I am including remarks from Ralston Bowles and then Chuck Brodsky. I cant believe someone would condemn Open Mics as the author of this article does. Open mics are the lifeblood of the musician community. Getting up and performing only comes with practice and open mics allow this to happen in a safe environment. Ralston: I include Chucks Response at the beginning. I salute all the musicians who have ever championed the Open Mics across the country to allow people to hone a craft of songwriting and performing. Especially in GR and surrounding communities: Nicholas James Thomasma, Jason Eller, Karisa Sprite, Sam Kenny, Lucas Wilson, Gabriel James Lundy, Lucy Webster, Eric Jon and I know there are many others which have contributed to scene. I do not mean to leave anyone out - that is the danger sometimes of listing, but the fact that a name is not included does not detract from the import that the Open Mic has for the development of a healthy music community. A place to compare notes, experiment with arrangements, build relationships, forge new directions. Sing the songs. Now heres Chuck with his thoughts. --------------------------------------------------------- Was this article written for The Onion? If not, congratulations to the author for the most off base, biased, and unresearched article Ive ever read. No wonder he had a bad experience, being that it was at a brewery, of all places, but he shouldnt generalize about open mics. Almost none are like that. I played open mics 4 times a week for 10 years, working on my craft, along with a whole bunch of other songwriters who were all good enough to eventually have national touring and recording careers. Open mics have given so many artists a place to develop and a real sense of community. They provide an encouraging environment, yes even for the tuneless raw beginners and tone deaf old-timers. New material can be tried out in a safe setting, in front of friends and fellow open micers. A weekly or monthly open mic gives folks a reason to practice, write a song, or learn new tunes. Ive literally been to well over a thousand open mics, and Ive rarely ever seen performers play their own songs and just leave. And the sign ups are always first come first serve, by lottery, or by pulling names out of a hat. Ive never seen the host assign prime slots to his or her friends. And I for one have no problem with the host being paid a decent wage. Its a 4 hour gig. The host has to be present for every song, has to adjust mics, plug in guitars, announce whos next and wholl be after that, and usually play several songs. Sometimes it involves setting up the PA and operating it. Sometimes it involves BRINGING the PA. Open mics are a blessing to a whole lot of people.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 20:36:12 +0000