It was three years ago at the Wild Goose Meeting House, back when the doors were still open and the downtown coffee shop was still a gathering place for open-mic nights.

Onstage, a 21-year-old singer was working his way through an original song.

“I see a girl who writes but doesn’t show her face,” Mayor Grey sang with a guitar in hand.

Near the back of the room, a drummer from the open-mic night’s only other act was listening.

Then came the chorus, delivered in Grey’s soft, melodic voice: “Your lips will taste cherry cement.”

Lochlain McGill had been playing drums since he was a child. He didn’t know the song he was hearing, or who was singing it, but he knew he wanted to join. 

That evening, the two played together for hours, Grey said. And somewhere in the middle of that open-mic night, a singer found his drummer.

Or, more accurately, Miguel Macalintal found the newest addition to the band behind his stage persona, Mayor Grey. 

Born in the Philippines and raised in Monument since 2014, he grew up in a house where music was a part of everyday life. His family taught him to play guitar, and soon enough, singing along became second nature.

That musical upbringing followed him to college, where he studied general communications with a minor in music at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. But he wasn’t interested in keeping music in the classroom.

After graduating in 2023, he spent each week performing at local open-mic nights, looking for a chance to turn his passion for music into something bigger, he said. 

On June 23, 2023, Fritzy’s downtown gave him that chance.

“Family, friends, everyone from different facets of my life came together to see me perform that night,” he said. “I felt like I was able to put together a show where venues started seeing me as this up-and-coming guy.”

With rotating bassists, the band began performing at venues like Vultures, Lulu’s Downtown, Denver’s Larimer Lounge and Globe Hall, along with festivals in states like Nevada and Illinois. 

Then, in September 2025, The Black Sheep offered them the chance to open for a member of Panic! At the Disco, giving them their biggest crowd yet. 

“I think for everyone around me, my family and friends, it helped legitimize the idea of this being real,” Grey said. “It’s one of those things where it feels right. Being there with a packed crowd just playing is something I always envisioned. It’s something that my body weirdly feels calm about, like it’s where I’m meant to be.”

The more he performs across the region, the more he realizes that Mayor Grey isn’t just a stage name, he said.

“It’s becoming a sound that represents our band and the community of people who show up to hear it,” Grey said.

Some of his most popular songs include “Every Night,” “Comfort Me,” “Kitchen Sink” and his most-streamed song, “Cherry Cement.” The same original song he sang at the Wild Goose Meeting House in 2023.

“I’m hoping they’re relating to the lyrics and finding some way to feel it,” bassist JJ Shaub said. “I’m hoping they have that energy when they come to shows where they’re hyped, get excited and they feel the highs and lows with us. I want to be one big community, and I want everyone to be a part of it.” 

Grey describes his music as romantic pop rock: nostalgic, old-school “lover-boy music” mixed with energy made for dancing.

“I always loved older music, so I want to bring that romance back,” he said. “But it’s still fun pop rock that you can dance alone in your room. It’s like you’re singing in the shower, where the most unfiltered, true you comes out, and that’s what I love to see in my shows. As my set keeps going, people go from bobbing their heads to standing up and dancing with their friends, and I get to see the progression of someone opening up.”

Now, audiences will be able to support the local up-and-coming artist as he headlines a show at The Black Sheep on Sunday, Aug. 30, for $15.99 per ticket.

“We’re just building a community where people can just have fun and be themselves,” he said. “I believe we are growing, and the more opportunities that come the more people are coming to me for shows rather than us chasing them. It’s a cool signifier that things are working and we’re starting to be known around these parts, always popping up and always getting better.” 

IF YOU GO

What: Mayor Grey

When: 7 p.m. Sunday 

Where: The Black Sheep, 2106 E. Platte Ave.

Price: $15.99, blacksheeprocks.com