Hip-hop artist Mike Stack joined Side Tracks host Gwen Filosa to talk about his performances at the Key West Songwriters Festival, which started May 1, and how he landed the opening act spot for Billy Currington’s June 7 show at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater.
Stack’s return to the Songwriters Festival comes with a new venture – a new band he formed with D-Lew called the Brickfinders.
“We decided to try a different avenue,” Stack said. “So this year we’ll actually be doing a live acoustic version of our songs.”
And he’s happy to be one of the band members. It’s not Mike Stack AND the Brickfinders.
“We got all the guys together and everybody’s putting in an equal amount of effort,” Stack said. “So why make it somebody’s band? This is our band.”
Music has become his only full-time job. Stack landed the opening spot for Currington’s June 7 show through Key West friends and Instagram.
“Billy came into the playlist when I was in high school,” Stack said. “He’s talking about all the beers and stuff. So I’m like, this is my guy.”
Currington saw an Instagram post by Rams Head’s Kelly Norman about how she had a DJ play Stack’s “I Want My Beer” while on vacation in the Bahamas. Currington later messaged Stack that he liked his song. They traded messages.
“I got some twang on there,” Stack said. “But I also got a hip hop verse that I rap.”
Currington eventually asked Stack if he wanted to join him at the amphitheater.
“I was like, you don’t even have to ask,” Stack said. “Mark me down right now.”
Stack is working on lining up a tour of Florida cities like West Palm Beach, Orlando and St. Petersburg. But his favorite place to do music is his island home.
“When I started making music, everybody was trying to tell me how it needed to be done,” he said.
People told Stack that he wasn’t going to get anywhere staying in Key West. He wholeheartedly disagreed.
“In my mindset, I wanna get my town behind me,” he said. “If I could win my city over, then I knew I could win anybody over. We got the home team and now we can do anything.”
What’s it like being Key West-famous?
“It’s really cool that everybody feels cool enough to come up and talk,” he said. “It’s still that small town vibe.”
Key West Side Tracks is a Keys-centric arts and culture podcast hosted by Keys Weekly digital editor Gwen Filosa. It’s available on Apple Music, Spotify and podcast apps.
