Voters in District 8 know Mike Masciarelli as a county councilman, a Realtor, a Marine and a familiar name on the ballot. Fewer know him as a recording artist with a growing YouTube channel and songs that have racked up tens of thousands of views, showcasing his talent in Mike Masciarelli music.
That side of the councilman came into public view on June 24, 2026, when Masciarelli emailed MyrtleBeachSC.com directly. Writing from his established “Mikey Mash” Realtor address and signing off as “Union Man Mike Masciarelli,” he pointed the newsroom to his YouTube page and the music he has been releasing under it, including his latest work in Mike Masciarelli music [Masciarelli email to MyrtleBeachSC.com, 2026]. It is a rare look at the man behind the office — a sitting elected official putting original, personal music into the world under his own name.
The Officeholder
Masciarelli holds the District 8 seat on Horry County Council, the area running from the Conway side of the county down through Forestbrook and much of the S.C. 544 corridor. He won the seat in a 2022 runoff, taking roughly 56% of the vote against Brandon Skipper’s 44% for an open seat that opened when Johnny Vaught stepped away [MyHorryNews, 2022]. He was sworn in that December [WMBF News, 2022], and his current term runs through the end of 2026, according to the county’s official council roster [Horry County, 2026].
South Carolina county council races are partisan, and Masciarelli ran and won as a Republican. His résumé reads like a long list of second acts: U.S. Marine Corps veteran, former law enforcement officer, former vice president of investments at a Wall Street firm, and a former member of the Horry County Planning Commission. Today he sells real estate around Myrtle Beach under the brand “Mikey Mash [Horry County, 2026].
That branding matters, because the music arrives under a different name entirely. His seat is also on the ballot this cycle, with challenger Shannon Grady having announced a run for District 8 [MyrtleBeachSC.com, 2026]. The music, though, is its own story — and one Masciarelli seems eager to tell.
Exploring Mike Masciarelli Music
The Channel – Mike Masciarelli music
Masciarelli runs a YouTube channel under the handle @UnionManMikey. The channel is new: he joined it on March 6, 2026 [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. In a few short months it has begun to find an audience.
As of July 2, 2026, the channel shows 22 subscribers, eight videos and 37,846 total views [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. Those are modest subscriber numbers paired with a view count that is anything but modest — a sign that the songs themselves are traveling further than the follower list suggests.
The channel frames the work in plain terms. Its description says Masciarelli has spent years writing and playing music drawn from ordinary life — the hard stretches, the personal stories and a plainspoken honesty about both [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. He signs the page personally, “— Mike Masciarelli.”
The Songs – Mike Masciarelli music
Two titles anchor the catalog: “Union Man” and “Chosen Few.”
“Union Man” is the song the channel builds its identity around. By the channel’s account, it reflects hardworking people facing tough times and searching for hope [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. In his June email, Masciarelli said the track had passed 13,000 views [Masciarelli email to MyrtleBeachSC.com, 2026].
The bigger number belongs to “Chosen Few.” Masciarelli called it “the big mover right now,” telling the newsroom the song had surpassed 20,000 views in 30 days as of June 24 [Masciarelli email to MyrtleBeachSC.com, 2026]. Those per-song figures, both stated by Masciarelli himself, line up with the channel’s overall total. Independent view counts for each individual track were not verified beyond the channel’s own metrics.
The songs also mark a turn in direction. Masciarelli describes moving into a new phase of his music, one that folds faith and hope into the rock sound and lands in what he calls Christian and inspirational light rock [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. The channel advertises a mix of original music, older recordings, that newer Christian rock and what it calls the story behind the songs.
The “Union Man” Question
There is a curiosity worth sitting with here. A song titled “Union Man” and a handle like “UnionManMikey” are not the first images that come to mind for a Republican councilman in a conservative-leaning county.
Masciarelli’s own framing offers the context. By the channel’s description, “Union Man” is not a policy anthem but a song about working people in hard times looking for hope [YouTube channel @UnionManMikey, 2026]. And the direction he says he is heading — Christian and inspirational light rock — points somewhere different from where the handle alone might suggest. The name and the song are a note of texture in the portrait of a public figure, no more and no less.
It is also, plainly, his to define. He is the one who brought the music to the newsroom, under his own name, and described what it is about [Masciarelli email to MyrtleBeachSC.com, 2026].
What It Adds Up To
Elected officials are usually known to the public through a narrow slot: a vote, a quote, a campaign sign. Masciarelli, by his own choosing, has widened that slot. A councilman who spent careers in the Marines, in law enforcement, on Wall Street and now in real estate has added another line — songwriter — and is asking neighbors to listen.
For District 8 residents, it is a reminder that the people making local decisions carry lives outside the council chamber. Whether the music finds a larger audience is now a question of who hits play. Masciarelli, for his part, has made clear he would like Horry County to be listening.
Further Reading
Mike Masciarelli music – Horry County Council roster: https://www.horrycountysc.gov/county-council/
Mike Masciarelli music – YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@UnionManMikey
Mike Masciarelli music – “Union Man”: https://youtu.be/CyewnGsxUmE
Mike Masciarelli music – “Chosen Few”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZuGQc1OKZ4
– “Masciarelli wins runoff for Horry County Council District 8 seat,” MyHorryNews: https://www.myhorrynews.com/news/politics/masciarelli-wins-runoff-for-horry-county-council-district-8-seat/article_fe4c0832-f762-11ec-adb0-33439e2c48c1.html
– “Trio of new Horry County Council members sworn in,” WMBF News: https://www.wmbfnews.com/2022/12/17/trio-new-horry-county-council-members-sworn-ahead-new-year/
