We recently connected with Micah Bentley and have shared our conversation below.
Micah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My newest batch of songs I’ve been releasing have been some of the most meaningful so far. I attribute that to the hardship, vulnerability and presence these songs reflect from my recent life.
Micah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I grew up around music. When I was about 11 or 12 I started writing songs, playing music in bands, church and other things. Out of high school I had a few songs become popular and I began playing regionally, being asked to open on bigger shows, filling up coffee shops and music venues. I was very influenced by a combination of music styles, primarily indie rock and folk. Music has always been a very organic expression and way of processing my life. I toured the US, recorded with multiple successful producers and have released multiple singles, EP’s and albums and continue to write, produce, and perform my music to this day.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I’ve learned a lot about resilience over the years. It’s the only way to get through the high’s and low’s of the industry and things that you can’t control. The only thing I can control is my perseverance in doing the work and becoming a better artist in spite of things that feel like failures. I remember driving to LA for a showcase for a record label. We put so much work into every detail of the showcase. We’d had what we felt were really positive meetings, performance and all around good job. We felt like the obvious choice for a label to sign. The meeting ended so well that we left certain that it was a done deal. On our drive back to Arizona we got the call that the label had decided to pass on us. It was pretty devastating. The decision at that point was to call it quits or to push through in resilience.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Artists can lead the way by supporting one another, collaborating and putting out work that promotes value to society. The issue in the music industry is that streaming has created an accessibility and commodity of music that devalues the experience and quality. As a music fan and consumer the best thing you can do is stream and follow your local artists you love, buy their physical albums, buy tickets to their events.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://micahbentley.com
- Instagram: @micahbentley
- Facebook: Facebook.com/micahbentleymusic
- Twitter: @Micah_bentley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4tYOxsoo6j2j4qr-pBZ6jg
Image Credits
Charles Barth, Tomas Lamca