Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
SoundlinkTV recently had a chance to sit down with Greenville, South Carolina's own Mikey Carvajal, frontman for the band ISLANDER, at the very first Carolina Chaos Show in Greenville, SC.
What makes the Greenville, South Carolina music scene so special? Why did Mikey from Islander hand-pick the bands for the very first Carolina Chaos show? And what happens when a musician becomes a father and has to rethink what touring looks like?
Shortly after Islander took the stage at the first Carolina Chaos show at The Radio Room in Greenville, SC, we sat down with Mikey for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about music, community, family, faith, and the future.
Mikey talks about the reason behind Carolina Chaos and why putting together the right lineup was so important. He discusses personally hand-picking bands like Grave Hunter, Cherry Vanilla, and Wiltwither, and what he wanted the inaugural Carolina Chaos event to represent.
From there, the conversation turns toward the Greenville, SC music scene and what makes it different from other music scenes across the United States. Mikey explains what Greenville means to him personally and why the local scene has become such an important part of Islander’s story.
Then things get more personal.
Mikey opens up about what it's like going on his first tour since becoming a father, the challenges of being away from home, and how fatherhood has changed the way he looks at life on the road. He also talks about what touring could look like for him and his brother Chris moving forward and how family may influence Islander’s future.
Finally, we get into a topic that recently went viral.
Mikey discusses a recent interview comment that sparked a major conversation online about the “Christian Music Industry.” He explains what he meant, his thoughts on being a Christian in a band, and why he doesn't necessarily want Islander labeled a “Christian band” or associated with what he describes as a “Christian Industry.”
This is a conversation about much more than music. It's about community, identity, faith, family, fatherhood, creativity, and staying true to yourself.
🔥 WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW AND HEAR MIKEY’S THOUGHTS ON:
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Talks Fatherhood
01:40 Greenville SC Scene
01:55 Carolina Chaos
03:00 Balancing Being a Husband & Father but also supporting the local scene when home
04:05 Leaving for Tour For the First Time as a Father
05:48 Fatherhood Impacting His Writing
06:08 New Record & Navigating Being Independent
07:41 Christian Music Industry & AI
10:00 Return of retro tech + Tangible Media
🎸 ABOUT ISLANDER
Islander hails from Greenville, SC, known for blending alternative rock, post-hardcore, and hard rock with emotionally driven songwriting. Check out their latest single, Dead Youth, and our review
soundlinkmagazine.com/islander-dead-youth-feat-darby-allin-review
SoundlinkTV recently had a chance to sit down with Greenville, South Carolina's own Mikey Carvajal, frontman for the band ISLANDER, at the very first Carolina Chaos Show in Greenville, SC.
What makes the Greenville, South Carolina music scene so special? Why did Mikey from Islander hand-pick the bands for the very first Carolina Chaos show? And what happens when a musician becomes a father and has to rethink what touring looks like?
Shortly after Islander took the stage at the first Carolina Chaos show at The Radio Room in Greenville, SC, we sat down with Mikey for an honest and wide-ranging conversation about music, community, family, faith, and the future.
Mikey talks about the reason behind Carolina Chaos and why putting together the right lineup was so important. He discusses personally hand-picking bands like Grave Hunter, Cherry Vanilla, and Wiltwither, and what he wanted the inaugural Carolina Chaos event to represent.
From there, the conversation turns toward the Greenville, SC music scene and what makes it different from other music scenes across the United States. Mikey explains what Greenville means to him personally and why the local scene has become such an important part of Islander’s story.
Then things get more personal.
Mikey opens up about what it's like going on his first tour since becoming a father, the challenges of being away from home, and how fatherhood has changed the way he looks at life on the road. He also talks about what touring could look like for him and his brother Chris moving forward and how family may influence Islander’s future.
Finally, we get into a topic that recently went viral.
Mikey discusses a recent interview comment that sparked a major conversation online about the “Christian Music Industry.” He explains what he meant, his thoughts on being a Christian in a band, and why he doesn't necessarily want Islander labeled a “Christian band” or associated with what he describes as a “Christian Industry.”
This is a conversation about much more than music. It's about community, identity, faith, family, fatherhood, creativity, and staying true to yourself.
🔥 WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW AND HEAR MIKEY’S THOUGHTS ON:
00:00 Introduction
00:40 Talks Fatherhood
01:40 Greenville SC Scene
01:55 Carolina Chaos
03:00 Balancing Being a Husband & Father but also supporting the local scene when home
04:05 Leaving for Tour For the First Time as a Father
05:48 Fatherhood Impacting His Writing
06:08 New Record & Navigating Being Independent
07:41 Christian Music Industry & AI
10:00 Return of retro tech + Tangible Media
🎸 ABOUT ISLANDER
Islander hails from Greenville, SC, known for blending alternative rock, post-hardcore, and hard rock with emotionally driven songwriting. Check out their latest single, Dead Youth, and our review
soundlinkmagazine.com/islander-dead-youth-feat-darby-allin-review
