In today’s ever-changing musical climate, crowd funding has become the method that most musicians rely on to finance the making of a record.
When it came time to record his second album, Northampton-based singer-songwriter Mikey Sweet knew he too would have to depend on donations from music fans in order to cover the cost of recording.
Most musicians approach this process by making a video that describes their project, then they ask for funds in exchange for rewards, like advance music or house concerts.
But, Sweet decided to do things a bit differently when he launched his Kickstarter campaign.
He wanted to make more of a splash with his campaign, so he grabbed his guitar and took off on a two week hitchhiking tour of the Northeast, playing music on the streets and carrying a large sign that announced, “Broke musician needs money to finish album with big shot producer and hot band!”
It was a bit unorthodox, but it worked. Sweet raised more than $2,000 toward the making of “Road Dog Gospel,” which was was released in April.
Listeners will get to hear material off the album when he plays two big shows this weekend in Greenfield.
Sweet will perform at the Green River Festival on Sunday afternoon. He will also be part of a series of shows that the Arts Block in Greenfield is hosting in conjunction with the Green River Festival. Sweet will perform at an “After Hours” show on Friday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m.
This show will be a co-bill with soul singer Morningstar Davis and pop/jazz piano virtuoso Miro Sprague.
The album title, “Road Dog Gospel,” stems from a phrase that Sweet jokingly coined to describe his music.
“People would always ask me what type of music I played, and I would say “western Massachusetts Appalachian road gospel,” said Sweet in a recent phone interview.
“Then I got this idea to do this crowd-funding campaign, where I would just hitchhike around and the whole road dog gospel is just my experience being on the road and the awesome things that happened.”
Sweet’s love of hitchhiking dates back to his days growing up in Huntington, where he and his friends depended on their thumbs as a way to get around town.
His Kickstarter hitchhiking tour started in New Hampshire, when his friend and fellow musician, Sneeky Peter Irving, invited him to play at a wedding.
From there, Sweet traveled to cities like Burlington and Portland, where he raised money by performing on the street.
“I met a bunch of cool people — I had this one show in Boston and like five or six people I met on the trip randomly ended up showing up at this one show,” said Sweet. “It’s really cool how you can build relationships like that ”
But isn’t hitchhiking dangerous?
“No, I just think of it as ‘I’m meant for the ride that I’m getting.’
That’s where the whole road dog gospel thing comes from; it’s really a testing of your faith that the universe is going to take care of you,” said Sweet. “You throw yourself to the wind and you get picked up and it all just really works out.”
For a songwriter like Sweet, being on the road exposes him to the kind of experiences and people that provide great fodder for his songwriting.
He added that hitchhiking can also be a spiritual experience. The trip raised enough money so he could work with that big shot producer and hot band.
The producer was Danny Bernini of Spirithouse Music Studios in Northampton. The hot band consisted of Ryan Hommel (pedal steel and guitar), Jeff Lynch (bass), Riley Godleski (drums) and Zack Cross (keyboards).
Bernini had worked with Sweet on his first album, “The North King,” a disc that had more of a rock sound.
Their goal with “Road Dog Gospel” was to capture the experience of Sweet’s live shows, 80 percent of which he plays solo.
“Road Dog Gospel” was recorded live in the studio and Bernini also re-recorded some tracks off “The North King,” so they would better reflect Sweet’s current sound.
The 11 tracks on “Road Dog Gospel” succeed in providing the listener with the sound and feel of Sweet’s live performance.
The music reflects the influence that musicians like Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen and Townes Van Zandt have on Sweet’s work. Like those songwriters, Sweet is a great storyteller, whether he’s writing about a street kid on “Driftwood,” or singing a sad confessional song like “Truth Hurts.”
Sweet sings every song with a world weary voice full with emotion and conviction, while his band wraps these words in an irresistible folk country sound.
The album is receiving strong positive response, including a glowing review in this month’s “Stereophile” magazine.
Sweet is happy with the album and the response it is receiving. The current strides he is making in his career are all the more impressive, when we consider Sweet has only been seriously pursuing music for three years.
“I had my first show at the Iron Horse Music Hall, opening up for some friends, and I did well with tickets and ended up doing a residency playing there every four months,” he said. “That gave me a good platform to start, and I put out two albums relatively quickly and got to work with some of the best musicians in town, and that helped me solidify my spot locally.”
Next up, is to expand his audience nationally. This summer Sweet will embark on a tour that will take him across the country.
But before that, he has these upcoming shows at the Arts Block and the Green River Festival.
Sweet is very excited about both, as he has never played either venue before — plus these are both full band shows.
Get your tickets now!
Your last chance to purchase advanced tickets to the Green River Festival, which will be held this weekend on Friday, July 8, Saturday, July 9, and Sunday, July 10, on the grounds of Greenfield Community College, ends today.
You can purchase tickets online until midnight tonight at: www.greenriverfestival.com
Festival tickets and parking passes can also be purchased at Turn It Up locations in Brattleboro, Vt., Keene, N.H., Montague and Northampton. For hours and locations, visit: www.turnitup.com
Tickets may also be purchased at World Eye Bookshop, 156 Main St. in Greenfield or the Parlor Room, 32 Masonic St. in Northampton. All sales are cash or check only at those outlets.
Prices are $119 for a full weekend pass, $99 for a Saturday and Sunday two-day pass, $64.99 for a one-day pass (Saturday or Sunday) and $29.99 for Friday night only. Children 10 and under are admitted for free.
Parking passes to park in the lots at Greenfield Community College are $10 each day.
Tickets will be sold at the gate.
The Arts Block will host a festival kick-off party tonight with the Primate Fiasco at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door.
Tickets for the Mikey Sweet show are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
Get discounted entry to these shows when you present your Green River Festival pass.
Also as part of the after-hours shows at the Arts Block, Home Body, Everyday Pony and Death Savings Flag will play on Saturday, July 9, at 8 p.m. and the after-hours shows will wrap up on Sunday, July 10, at 8 p.m. with Roxy Roca.
Tickets, including a discounted rate if you purchase tickets for all four shows, along with additional information, is available at: www.theartsblock.com
The Arts Block is also sponsoring a free shuttle to and from downtown Greenfield — this is ideal for locals who want to drive to Greenfield and bike into the festival.
Shuttle location: Chapman-Davis streets municipal parking lot, 220 Main St. in Greenfield. The schedule for the shuttle is Friday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sheryl Hunter is a music writer who lives in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national magazines. You can contact her at soundslocal@yahoo.com