#micmyers

 by STEVEN SANDAGE

When you think about music that comes from a particularly sinister inspiration like the John Carpenter’s Halloween it doesn't exactly conjure up thoughts of warmth and community.  You might anticipate the audience being comprised of angst filled recluses or sociable sociopaths.  Your misguided anticipations would be understandable but very out of place if you stepped foot into the Monarch Theater on October 12th, 2018 for the release of White Horse, a highly anticipated and equally personal album from The Boogeyman himself, Mic Myers.

The t-shirts in the crowd displayed an affinity for Rob Zombie films and classic slashers but the people wearing them felt opposingly serene and happy.  The muddled chaos in horror tropes tend to get thrown under the preverbal bus as nothing more than eye candy for the disturbed.  The truth lies in the escape and controlled chaos they bring.  Mic Myers and his eclectic audience connect through a commonality of grief and glory.  For every macabre struggle detailed in his music, Mic Myers tells an even better triumph that most times ramps up that macabre setting, fighting horrors with mortars.  The support was not limited to the crowd with the backstage filling up with radio personalities, local heavy hitting artists, and a mix of managers and decision makers the stage was being set for Mic Myers to bring out The Boogeyman.  

His longtime friend and fellow artist Kirsin displayed an affinity for rocking a room and elevated the crowds anticipation.  Having an artist like Seven Trill introduce you isn't a bad way to start your performance and it only got better from there.   Each song he belted out sank into the audience like a butcher’s knife.  The two standout tracks were definitely “Stunt Creep” and “The Fontaine Room” which have decidedly different vibes but shared a commonality of passion and commitment when Mic Myers delivered each line of them.  Watching the audience sing along to “Stung Creep” might have been the true highlight of the night apart from Mic Myers staying to do a song with an artist during that artists’ set even though Mic Myers was dripping in sweat and only about 5 minutes removed from his performance, that's a move that shows class and a humble demeanor.  Two things you might not think about when The Boogeyman gets mentioned.  As the crowd of hip-hop heads and horror fiends mixed and mingled and poured out onto the streets of Phoenix, not only could Mic Myers be proud his album but he could be proud of how he presented it to all of us.  I found myself, like most people, emptying out my pockets after I got home.  3:45am.  Staring at my hardcopy of White Horse and putting on the 3D glasses that came with it.  I drifted off and wondering if I would have nightmares.  I was hoping I would have nightmares.  I missed The Boogeyman.  

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO “WHITE HORSE”

by: SLIM HALPERT

Every music fan wants to feel like their favorite artists are connected to their music.  No matter how outlandish an artist might dress or how intense an artist’s persona might be, the fans want to feel like that artist truly cares about the music they make.  They want to know that its personal.  Sometimes you have to strip down the persona and let the world get a glimpse of the person holding the paintbrush and creating the art.  For Mic Myers that meant peeling back the mask a little.  He has undoubtedly crafted a persona that parlays fear into fandom but that in itself can be a double-edged machete.  It can leave an ever widening gap between the art and the artist, causing the fans to lose touch with the person behind the music.  When this happens the artist must find a way to reconnect with their fans.  There is no better way to do that than to use the most emotionally powerful instrumental you can find, host a hybrid public confessional and airing of grievances, and let the person behind the art speak.

The best part of this song might have to be the instrumental, produced by the massively talented and accomplished Tony Choc, and could've thrown most artists off their game a bit due to the pressure of such a beautifully crafted piece of music looming over them.  Mic Myers does better than expected and in a way that might surprise you.  No hook or no big name feature, just Mic Myers peeling back his mask and letting Adam connect with the listeners.  “Grip the wheel tight, see the cracks in the knuckles”, this one line sums up so much of what this song is about.  The drive to keep going brings with it battle scars for those that keep their hands firm on the wheel and refuse to relinquish control or deviate off course.  The bars are delivered with a Mic Myers flow and intensity but it feels like a story from Adam, the man behind the mask.  The accompanying video is this exact thought, only visualized to perfection.  Simple lighting, a man and a mic, and no crazy edits or special effects.  It embraces the vulnerability of simplicity and honesty while capturing the strength in being so exposed.

Being a well rounded artist means being able to be vulnerable even if your art is crafted around a demonic entity or some murderous maniac.  Being vulnerable doesn't always mean being weak.  It takes a lot of courage to be honest and honesty often leaves you vulnerable.  Adam might've needed Mic Myers to be able to say the things he wouldn't but now its starting to feel like maybe Mic Myers needs Adam to say the things he couldn't.  Mic Myers let Adam out from behind the mask a little this time.  Lets see if he does again, cause Adam has a lot to say.