“Gather ‘Round the Mic” is not a concert film. Featuring a cast of largely unknown musicians from all over the world, it’s a unique look into how musical entertainment is made in an age where the institutions of permission and “the deal” are relegated to antiquity, pushed aside by the dawn of Internet independence and the drive of passionate people. In June of 2008, musicians from all over the world came together in Cleveland, OH for the first-ever “Gathering Stateside.” For more than 10 hours on a sultry Cleveland night, in a bar roughly the size of a small two-bedroom apartment and on a “stage” cordoned off by tables and place-marked with an Oriental rug, they played and sang their hearts out. The day before was an all-day, all night jam fest around a raging bonfire - the musicians hoping to not catch ablaze in the middle of their songs (none did). MySpace may have let them find each other, but music brought them together. Hugs. How are you’s. Then right into it, as though they had been playing together their whole lives. During those two days this virtual family became a real family, united by their singular passion - to play music on their terms, and to enjoy the music of others. There were no judgments. No competitions. Just free-flowing, fearless creativity. And the world’s biggest ukulele strap.