Testimonial from Supporter & Music Writer & Podcaster, Michael Bless of Plastic Lizard
“Running a music blog, I have had the pleasure to work with many different record labels and artists throughout my time. I had originally stumbled upon Grimalkin while attempting to find artists to review for the blog and interview for my podcast. Usually, my interactions are typically only with the artist that I am reviewing or interviewing, they say thanks, and maybe I will hear back from the label about a future release down the line. From the beginning of my relationship with Grimalkin, they showed me that they were different in how they treated me and how welcome I felt by their representatives, which I really was not used to. This warmth that they approached me with certainly intrigued me from the start, and I could tell that these people were doing something differently.
Grimalkin is a community of like minded people who are working together to create a safe environment for people to create in order to fully realize who they are, not only as individuals, but as creatives as well. As a creative person who has had trouble with confidence in the past, I know how important having a community who fully believes in your creativity and wants to see you realize your potential is. Grimalkin is able to be an outlet for people all around the world to feel a little less alone, encouraging each and every one of its collective members to be unabashedly themselves along the way. At first glance Grimalkin looks like a typical record label, but it is genuinely so much more than this. I think about all of the people that are able to release music under this label, people who may think that society doesn't accept them, or want them to be themselves. Grimalkin gives people who feel alone the opportunity to connect with individuals who may feel the same way, while showcasing to the world just how talented they are. The music that is created while building this community is absolutely incredible, but feels like half of their mission and what they are trying to create. Having been able to see how the label operates from the outside looking in, I would compare it to a small town. Everyone knows each other, respects each other, and they are so willing to help one another out at a moment's notice.
Writing about music has made me realize just how toxic the industry is and has been for ages. Grimalkin is a breath of fresh air in an industry that really needs to reinvent itself, and I think that Grimalkin is at the forefront of this change. I genuinely love being able to work and communicate with Grimalkin because not only do they appreciate people releasing music, they also appreciate people like me who talk about music as a hobby, and I look forward to working with them again soon to highlight artists that deserve attention.”
Michael Bless (he/him) is the mind behind Plastic Lizard, a website dedicated to reviewing and talking about music mostly from underrated and underappreciated artists. Currently residing in Mankato, Minnesota, Michael isn't exactly at the forefront of the music industry, but possesses a passion for finding his next favorite album. Michael also runs a podcast in conjunction with the site called Plastic Lizard: Uncovered, where he interviews artists about their albums in order to gain a better understanding as to where the music that we listen to comes from. Michael's full time job is at the local television station and has dreams of doing something more with his interests in video production one day.
