Share your Open Mic Night experiences

[Bossy Monkey]

or, as ever, read mine: http://ungodly-in-olympia.blogspot.com/2011/03/open-mic.html Anonymous comments have now been enabled, so you can at last tell me off anonymously.:)

[Bossy Monkey]

1. Not even an F-bomb from Peggy? Pooh!

:P

[MiddleFingerMom]

2. Two memorable moments:

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1. Our band took two years of work before we felt ready to hit a stage. Several
times during the last 6 months or so, the other singer and our rhythm guitarist
and I did some open mikes at a musician's DREAM open mike venue -- a lot of
true music lovers AND a lot of other "off-duty" musicians. The quality of the
music performed was usually much better than many/most open mikes on the
whole.
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We were there to get an idea if we were doing as well as our friends who
attended our rehearsals insisted we were (your friends will sometimes avoid
the possibility of hurting your feelings with the truth).
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We were nervous as hell... and the closer we came to the top of the list, the
more insecure we got. These were seasoned "professionals". They were, for the
most part, EXCELLENT. Even if we were good for "beginners"... we would probably
suck in comparison to the norm there. (NORM!!!!!)
.
There was a blues duet right before us. Both played guitar and sang.
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You could not IMAGINE a worse-sounding blues duet ANYWHERE!!!!
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We STRUTTED onstage with all the confidence in the world. In comparison, we
COULD not sound anything other than incredible.
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The crowd loved what we did.
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2. One of my favorite-ever songs is Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". I spent some
time one day learning and memorizing the lyrics in the hope of performing it some
day with one or more of my friends.
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That night, I went to the fore-mentioned Open Mike Night and ran into George, the
rhythm guitarist for a VERY successful reggae band in our town. George, to me, was
"Mr. Music". His response to almost EVERYTHING was, "Let's play!" "Let's play!" "Let's
play!" I liked George a LOT.
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I mentioned that I had JUST memorized the above lyrics.
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His response?
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(duh) "Let's play!" I stammered and stuttered and hemmed and hawed and tried
EVERYTHING I could to stop that (I always needed lots of prep and work before I felt
comfortable with performing), but anyone that I would consider to be "Mr. Music" is
NOT gonna allow anyone to back out of playing.
.
He DID grab his guitar and take me out on the back fire escape of the bar where we
"rehearsed" for 5-10 minutes. We went back inside and put our names on the list.
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MY lead guitarist (who I also admired greatly for his abilities) was in the crowd.
When George and I performed the song -- the response from the audience was
GREAT, but I went immediately to him to get HIS opinion.
.
I quote him: "When you sang the FIRST verse, I wondered if you had EVER heard
the song before... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... but then you fucking NAILED it!!!"
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Good times.
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[Bossy Monkey]

5. You ever hear/see St. Bob do it at AI?

He made the lyrics a bit more conventional. Little Steven on guitar; complete with Martha Quinn at the end. Electrifying. (Bob, not Martha)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. My dear Bossy Monkey!

I've had a lot of open mic night experiences since I started reading publicly more than 2 years ago...

Of course I was very nervous at first, but this does pass. Now, I can face even an indifferent crowd, and read without any qualms.

That happened last night.

Normally I am well received, and it's fun!

:hi:

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. My dear CaliforniaPeggy!

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...Reading poetry... I was fine and confident and EAGER to get in front
of that mike, but...I NEVER got over near-crippling stage fright when
singing with the band.
.
I would literally HOPE LIKE HELL that the power would go out so we didn't
have to get up on that stage. Every... single... night... we... played.
.
Thirty seconds into the very first song -- I was fucking FIRED UP and
didn't EVER want to stop (they often had to literally pull the plug on us).
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.
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[Bossy Monkey]

10. Glad the qualms have departed and you're having fun. Yay! n/t

[NMDemDist2]

6. some times I totally RAWK

sometimes not......


:evilgrin:

although I can say I'm much more consistent now I don't drink

[Bossy Monkey]

8. Singin', playin', talkin' or jokin'? n/t

[NMDemDist2]

11. singing n/t

[Kali]

7. me + a mic =

:scared: :scared: :scared:


I have no problem being the "center" of attention IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM or a small group, but make me stand up, or god forbid, USE A MICROPHONE and I just see a black cloud close around my vision and can forget my own name. :scared: :scared: :scared:

[Bossy Monkey]

9. The mic and the crowd don't bother me; it's rehearsing and memorizing

that I don't care for. (I need a smiley for lazy.:P)