If there is one thing that going to all these open mics this week has taught me, it's the fact that as similar as many open mics are, they all have very different flavors. I will explain this in a moment.
The Jam'n Java Open Mic takes place at the Kickstand Cafe in downtown Arlington. It starts earlier because the cafe stays open late specifically for the open mic. With a sign up at 6 pm on a Friday night, it was a little tough for me to fight my way through traffic to get there, but then again, this open mic seemed like it attracted more immediately local folks than myself.
Upon arrival, my friend Dan and I were greeted by one of the hosts, Diane. She explained the process and introduced us to the other hosts. Looking around, it was crowded, but they had the space figured out perfectly, creating a little performance spot out of the floor space of the cafe, complete with their own backdrop and high quality sound system. Bringing in all of that equipment in the first place and setting up everything from scratch for each open mic is an extra act of commitment in providing the open mic for the community, one which I admire.
The pairing between the open mic and the cafe was perfect, they worked together seamlessly and everyone loved having the food and caffeine available to them throughout the evening. The format of the open mic was for each performer to get 2 songs, or 10 minutes to perform. Once things got rolling, I started to get an idea of the flavor for this open mic. The 2nd and 3rd songs of the evening (two different performers) were both dedicated sarcastically to Donald Trump. Many of the songs were decidedly focused on morality, social issues, and politics, but there were also some "wild card" performances as well, my two favorites being the young woman who made her own incredible backing tracks and shredded the hell out of her electric guitar and the elderly gentleman who did a spectacular one-man rendition of a tune in the Gilbert & Sullivan opera H.M.S. Pinafore. Everyone has their own unique talents and I love to see those come out in these open mics.
The featured set of the evening was the band called Courage and the Bear. All extremely nice folks, they set up quickly and were very easy and comfortable with the audience. The place was packed and everyone was truly taken by their performance. The members of the band would switch between instruments for almost every song. With multiple songwriters in the group, they took turns singing lead. The drummer would run over and play ukulele, the bass player would play guitar, the guitar player would play bass and both of them played the accordian! It wasn't that much of a circus, but I'm sure the fiddle player, who stuck with her instrument for the entire set, has fun watching them run around. Her fiddle tone was polished and sweet, lending a beautiful ribbon of sound to the band.
There was a great feel in the room for the Jam'n Java Open Mic and I enjoyed chatting with many of those in attendance for the evening, knowing I was among kindred spirits. Thank you for a wonderful night on the open mic tour!
The Jam'n Java Open Mic takes place at the Kickstand Cafe in downtown Arlington. It starts earlier because the cafe stays open late specifically for the open mic. With a sign up at 6 pm on a Friday night, it was a little tough for me to fight my way through traffic to get there, but then again, this open mic seemed like it attracted more immediately local folks than myself.
Upon arrival, my friend Dan and I were greeted by one of the hosts, Diane. She explained the process and introduced us to the other hosts. Looking around, it was crowded, but they had the space figured out perfectly, creating a little performance spot out of the floor space of the cafe, complete with their own backdrop and high quality sound system. Bringing in all of that equipment in the first place and setting up everything from scratch for each open mic is an extra act of commitment in providing the open mic for the community, one which I admire.
The best sign up system I've ever seen at an open mic.
The featured set of the evening was the band called Courage and the Bear. All extremely nice folks, they set up quickly and were very easy and comfortable with the audience. The place was packed and everyone was truly taken by their performance. The members of the band would switch between instruments for almost every song. With multiple songwriters in the group, they took turns singing lead. The drummer would run over and play ukulele, the bass player would play guitar, the guitar player would play bass and both of them played the accordian! It wasn't that much of a circus, but I'm sure the fiddle player, who stuck with her instrument for the entire set, has fun watching them run around. Her fiddle tone was polished and sweet, lending a beautiful ribbon of sound to the band.
Courage and the Bear
A very attentive crowd for Courage and the Bear
