the interest of A&M and Warner. Just enough to wet his whistle before a 1993 move to Nashville.

Digging In: Where Theater and Tenacity Collide

And let’s be honest. Nashville isn’t known for coddling newcomers with offbeat visions. When Feehely realized he didn’t fit into the assembly-line country ethos, did he pack up and head home? Not a chance. He doubled down. He founded the Actors Bridge Ensemble. An actor training program that grew into a professional company known for its nearly 60 critically acclaimed productions. He wrote plays – plenty of them. Like American Duet, which he co-crafted with Grammy-winner Marcus Hummon. And featured a young Darius Rucker on stage. He took on heavy-hitters like Outside Paradise, exploring the wreckage and romance of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. And turned them into enthralling theatrical events. By the time he ended up teaching theatre at Belmont University, he’d stockpiled enough experience to turn any lecture hall into a charged artistic salon.

Now, he’s coming full circle. Feehely’s discography – 2014’s Lucky Struck and 2018’s Money and Love – showcases a guy who won’t be pinned down. Americana, pop, and now, with What a Mind I Live In, a nudge toward those jazz standards that shaped him. Think Sinatra’s velvet phrasing, Aznavour’s emotional gravitas, Bennett’s timeless ease. And Bill Evans’ smoky keys, and Pizzarelli’s six-string whispers. In his new track, produced by Greg Bieck, you get that sense of standing in some small, dimly lit lounge. Where the music drifts through the air like top-shelf whiskey fumes. It’s jazz-pop with just a hint of a growl. Fresh but thoroughly steeped in tradition.

Full Circle: Jazz, Whiskey, and Dim Light

There’s a deeply personal undercurrent here. Consider the lyrics he’s willing to lay bare, such as:

“I don’t recognize myself no more
I’m trapped inside of me”

Is there confusion? Sure. Uncertainty? Absolutely. But this isn’t the soft-focus, heartbreak cliché of a torch singer. These lyrics feel like a handshake with identity crisis. A late-night confession that maybe we’re all caught up in a swirl of internal voices and half-remembered dreams. Feehely’s What a Mind I Live In owning the messy honesty of being human. It’s a nod to his theatre roots, where authenticity trumps perfection, and raw truth is always more interesting than empty gloss.

A Conspiracy of Creatives: Pushing Boundaries Beyond the Ordinary

Through it all, Feehely’s never been a solo act in spirit. His partnerships – long-time producer and best friend Celeste Krenz. The finest Nashville players, writers like Julie Forrester and Kirsti Manna. They form a community that lifts his work above the fray. With “Lucky Struck” and “Money and Love,” we saw him orchestrate Americana influences that carried the scent of well-worn barstools and honest storytelling. Now, with What a Mind I Live In, he steers into a corner of jazz-informed expression that references his earliest musical loves. Each new turn is another brushstroke on a restless canvas.

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Despite his eclectic background and multiple career hats – actor, director, playwright, songwriter, teacher – there’s a tight, stubborn thread weaving through Feehely’s story. It’s a commitment to the craft, to the unexpected, to the gorgeous chaos of making something meaningful in a world that loves to streamline. Whether he’s staging a play that earns Best Original Play nods or stepping into the studio to coax out a tune that rattles the bones of nostalgia, Feehely is no timid soul waiting for permission. He’s out there, pressing guitar strings, writing lines, guiding actors, shaping songs. Working the angles until he hears that familiar echo of truth.

Bill Feehely – What a Mind I Live In

If you’re in the mood to taste something genuinely soulful this season, What a Mind I Live In is worth a listen. A peek inside an artist’s ongoing dialogue with himself. Creative bruises, evolving identities, smoky horns, and all. Bill Feehely reminds us that the best art doesn’t need to fit. It just needs to sing.