Note-worthy in Plymouth: Mike Landers

Mike Landers has dedicated his life to advocating for the arts and bringing music to the Plymouth community. As the owner and founder of a booking and promotions company, a performing musician, a co-founder of Project Arts, a youth mentor and a member of the Plymouth Cultural Council, Landers has been shaping the Plymouth music scene for decades.

Currently, one of his biggest projects is running Nightlife Music Company, a booking and promotions agency that provides entertainment to nightclubs, weddings, corporate events and fundraisers from Maine to Texas.

At Nightlife, Landers works directly with the people who are seeking entertainment. These music seekers tell him what their price range is and what types of bands they are looking for. Drawing from his enormous list of musicians, Landers can suggest and book acts for his clients. However, he is also prepared to walk them through the entire event planning routine.

“I can pretty much lead them through the process or put everything together for them,” he said.

Before founding Nightlife, Landers was a performing musician, which gave him the skills necessary to help others host events. Currently, he plays guitar and does vocals with T R A X, a contemporary pop and rock group, Tex, Mad Dog and the Cat, a country and acoustic trio, and the Voodoo Doctors with the Hot Sauce Band, which plays Cajun zydeco music.

Still, when Landers is not playing music and working at Nightlife, he is finding as many ways as possible to bring the arts to the community. For example, he helped found Project Arts of Plymouth with friends Lloyd Rosenberg, Chris Reverdy and Dave Jackson.

This nonprofit organization has produced free Wednesday-night shows on the waterfront throughout the summer for the past 16 years. This year, the group is planning three shows on June 20 as well as August 10 and 24. Project Arts will also host the Plymouth Harbor Folk Festival July 9 and Harborfest to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association August 13.

Landers said that these shows not only attract tourists to the area, but are also something that many locals look forward to during the summer months.

“I think that they provide an opportunity for those in the community to see entertainment that they wouldn’t typically be able to see without spending a lot of money in concert venues,” he said. “It certainly is a boom to those who live in the area to get to come out for free and see that quality of entertainment.”

Another group that Landers supports is the Plymouth Cultural Council. He has been a member for ten years as well as a former co-chair with Deb Tanis. Describing him as enthusiastic, Tanis said that Landers is passionate about promoting arts in the area.

“He has worked tirelessly to make sure that the community has some sort of exposure to the arts, whether it is through the Cultural Council or whether it is on Project Arts,” she said.

Still, Landers said he feels that it is also important for him to spend as much time as possible mentoring younger musicians in order to share everything he has learned about the industry.

“Music and the entertainment business, like any high-profile business, can be very cut-throat,” he said. “So I am constantly mentoring younger people on the pitfalls and what to watch out for when they’re dealing with representation and contracts and things like that.”

Landers said with a laugh that he does not get much sleep during his busy months, as he puts almost all of his time into bringing music into the community. Still, even on his most difficult days, he believes that his work is important for Plymouth and its surrounding areas.

“It’s all about giving back,” he said. “Music has obviously been a large part of my life since an early age so for me, at this point, it’s really about helping to create those wonderful experiences for the public and for younger or less-experienced musicians.”