Welcome to The MIC's Monthly Roundup, where you can see what we've had on repeat all month long!
Songbird:
This month, The MIC featured Songbird as our April Musician of the Month! Songbird flies in from Brick, NJ honing her skills since she was seven playing classical piano. Skylar Springer was inspired by her dad and Miley Cyrus and found her passion in performing. She played in bands, competed in competitions, and eventually began writing her own music at 15, inspired by her then-boyfriend, now fiancé. During college, she felt lost, only finding solace while writing and playing her own music. Since then, she has been cultivating her sound as a pop singer-songwriter. Read more about Songbird here! Listen to Songbird's "Stubborn" here:
On The MIC [Season 1&2] Playlist:
Our On The MIC YouTube series turned one! While we were still celebrating our 3rd anniversary, we also had another anniversary in April! Last year, celebrating our second anniversary, we launched On The MIC, a series dedicated to highlighting independent and emerging artists with exclusive live performances only found on our YouTube Channel. If you're not already subscribed to our YouTube channel, you can do that here.
If you want to be featured on the series, contact us here! Stream & Share the Playlist, and Follow The MIC on Spotify!
Mythodical Joe:
Born in Frankfurt, Germany, and currently based in California, Dante Dumas, artistically known as 'Mythodical Joe,' reinvents himself after a 10-year creative hiatus. Stef from The MIC sits down with Mythodical Joe to talk about his journey and one of his favorite tracks off his new record, "Unbreakable." If you're looking for a new rap track to add to your playlist, look no further than Mythodical Joe's "Unbreakable"! Read The MIC's full interview here.
Vince Vanguard:
Being named after blues legend Eric Clapton, Vince Vanguard (birth name, Eric Plein) was destined to be musical. His first concert was BB King, which lit a blues fire in Vince Vanguard; he resonated with the "Blues music's idea of the struggle of the spirit, and letting those feelings out." His family singalongs also inspired him, eventually finding his place in rock bands from high school but constantly feeling timid about his songwriting. Instead, he created and owned a recording studio and ran his own production company. While his musical dreams were right under his nose, it was not until he discovered he did not need alcohol to access his feelings that he finally controlled his life and truly learned how to open up within his songwriting. Read more about Vince Vanguard's "Let Me Go" here!
Watch "Let Me Go":
Other Fun Things The MIC Did In April:
Spaceage’s 'Visibox'
If you're a gigging musician looking to take your performances to the next level, look no further. Visibox by Spaceage is an app available on either Mac or Windows, allowing performers to control a video like a musical instrument. Performers can connect a video projector to a laptop computer, and suddenly your local club or Twitch stream turns into Madison Square Garden. Available for Windows and Mac (Intel or Apple Silicon) in English and Spanish. You can try a 14-day free trial, or purchase a subscription for only $8.99/month, $89/year, or $340/lifetime! Let your creativity run wild with Visibox. Your options are endless; let your dive bar become Madison Square Garden. Subscribe and Download now! Read the full article here!
Year 3 Anniversary! Our Year Wrapped
April 7th marked the day the first-ever MIC post was published! The first post was a Record Rewind post on The Avett Brothers' album Closer Than Together. Check it out here! So much has happened on The MIC in these short three years. From a logo change to new types of articles and coverage, a YouTube series, and artist services.
This year alone, we've launched a new blog column covering broader music industry and independent artist topics, one new Interview format (Five Fast Facts), one new song spotlight format (Long Story Short), YouTube shorts, Live! Events coverage and our Musician of The Month feature!
Read more about the year here!
The MIC's 15 Favorite NPR Tiny Desk Submissions 2023!
One of our favorite times of the year, is Tiny Desk Season! The time where we get to see incredibly talented independent and emerging artists showing off their skills for a coveted spot on NPR's Tiny Desk YouTube Series. Fun Fact: our very own "On The MIC" YouTube Series was inspired by their 'At Home' edition of this very show! We loved the idea of having artists come on our show for exclusive performances, where they can be creative, make their own 'at home' set up and show off one of their originals! But for this 2023 Tiny Desk Season, we put together a short list of our very favorites, in no particular order!
Read the full article here!
Launch Music Conference and Festival
Three days and three nights of music fun. Launch Music Conference and Festival in Lancaster, PA, promises everything from expert panels and one-on-one mentoring to live music in every genre. But does it? We stopped by to check it all out! The weekend was a fun-filled festival, loaded with live performances and industry education. While the panels were productive, almost all could have benefited from some written paring (i.e., outline, pamphlet, or projected presentation) to better follow along with the material and help the panelists stay on topic. Not all speakers opened the floor to a Q&A for the audience. It was also overwhelmingly apparent that the panels lacked diversity. Primarily white males only. The strongest part of the festival was undoubtedly the artists and the energy they brought to their performances. You could watch a singer-songwriter, a metal band, and a punk show all within the hour. Overall, the musicians rocked; the panels could be stronger and more diverse.
Read more about the year here!
Soundcore's Liberty 4 Wireless Earbuds by Anker
This month, we are reviewing Soundcore’s Liberty 4 in-ear earbuds by Anker. We were so excited to receive this package and try out these new buds. We’ve been using these buds for about two weeks, and overall the buds were good, but not great. For the $149 price tag, you are getting buds that work, with great design but lacking in convenience.
Read the full article here!
Watch the Review here:
Event Coming Soon! Songwriter Series at The Sanctuary May 6, 2023
Boonton, NJ's 502 Main Street, has a new name, The Sanctuary! Starting May 1st, The Sanctuary will be a safe haven for the community to participate in enriching events. There will be classes, including yoga, guided meditation, and live events, from community discussion groups to live music! LONG STORY SHORT: This event is the first-ever showcase of the Songwriter Series at the newly opened The Sanctuary in Boonton, New Jersey! Don't miss out; get your tickets now!
Read more about the year here!
YouTube Shorts!
Charles Wesley Godwin, Tanner Usrey - "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Brooklyn Bowl Philly 4/21/2023:
Friday, April 21st, 2023, Charles Wesley Godwin headlined the sold-out Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia, PA. The finale brought back opener Tanner Usrey for their performance of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads."
Charles Wesley Godwin - "Blood Feud" Brooklyn Bowl, Philly 4/21/2023:
Friday, April 21st, 2023, Charles Wesley Godwin headlined the sold-out Brooklyn Bowl in Philadelphia, PA. He jammed out with The Allegheny High band on his track "Blood Feud"
Jonas Brothers Broadway Marquis Theater Night 3 "Hey Baby" 3/16/23:
New Jersey's Jonas Brothers graced the stage of NYC's Marquis Theater for a five-night residency, playing a different one of their records straight through each night. Night 3 was dedicated to their 2009 album, "Lines Vines and Trying Time." In this clip, the brothers perform their track, "Hey Baby," from that release.
Jonas Brothers Broadway Marquis Theater Night 3 "Before the Storm" 3/16/2023
New Jersey's Jonas Brothers graced the stage of NYC's Marquis Theater for a five-night residency, playing a different one of their records straight through each night. Night 3 was dedicated to their 2009 album, "Lines Vines and Trying Time." In this clip, the brothers perform a short snippet of one of their most popular tracks, originally debuted with Miley Cyrus, "Before the Storm."