Hive Open Mic ( #openmic ) is a global community of music lovers, for music fans and musicians. Each week is a new invitation for expression and connection.
Hive Open Mic - Highlights
Week 14: July 12-18, 2020
I appreciate the ways this event stretches me musically on a weekly basis. I'm listening to songs and styles I've never heard before. I'm discovering new artists with inspiring techniques. And I'm applying these findings to my own music, making progress. I get the feeling we're all making progress, expressing and connecting with the world in this way.
Each week, we amplify a song that exemplifies the spirit of Hive Open Mic: global harmony. Our Spotlight Artists carry the creative fire with extraordinary brilliance and beauty. Previous spotlights featured an Italian serenade, an Indonesian folk song, and a Venezuelan medicine song, ranging from a simple voice to a multi-instrumental ensemble.
The spotlight is an effort to honor the excellence we hear here. This week's contributions were so superb that it feels fitting to extend the spotlight to two musicians!!
🔥
Spotlight #1
La Canción del Cobarde (Original) by 
@elisonr13
@elisonr13English: This song speaks to me like the voice of the fire: honest and down to earth, perhaps with the redemption of facing the shadow and finding illumination. I feel this musician just raised the bar, up-leveling Hive Open Mic as a whole. His original song here is superbly written and expertly performed on guitar and vocals. Like a diamond in the sky, the song is a stellar, and the artist himself is a star.
Español: Esta canción me habla como la voz del fuego: honesto y con los pies en la tierra, tal vez con la redención de enfrentar la sombra y encontrar la iluminación. Siento que este músico acaba de subir el listón, subiendo de nivel Hive Open Mic en su conjunto. Su canción original aquí está magníficamente escrita y expertamente interpretada en guitarra y voz. Como un diamante en el cielo, la canción es estelar, y el propio artista es una estrella.
🔥
Spotlight #2
Gaviota / Seagull (Cover) by 
@davidcentenor
@davidcentenor
English: Once again I am mesmerized by this musician, who was also last week's Spotlight Artist. The intricacy of his guitar work and this advanced melody is just like the battlefield presented in the song, written by Silvio Rodríguez. Somewhere in the middle of the fiery explosions, bullets flying, here is the elegant lily-white seagull, dancing in the air. Profound.
Español: Una vez más, estoy fascinado por este músico, que también fue el artista destacado de la semana pasada. La complejidad de su trabajo de guitarra y esta melodía avanzada es como el campo de batalla presentado en la canción, escrita por Silvio Rodríguez. En algún lugar en medio de las explosiones de fuego, con balas volando, aquí está la elegante gaviota blanca como el lirio, bailando en el aire. Profundo.
🔥
More Highlights
En El Cielo (Cover) by 
@wildfamily
@wildfamily
This Hive Open Mic entry is absolutely on fire, with 653 upvotes in just three days, clearly making a powerful impression. It's an intimate glimpse at an outdoor altar space, inviting the audience to witness a ritual and tradition called Song Carriers. This medicine song is composed in Spanish, originating from Chilean songstress Isabel Ruiz, presented by multi-lingual
A central practice of Song Carriers is acknowledging that the fire and the water are the ones holding the space; that we humans are not the space holders.
This performer was our Spotlight Artist in Hive Open Mic Week 4, when our theme was: "Song of the Sea". Here is a link to her song: Ponto de Yemanja, sung in Portuguese.
Dear Africa (Cover) by 
@ayoyemi1
@ayoyemi1
Wonderful to hear another song delivered by
Sabrosita (Original) by 
@ylich
@ylich
English: This song is an original composition by
Español: Esta canción es una composición original de
He Empezado un Viaje (Cover) by 
@sv94
@sv94
English: This musician shares a song that emphasizes the mystical quality of any adventure story: open roads lead to the unknown—the sacred mystery. The artist speaks of a miraculous divine intervention. In this true story, he and his peers intended to climb to the highest peak of the coastal mountain range in Venezuela. However, on the way there, they were seized and detained by governmental authorities because of the quarantine regulations. During detainment, this artist found protection in an amethyst crystal, which proved to be very protective indeed. As it turns out, one of the campers required an emergency gall bladder surgery on the night of their release. If he had been in the mountains, he would not likely be alive.
Español: Este músico comparte una canción que enfatiza la calidad mística de cualquier historia de aventuras: los caminos abiertos conducen a lo desconocido: el misterio sagrado. El artista habla de una milagrosa intervención divina. En esta historia real, él y sus compañeros tenían la intención de subir al pico más alto de la cordillera costera en Venezuela. Sin embargo, en el camino, fueron capturados y detenidos por las autoridades gubernamentales debido a las regulaciones de cuarentena. Durante la detención, este artista encontró protección en un cristal de amatista, que resultó ser muy protector. Como resultado, uno de los campistas requirió una cirugía de emergencia de la vesícula biliar la noche de su liberación. Si hubiera estado en las montañas, probablemente no estaría vivo.
Anhelo-Gopal Camargo (Original) by 
@naradamoon
@naradamoon
English: Please join me in welcoming this newcomer to Hive Open Mic. He is brand new to our Hive community, and I'm grateful for his arrival. The original song he's sharing here is closely aligned with the theme: "Fire Starter", and his words are stellar! I appreciate him for bringing his heart vibration here.
Español: Únase a mí para dar la bienvenida a este recién llegado a Hive Open Mic. Él es nuevo en nuestra comunidad Hive, y estoy agradecido por su llegada. La canción original que está compartiendo aquí está estrechamente alineada con el tema: "Fire Starter", ¡y sus palabras son estelares! Le agradezco por traer la vibración de su corazón aquí.
El Sinvergüenza (Cover) by 
@flute.gabi
@flute.gabi
English: This is the first song presented by 
And this week, we're fortunate to have a second collaboration by these fine artists. In the video below,
Español: Esta es la primera canción presentada por @ flute.gabi, aunque a menudo se presenta junto a
Y esta semana, tenemos la suerte de tener una segunda colaboración de estos artistas. En el video a continuación,
Éxtasis (Cover) by @kantos
@kantos
Como Yo Te Amé (Cover) by 
@melor9
@melor9
Bachata (Cover) by 
@carlosfbass
@carlosfbass
Color Esperanza (Cover) by 
@jossavendano
@jossavendano
Creep (Cover) by 
@oliverjobs
@oliverjobs
Beautify (Original) by 
@cabelindsay
@cabelindsay
Rewards
Hive Open Mic showcases Hive's gifted and talented musicians. I appreciate these people for stepping up to the microphone with something special to say. This a true act of courage, and it deserves to be applauded, and rewarded. To me, we all benefit through the camaraderie shared between musicians and music fans.
This week each artist benefitted through our tip jar, powered by generous upvotes given by 
Inspiration
This week's Hive Open Mic invitation is: "Fire Starting", which brings to mind some classic songs: James Taylor's "Fire & Rain," Bruce Springsteen's "I'm On Fire," and The Grateful Dead's "Fire On The Mountain," to name a few. My memory also goes to Nirvana's "Lake of Fire" and Alicia Keys' "Girl On Fire." And then, this afternoon, when I searched for an inspiring live music performance, I discovered something different. It's a laser harp! Yes, a laser harp!!
Acknowledgements
It is such a pleasure to serve as the host of this event. Thanks to all the musicians and the music fans who make this event so meaningful. I am thrilled to witness artists participating around the world, and I am delighted to witness art appreciators sharing their comments in multiple languages, with kindness and encouragement. These signs say something to me: global harmony is possible.
Note: Hive Open Mic - Week 15 is underway now, where the weekly theme is: "The Key of C."
Join In and Enjoy Live Music - Subscribe to Hive Open Mic.
🌞 🌜 🌟 ✨