On a rainy Wednesday night in the outskirts of Philadelphia, independent artists Kyle Smith and Mike Pinto wowed a full house at 118 North in Wayne, Pennsylvania. The weather, nor the mid-week blues, did not stop fans from rolling deep and dancing the night away.
By Kelly Graham
Mike Pinto, singer-songwriter known for his blend of reggae, rock, ska, and punk, is everywhere this year! If you haven’t caught one of his shows yet, there’s a good chance he’ll be performing near you soon. Pinto is one of the hardest working independent artists in our scene aside from Kyle Smith, so it’s fitting these two musicians would be playing shows together; they can certainly relate to the relentless grind to stay relevant as an independent artist.
Courtesy of Kelly Graham
Opening the night was one of my absolute favorite guys in our scene, Kyle Smith. Dubbed “the bad boy of reggae” by The Pier’s own Allie Adams, he certainly lives up to that name; he is as authentic, uncensored, and badass as it gets. While Smith jammed this show solo acoustic, his raw, natural talent, and high energy were so contagious he got the entire venue pumped and raging all on his own. Along with a mix of fan favorites such as “Lost Cause,” “Newsflash,” and “Did My Best,” Smith played a banging unreleased song, “Can’t Remember,” about living the single life and avoiding commitment. With his growing popularity and never-ending tour schedule, it’s been quite a while since Smith played solo.
He shared, “I wasn’t sure what to expect with an acoustic set tonight, and Wayne, Pennsylvania showed up and showed out for just one guy and a guitar. I was absolutely blown away and so grateful for all the support; everybody was so kind and amazing.”
Courtesy of Kelly Graham
Up next, taking the stage by storm with a full band, Mike Pinto jammed an infectious headlining set full of sing-along tunes such as “The Cool and the Deadly,” “Crooks,” and Kyle Smith’s personal favorite Pinto song, “Temptation.” Living up to his nickname, the storyteller, Pinto loves to connect with the crowd. He certainly knows how to work a room after two decades in the scene. Backed by drummer Mark LeBlanc, known for playing with San Diego based Sublime tribute band 40 Oz. To Freedom, along with members of The Hip Abduction, Cody Moore on sax and keys, and Chris Powers on bass, Pinto had the crowd dancing all night long. Long-time Pinto fan himself Kyle Smith hung in the crowd side stage the entire set singing along to every word before hopping up with Pinto to close out the show punk style with of one of Pinto’s most popular songs, “Full Speed.”
Courtesy of Kelly Graham
Kicking off his Supply and Demand spring tour, Pinto expressed his excitement saying, “I’m just so happy to be headlining some shows in the Northeast, I feel like I’ve neglected some markets for too long and there are so many great fans in this area. It’s time for me to rock these fucking cities!” You can catch Pinto’s headlining tour over the next couple of weeks as well as multiple festival appearances this summer and fall.