Mike Gladstone’s “Blind” Named May “Best Song Of The Month”

Mike Gladstone
Mike Gladstone

Mike Gladstone, a rock/folk singer/songwriter & producer based in Fairport, New York, has won the SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The Month” Contest for May, for his song, “Blind” (co-written by Rob Smith). This song is included on his band Junkyardfieldtrip’s self-titled debut album, which was released in 2018.

“Blind” is a heartfelt, Americana/folk song that has a thoughtful lyric theme. The song starts off with just acoustic guitar and violin, and then gradually builds into a full-band sound with a string arrangement. This recording features strong, soulful lead vocals by Rob Smith, and there are rich vocal harmonies that add to the song’s impact. “Blind” was expertly produced by Gladstone at his studio, and he plays guitar and sings harmonies on the song.

Gladstone grew up in Commack, Long Island, and he learned to play guitar when he was eight. He was inspired by listening to such favorite artists as the Beatles, Mark Knopfler and David Gilmour, and more recently, Tommy Emmanuel. Later on, he started to write songs and played in local bands. For college, he attended University of Rochester, and where he graduated with a degree in neuroscience.

In 2014, he formed the band Junkyardfieldtrip, which was originally put together as a songwriting vehicle for him and Rob Smith. Junkyardfieldtrip also includes band members Emmett Ientilucci and Don Torpy. The group built a following in the New York region, and in 2018 the band signed with Spectra Records.

Junkyardffieldtrip
Junkyardfieldtrip

Notably, Junkyardfieldtrip was nominated by City Newspaper for their Best of Rochester award, and in the summer of 2017 they played the prestigious Fairport Music Festival.

Besides his work with Junkyardfieldtrip, Gladstone is also a touring musician who plays with the classic rock band, Gary Lewis & the Playboys, who had several hits in the 1960s, including the #1 hit “This Diamond Ring.” Gladstone has toured across the U.S. with the Playboys.

Currently, Gladstone with Junkyardfieldtrip has been working on a new album, which they plan to release later this year. In addition, he is producing & recording other bands/artists, and he produces music for advertising, film and television.

Top Five Songs Of The Month
Here are the Top Five Songs which were submitted for this month's contest, with the songwriter credits, plus their e-mail and website links. You can listen to the winning songs by clicking the music players below.
"Best Song Of The Month" Winner

Song Title:

“Blind”

Written by:

Mike Gladstone (of Fairport, NY) & Rob Smith. Performed by Junkyardfieldtrip.
More Best Songs Of The Month

Song Title:

“Precipice” (pop/soul)

Written by:

Larry Hamlet of Rockville, Maryland. Performed by Cadence XYZ.
Larry Hamlet

Song Title:

“Trust Fall” (pop/AC)

Written by:

Zoe Brush of Fort Collins, Colorado. Performed by Zoe Brush.
Zoe Brush

Song Title:

“Ocean of Love” (R&B/pop)

Written by:

Nick Barrett of Sheffield, United Kingdom. Performed by Nick Barrett.
Nick Barrett

Song Title:

“Love Well” (pop/acoustic)

Written by:

Nathan Greeneltch of Portland, Oregon. Performed by Aubrey Shamel, Klinton O’Donnell & Jason Roller.
Nathan Greeneltch
Dale Kawashima is the Head of SongwriterUniverse and a music journalist. He’s also a music publishing exec who has represented the song catalogs of Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Motown Records.
Dale Kawashima