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Thread: Open Mic Night

  1. #1
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Open Mic Night

    OK, guys. I'm going to use you as a sounding board, so to speak.

    The coffee shop next to my church hosts an "open mic night" every first Friday from 7:00pm - 9:00pm. Although this is targeted more towards the younger crowd, there's nothing that says an oldster can't get up there and perform, too.

    I'm thinking of honing my "live performance" chops a bit and getting on stage and doing three or four songs (the number will depend on how many performers show up). This will cause me to practice certain songs with discipline and regularity, so as to be able nail them in concert.

    Here are four songs I feel right now I could do without difficulty:


    • Daydream (Lovin' Spoonful)
    • Dino's Song (Quicksilver Messenger Service)
    • Presence of the Lord (Clapton)
    • Pride of Man (Quicksilver Messenger Service)


    Some other songs in my "portfolio" are:


    • Melissa (Allman Brothers)
    • Little Wing (Hendrix)
    • Thinking of You (Loggins & Messina)
    • You Never Call Me By My Name (Steve Goodman & David Alan Coe)
    • Ruby on the Morning (Brewer & Shipley)


    Given that a lot of these are probably unknown to many of today's audience, I think I could pull them off as solo works (minus the balls-to-the-wall guitar solos as exhibited by Clapton and Hendrix). I even have a solo for "Pride of Man" worked out!

    I used to perform a lot of America's songs, but lately I haven't been "feeling" them. I could always bring them back (I love their rhythms in many of their pieces).

    So, would you sit through a short set of songs like these? I'm not asking you to judge them, as you don't know how well (or poorly) I play. If you were going to do something like this, what songs would you consider?

  2. #2
    Forum Member redisburning's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    I dont see why not?

    The only exception is Little Wing. I won't listen to ANYONE play that that isn't named James Marshall Hendrix. It's just the rules, sorry SRV and Mayer and all the other guys playing it but no thanks.

    Also if you did make them unique to yourself I think that's a strategy. When was the last time you listened to Frisell or Tommy Emmanuel and thought to yourself "well that was nice but I wished it were more like the original"?

  3. #3
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    Quote Originally Posted by redisburning View Post
    I dont see why not?

    The only exception is Little Wing. I won't listen to ANYONE play that that isn't named James Marshall Hendrix. It's just the rules, sorry SRV and Mayer and all the other guys playing it but no thanks.

    Also if you did make them unique to yourself I think that's a strategy. When was the last time you listened to Frisell or Tommy Emmanuel and thought to yourself "well that was nice but I wished it were more like the original"?
    I think Little Wing is a beautiful song, but no, I don't play anywhere near like Hendrix. In fact, I may just take my Taylor acoustic and leave the cable behind (I have almost a month to think of it).

    As for making them unique to myself, my off-the-top-of-my-head intro goes something like this: "These are pretty old songs, and some of you may be hearing them for the first time. Please do not hold against the original composers my take on them."

  4. #4
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    By all means, go!

    Playing live is something that once we do, we just can't stop.

    About this particular open gig, all you have to do is pick the songs you're most comfortable with and play them to friends and family as a preparation...

    And go to the place a couple of times to see people playing there. It'll help a lot with stage fright if you got it.

  5. #5
    Forum Member DanTheBluesMan's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    I'd definitely go at least once before trying. get a feel for the crowd and level of participation. It's too bad that it is just one night a month that makes for a long wait. Time to practice, for sure.

    I just had another thought. Even though the open mics are one night a month, see if there are any other nights they have live music. That gives you a chance to see what the set up is like and hear how it sounds.

  6. #6
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    I've been gigging for quite some time now, but I still do that. I'll often visit the venue and see other bands play there before I gig.

  7. #7
    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Open Mic Night

    Quote Originally Posted by DanTheBluesMan View Post
    I'd definitely go at least once before trying. get a feel for the crowd and level of participation. It's too bad that it is just one night a month that makes for a long wait. Time to practice, for sure.

    I just had another thought. Even though the open mics are one night a month, see if there are any other nights they have live music. That gives you a chance to see what the set up is like and hear how it sounds.
    Yes, that's definitely good advice. I'm not in any hurry, so getting comfortable with the venue makes sense. I don't know if they can mic an amp, whether they even have the capability to do so. How much gear do I need to bring and how much will they provide? That sort of thing.

    Plus, an extra month will give me more time to sharpen my set!

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