POM 9/22 No. 2:  Smizz

Born and raised in New Hampshire, Smizz grew up with a mother who loved soul and folk. His father was into older music such as Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. An avid vinyl collector, his dad eventually handed down the records to Smizz. Smizz’s older siblings introduced him to hip hop artists such as Nas and Jay-Z.

As an early teen, Smizz drew influence from the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, and J. Cole.

Smizz began releasing solo music exclusively on SoundCloud as early as 2013, at the age of 15.

At the age of 19, Smizz began producing his own beats, which eventually led to him building relationships with likeminded producers and engineers in his area.

In 2022, Smizz and his team founded Shine Music Group, their independent label dedicated to shining a light on local New Hampshire talent.

Over the past year, Smizz has been steadily building momentum. Between a constant flow of music and a slew of performances around New England, he and his team have been working to solidify the foundation of a legendary career.”

Website: 

Apple Music: 

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/smizz/1478527861

I'm a singer/songwriter living in the beautiful state of Maine. After all these years, I finally found my home — and her transcendent beauty and power never fails to inspire and nurture me. 

Music has always been a central part of my life — my mother said I sang before I spoke. Most of what I write is pure improvisation, and I write the music and lyrics on the fly, in a holistic manner. As such, my music is a diary, a means of therapy, and a window into my deepest thoughts and other worlds, and encompasses everything from pure folk to multitrack experimental or atmospheric music.

At 15, my parents took me on a vacation that would change my life. We went to Michigan and "while we were there," we visited the Interlochen Academy for the Arts. I was transfixed by the immense talent around me and I never forgot that place. One day, I mentioned the school to my mother and she had me apply. I was accepted and never looked back. I went on to study music composition at Peabody Conservatory of Music (Now The Peabody Institute of Music of the Johns Hopkins University) and the Yale School of Music and studied under composers Jacob Druckman, Martin Bresnick, Poul Ruders, and Morris Moshe Cotel. I've written string quartets and orchestra pieces. But eventually, I realized that I was my own instrument and pursued my authentic musical voice. 

I will never forget the day I discovered the true power in and freedom I could experience when I connected deep into my soul and let it all out — the beautiful, the dark, the ecstatic, the bloody, the traumatic, the angry. It is one of the most wonderful experiences a human being can have. 

Influences include Arvo Part, Ani DiFranco, George Crumb, John Cage, Bjork, Sinead O'Connor, Loreena McKennitt, and a host of others. I hope to reach out to others through the Internet during this crisis and make connections to other musicians and listeners. 

https://oeinc.bandcamp.com/album/gate

https://nicolelepera.com

POM 8/22 No. 2: Jen Ayers

Jen Ayers is a vocal dynamo with a throat of gold, pianist, songwriter and recording artist. She’s performed thousands of shows nationwide, fronting Seattle-based band Honey Tongue and shared bills with the likes of Jack Johnson, Tom Petty and Bill Frisell.

Her powerhouse vocals and electric stage performances have earned invitations to sing across the U.S., including the National Anthem at NBA/MLB games, Led Zeppelin for “Bonzo’s Celebration Day” (with members of Heart, REM, Pearl Jam) and “House of Thee Unholy” – Broadway-level burlesque at Seattle’s Triple Door, and most recently appearing with Dave Matthews at Seattle's Moore Theater for SMASH. Jen is a frequent guest singer in high-profile gigs across the Northwest and currently fronts Wild Rumours – A Fleetwood Mac Experience.

Since 2012, Jen has also been performing at Teatro Zinzanni. First in “Return To Paradise,” which enabled her to dabble in the things she loves most: singing, acting and dancing. She even spun from a cirque cage while performing Honey Tongue’s original song “I Wanna Go.” Then, in “Be Italian” and “Hollywood And Vine,” she brought the character of Donatella DiMarco to life – a feisty Italian New-Jersey born chanteuse.

She also collaborated with Zinzanni to develop "Big Top Rock: Dream On," a Rock ‘N Roll Family Show in which she played the role of the Blondie-esque Jenny Jupiter alongside the rest of her Dream On band members. And subsequently starred in "Big Top Rock: Rock This Way" as Donatella with an all-star band (Hans Teuber, Keith Lowe Igor Abuladze and Jose Martinez).

Jen’s following up her debut solo CD “Every Day Is A Parade,” with “SHe Said”, a concept album and theatrical production about gender identity and transition.

The "SHe Said" show directed by Daryle Conners hits the stage 10/6, 10/7, 10/8 and 10/9/22 at Seattle's Broadway Performance Hall and will feature Jen, Marc Kenison (aka Waxie Moon), and a live band (Kathy Moore, Rebecca Young, Melissa Montalto, Geoff Reading and RL Heyer). 

The "SHe Said" double album, produced by Jeff Fielder, will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally September, 9 2022.

POM 8/22 No. 1:  Reesa Wood

Reesa Wood has been making music in Portland, Maine since 2016, when she learned to embody rage, desire and confrontation fronting the metal edged Cadaverette, and developed confidence in her songwriting and guitar abilities in the heavy shoegaze tinged Burr. She has been performing her unique twangy ballads under the name Draudiga since 2019, both as a solo artist and with her backing band.

Draudiga lurks in the dusk, in the sleaziest corner of a haunted glade- where the dryads and the wood nymphs Sleep in Safety, head to toe Death Rock, covered in desert dust and strung out on old Gun Club and Hasil Adkins records while maintaining the airy whimsy of Kate Bush and the toothsome menace of Lydia Lunch.

https://draudiga.bandcamp.com/

@draudiga_

www.cadaverette.bandcamp.com 

POM 7/22 No. 2: Dave Bullard returns

Dave Bullard... Singer songwriter performer from California

POM 7/22 No.1: Spook Handy (from 7/21, the final POMotR broadcast)

A year ago this month Podcast Open Mic on the Radio had its final broadcast.  But my last guest was a goodie and needs to be reheard.: Spook Handy, the only guest I have found via Portland Hour Exchange...

Spook Handy performed alongside Pete Seeger at festivals and concerts more than 50 times from 2003 – 2013 learning firsthand many of Pete’s songs and the stories behind them. Even more, he learned who Pete Seeger was and what he stood for. Spook is now traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada with his “Remembering Pete Seeger” World Tour, keeping alive Pete’s tradition by sharing a few songs by Woody Guthrie (Pete’s most notable mentor), plenty of songs by Pete Seeger and a healthy handful of new songs Spook wrote under Pete’s tutelage.

Spook’s sixth studio album, “Pete, Woody & Me, Volume II – Dedicated to the Proposition” reached the No. 3 position on the International Folk Radio Charts in May, 2019. His fifth studio album, “Pete, Woody & Me, Volume I – Keep the Flame Alive,” held the No. 3 position on the same charts in June and July , 2016 with his original song, “Vote!” reaching No. 2. Recorded with his backup band “The Seed Planters,” the CD is more than just a tribute to Pete. It is a work that, as John Weingart of WPRB Radio says, “certainly rests on the shoulders of the past but is unmistakably steeped in the present.” 

Spook was named Best Folk Artist by Upstage Magazine, Gannett New Jersey, The Courier News, The Home News and About.com. His song “Whatcha Gonna Do?” was used in the BBC documentary film “Doomsday Code,” and four of his sings, including “Bring Back Abiyoyo” were used in a theatrical adaptation of Pete’s children’s story, “Abiyoyo.” Spook is a well known speaker and workshop facilitator at festivals, conferences and colleges around the country. 

“The passion, purpose and spirit of American Folk Music are alive and well with Spook Handy and his Remembering Pete Seeger World Tour and concert.”

POM 6/22 No. 2 April Keez

April Keez is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and music educator. April's YouTube channel, April Keez, has over 8,000 subscribers and is ranked among Feedspot's Top 5 Songwriting Channels to Follow in 2022. Her goal is to push the world of songwriting further by giving people access to great information, new ideas, and inspiration. April believes that anyone can be a great songwriter if given the right tools to get there, so she creates songwriting lessons, full songwriting curricula, as well as easy-to-use resources for people of all ages and skill levels to explore their creativity with songwriting. After many years of teaching and writing, she continues to use her own songwriting practice as a tool for both mindfulness and creative curiosity, exploring storytelling through unusual harmony, literary devices, sonic connection, and vivid imagery. 

Social Media & Pages:

Website: aprilkeez.com

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6xER9ixLXSrlhowfQN0gpa

YouTube: youtube.com/aprilkeez

Skillshare: https://skl.sh/3PpxMMX

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilkeez/

Facebook: facebook.com/aprilkeez

POM 5/22 No.2:  "Chaos Creator" Artimus Wolz

Artimus Wolz is a musician and social media influencer. He went viral on TikTok with his original song, Incompedance[1]. After a successful KickStarter campaign[2], he began work on his comedy album Chaos that is slated to publish in 2022.

POM 6/22  No. 1:  Bill Stamey

I was born, and grew up, in Memphis, learned the basics of reading music at a young age, and got my  first guitar at around age 5. Self-taught for the most part, I took lessons from a few key figures: Bob  Salley (a university instructor) at age 14, Shawn Lane (a musical phenom) at age 18, was a University of  Memphis music student for 2 years. Later, when I arrived in Maine I studied guitar for a year with the  truly gifted Bob Thompson.  

In my teens I started playing in original and cover bands (rock, R&B, and blues). I played out a lot,  mostly in town, sometimes other states down south.  

I had the privilege of recording in a few of the landmark studios in Memphis, which brought me into  contact with incredible people. Some of my work was on original music, and some was in an effort to be  a studio musician: playing on song demos for writers, or cutting jingles, theme songs, or really anything.  

From 1998-2002 I took a detour and attended the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of  Medicine in Johnson City, TN. During those years I played in a popular local cover band. From 2002- 2007 I completed my medical training in Tampa, FL, and Houston, TX. There was no time for playing in  bands during that time, (though a few gigs did happen). 

In 2007 my family and I moved to Maine, where I started practicing medicine. After about 5 years of  practice I began playing out again or a limited basis. In 2018 I joined an established cover band in  Brunswick.  

From summer 2021 until February 2022 I recorded the album get up in my home studio in Harpswell. It is available online at https://billstamey.bandcamp.com/releases

POM 05/22 No.1:  Jim Baumer ME returns

Biddeford-based indie rocker Jim Baumer has released a diverse pastiche of songs on the provocatively titled Living in Some Strange Days. The songs emanate from a space of darkness and deep pain and his music hearkens back to a period of time he calls indie’s “halcyon days,” in the early-to-mid-90s.

Music has been Baumer’s path forward after losing a son, well-known environmental activist and poet, Mark Baumer, killed in 2017.  Picking up an old Yamaha acoustic he’d had around the house for 20 years, Baumer says he took it out of the case and started to play. “I’ve been playing it ever since.”

LISSD has solo acoustic material, rooted in 70s music and artists like Arlo Guthrie, Neil Young, Big Star, and others. Then, Baumer’s one-man-band electric songs” are influenced by angular indie bands like Pavement, Polvo, Silkworm, while channeling T. Rex and other influences, too, especially the grittiness of Lou Reed’s solo material.

A child of the 70s, Baumer grew up with music that never shied away from the topics of the day. “TNT (Acoustic Mix)” speaks to freedom and protest and is a paean to Canadian truckers, while sounding like it might have been recorded during Young’s “Tonight’s the Night” sessions.

He performed some of the new tracks from the new release on Podcast Open Mic.

Jim Baumer

Musician/One-Man-Band

Ph: (207)939-8057