Spike Hill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn hosts RocketHub's Takeoff Tuesday - a weekly music series designed to entertain and support musical artists through networking, workshops and career enhancing showcases. 

Every month an exceptional artist is highlighted here on RocketHub, and the April spotlight goes to John Schmitt - one of New York City's most exciting young storytellers.

John Schmitt was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and his songs are a direct reflection of his experiences growing up there. John is a three-time ASCAPLUS Award Winner for new artists, a 2008 winner of the SongCircle Songwriting Contest, 2006 ArtVoice Magazine nominee for best musician...Now he has the distinction of being RocketHub's Takeoff Artist of The Month for April 2011.

We had the chance to talk with John about his creative process and upcoming projects:

Tell us about what subjects inspire you as a songwriter

I get inspired by so many things!  People I see on the subway, writing on a billboard, other friends' music, and my own personal interactions.  Lately, I've been using images from popular literature, like Shakespeare's "Hamlet," as imagery to use while writing.  I really don't have a set system for writing, as a result!

I saw that you opened up for Dave Matthews Band! That's pretty awesome, how did that happen?

The DMB show was really incredible.  I got to play it with my friend Caleb Hawley, and Byron Zanos.  We were contacted by SongCircle, a NYC-based company that runs showcases and songwriting contests, and asked if we could play.  I immediately jumped at it, and my Mother flew in from Buffalo, along with my sister and my aunt.  It was such a great time, the crowd was great, and best of all, I had a great vantage point to see the DMB show!

What projects do you have upcoming that are most exciting to you?

My next project is to record my song "Going Back", my newest song.  Everyone tells me how much they like that song, and wish they had a definitive audio version.  So, I'm using RocketHub to fund the project, which should be up this week.  I will be touring the Midwest, the South, and California this year, and will be going to Europe in 2012!  

Congrats John! and much thanks for being a part of our creative community.  -Brian

John is currently touring the U.S., and has opened for major artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, Allison Kraus, and Dave Matthews Band. For more info on what John is up to - check out http://johnschmittmusic.wordpress.com/