Hey everybody - so thats it for LondonOpenMic events for 2014! Thank you sooo much to everybody who has come along to all the venues including the Enterprise, Charlies Wrights, Camden Head, Silver Bullet, Cornershop and Lift574 among others. Open Mic / jam nights / free entry nights only work for one reason: when people come! We can deliberate for ages about venue location, tube/train rides, whether theres a stage or not, how much passing trade there is, what the PA is like, what day of the week you hold it on, how quiet the audience is, what time of year it is, how soft the toilet paper is, whether the bar is separate or indeed how fit the bar staff are. Actually that last one is true - at London drink prices...no one should be served by butters bar staff :-) Seriously though, all I know is three things: One - If you care about the people who make the effort to come along - from the beginners to the seasoned professionals...from the superbly talented to those who probably shouldnt even be allowed near musical instruments - then youre doing something right. Two - KNOW YOUR SOUND ENGINEERING. Experienced musicians will expect it, the beginners will get the boost they deserve and everybody in between will be happy. As for the crazy ones...well you know what they say; You cant polish a turd...but you can roll it in glitter. Three - These nights are a platform for everybody - not just the hosts. Apart from me. Its all about me. No seriously, theres nothing better than a feeling of all being part of a gig-type-vibe and getting that warm and fuzzy, hippie, cheesy, were-all-in-this-together-cos-we-love-music-and-showing-off-a-bit-feeling and going home energised and inspired. Or maybe it was just a top night out and it didnt cost the earth. After that - and obviously after youve advertised the shit out of it - whether or not a night works and keeps going is in the lap of the gods - whoever yours are. Sometimes an average place can be packed every week and sometimes you have an utterly gorgeous venue and no bums on seats. Ive been lucky for the most part - so hopefully Ive been doing something right. Other places that absolutely do it RIGHT ON include Pub On The Park run by Jimmy Logic and Chiu Dat, The Abbey Tavern run by Joel Armsden, Sessions58 run by Nate James and ILana Lorraine, The Hideaway run by Colin Devaney and the Island Experiment run by Wade Bayliss. Its a pleasure to count these people among friends. They run shit - and they run it right. Not to mention the Yoda of open mic promo - Richard Gregory. He detests Facebook so he wont see this but he has to get a mention for the shear amount of traffic hes directed my way! Thanks to Mike Calderbank for putting things on, Simba Max Bhebhe and Jimmy for getting me started in this shit, Mark Sepple for being THE drummer and mate, George Morgan for keeping it real, Joe Miles Needham and his awesome family and We Used To Make Things for being the BEST BAND EVER. So thats it from me. Its been a very weird year personally and one thing is for sure - being a musician, being involved in live music and meeting new people on a weekly basis can REALLY help when youve got other shit going on. It can help restore your faith in people and relationships - at the times when its tested and pushed more than you ever expected. I guess people change, things change, sometimes you get it wrong, nothings perfect. But it isnt supposed to be. So its good to have friends who share a similar passion, whatever it may be. Thank you Jake Alexander, Thomas Edward Christopher Jackson, Richard Barnardo and Matthew Nicholls for listening - and helping. Nothing beats the power of good art. It can heal. One day at a time... Anyway - there will be a few changes to these nights into next year but for now keep coming and heres a little photo montage from various places and times - sorry if youre not on there...there were just SO many to go through! Feel free to tag it - or Ill to it later when I can be bothered! Thanks for reading, thanks for supporting the events and keep writing, keep playing, keep learning new shit, keep mixing it up and keep on keeping on. Climb...is all we know Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :-) Adam x
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 19:21:52 +0000
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