Billy Strings Shares New Song Inspired By Michigan Hometown ‘Mill Town Flood’

Billy Strings shared a new song inspired by his hometown of Muir, Michigan, with the release of his single, “Mill Town Flood.” The guitarist recorded the new original for his forthcoming T Bone Burnett-produced album, So Much For Goodbyes.

Reprise Records will issue the 16-track So Much For Goodbyes on August 28. Strings created the follow-up to 2024’s Highway Prayers while grieving the tragic death of his mother Debra Apostol in June 2025.

“I made this record to honor my mother,” Strings previously explained. “To notice and embrace this very significant period of grief in my life and make art from it. To turn my heartbreak into songs while using my guitar as a coping mechanism as I always have. It’s always been there for me to lean on through the hard times, and I figure it always will…until it’s my time to say goodbye.”

Strings was inspired by his childhood hometown of Muir, Michigan, when he wrote “Mill Town Flood,” which blends fictional events with non-fictional people and locations. Next month, Strings will head home to host the inaugural Ionia Freak Fair at Ionia Community Fairgrounds in Ionia, Michigan, a few miles west of Muir.

Strings relayed insights into “Mill Town Flood,” writing:

“This song is dedicated to the folks back home. It’s a fictional story using some non-fictional characters and places. It is based on the village along the Maple River that I grew up in, Muir, Michigan.

“The last few years, I have become increasingly obsessed with the history of the small town. It’s so interesting to me to learn about the area. I started collecting old postcards and reading anything I could find about Muir in the 1800s.

“Back in the day, Muir was home to a steam sawmill that could cut up to 20,000 feet of lumber a day, and when the railroad was built, it helped propel the industry. They floated giant logs down the river to the mill, and then when the railroad was built, it gave them the opportunity to ship that lumber out to surrounding areas, creating a bustling scene at the Montrose station (later named Muir in honor of the superintendent of the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway, H.K. Muir). Darwin Lyin was the station agent there.

“Up there in the Grand River Valley, it is not uncommon for those rivers to rise up and take over. I saw it flood many times throughout my life, and as I learned more about the area, I realized those rivers have been in charge for as long as people have been living next to them. Sometimes it’s your best friend, and at times it can be your worst enemy. I’ve always had a profound connection and adoration for the Grand River, the Maple River and Stoney Creek.

“I cut my teeth on those muddy banks. I learned how to fish and swim and play music there. I spent many hours in a meditative state just watching the churning water while pondering my life. Muir is the place where I spent my youth. My heart is still hung there. It is my home. I’m happy to honor the village in song form with ‘Mill Town Flood.’”

Strings is joined on the “Mill Town Flood” studio version by his bandmate, bassist Royal Masat, as well as guitarists Bryan Sutton and Daniel Tashian, Harmonium played by P.J. George III and backing vocals provided by Lindsay Lou (and Tashian).

Strings has yet to bring “Mill Town Flood” to the live stage. The guitarist kicks off a two-show run at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts in Bethel, New York, tonight, Friday, July 31.

Watch the official “Mill Town Flood” music video below: