After several years away from releasing music under his own name, guitarist and composer Mike Lorenz reemerges in 2025 with I’m Not There, a deeply personal trio record shaped by change, reflection, and renewal. It had been six years since Lorenz’s last self-titled release, a period spent exploring folk-adjacent sounds with his band the Witherbees and navigating the disruptions of the pandemic and major life shifts that followed.

During this slower stretch, Lorenz amassed a large body of new music and found himself reconnecting with the guitar more directly. Moving away from pedals and electronic textures, he gravitated toward acoustic guitar and songwriting rooted in melody, form, and intention. Drawing from a wide range of influences — from Jeff Tweedy and Elliott Smith to classic jazz recordings — the music began to take on the spirit of a songwriter told through the language of improvisation.