Category: open mic


Open Mic Tales – Emily Chambers

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October 20, 2016
Emily Chambers and Brendon Krieg

Emily Chambers and Brendon Krieg

On Monday, October 10th, at the Poor David’s Pub open mic hosted by Mr. Troll, we were treated to a dose of Canadian soul. Emily Chambers is a sultry voiced singer from Vancouver. Brendon Krieg, who is playing guitar for Emily on the tour, is also from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Ordinarily, he plays drums in the full band.

Her website says she “combines an old school Motown vibe with hints of hip hop and a little bit of Southern grit.” That hits it pretty close. She is also charming, amiable, and a bubbling personality on stage. With a voice that will lull you into a musical trance, then slap you in the face with sudden vocal intensity, before grooving through the end of the song.

Which is just another example of what you’re missing by not going to an open mic. But check out Emily’s website, listen to some songs, and buy the EP, Magnolia. Then watch for her tour news and let’s hope she comes back through Dallas next year.

I played my set just after Emily . As she was coming off the stage, I said, “sounded good!”

“Cheers,” she said.

Which is something we don’t hear a lot of in Texas. But it’s refreshing in a way. It’s always nice to share the stage with someone from another country and share music across borders.

Cheers. Peace be with you.

 

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Southwest Regional Folk Alliance – SWRFA 2016

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October 19, 2016

dan-at-swrfa-2016-bCatch up continues…This year’s edition of SWRFA in Austin began on Wednesday, September 28 with an open mic at Threadgill’s at night. Since I had the recording time at the Harman truck for the JBL contest at 4:30 p.m. (see previous post), I would not be able to get to Austin in time to sign up, so I couldn’t justify the extra night in the hotel. I arrived at the hotel on Thursday about 3:00 p.m. in time to check in, register, get my song prompt, and get ready for the dinner and open mic by the pool.

Berkalin Records provided the dinner and drinks – as they do each year. Butch Morgan hosted the open mic(s) – as he does each year. After the open mic was the official showcase alternates concert. Which were the performers who were finalists, but did not get chosen for the official showcases on Friday and Saturday night.

Friday began with the First Timers Advice – per usual, followed by various other breakout sessions. Lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday, and the brunch on Sunday morning are covered in the quite reasonable registration price. One of the things always mentioned for first timers that everyone pretty much takes to heart is to sit at the meals with people you don’t know. So you meet new people and make new friends and contacts. It can be a little tough when you know a lot of the people there. So if we sit at a table and there happens to be someone we know, we simply put some people between us.

The first timer showcase(s) were from 1:30 to 3. Sponsored showcases were from 3:30 – 5:30 and

Baylis Laramore

Baylis Laramore

again from 10:30 p.m. until early in the morning. The DJ reception, welcoming party, and dinner, all preceded the official showcase concert from 7:30 to 10. Throughout the hotel there were spontaneous bursts of animated conversation and song circles until the wee hours.

Saturday was similar to Friday with the general exhibit area and various breakout sessions. The second pool party and open mic was held from 3:30 – 5:30, with Butch Morgan hosting. Followed by dinner and the second official showcase concert. Then more sponsored showcases, spontaneous outbursts, and song circles.

Sunday brought the brunch followed by the song assignment performances. If you will recall I said that I got my song prompt when I registered. The challenge is to write a song using the prompt during the weekend and play the resulting song on Sunday. As advertised, it’s one of the highlights of the weekend. This year 61 people sang the song they had written. Many were funny – you should have heard some of the prompts! Others were heart-reaching and thought-provoking. Especially with a group of sleep deprived individuals in the audience.

Bill Hook and Lynn McCracken

Bill Hook and Lynn McCracken

Good-byes were said throughout the morning as people from farther away had to leave. If it sounds like it was a whirlwind it was. A thoroughly enjoyable, powerful, musical whirlwind. Reuniting with friends, making new ones, learning about our craft and business, and hearing songs that inspire a songwriter to write other ones or just bring out emotions that need touching.

Dalis Allen and the volunteer staff did a marvelous job as always. Not to mention the hotel staff at the Holiday Inn Austin Midtown. Add to that a couple of hundred singer-songwriters and over fifty venue representatives, and for four days we were all one big happy, sleep deprived family. Join us next year. You will be welcome.

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – You’re Missing Out

Filed under: Communications, Current events, Dallas Songwriters Association, Music, open mic, Songwriting, writing — Leave a comment
October 10, 2016
Joe Cat

Joe Cat

And on we go… The September 19th and 26th editions of the Poor David’s Pub Open Mic demonstrated what you are missing. That is, if you enjoy hearing good music. And it’s just one open mic of over 165 each month. That includes the Dallas Songwriters Association events – just saying. In fact, I didn’t do my DSA spiel on the 19th because most of the several present were members.

The regulars alone are enough to bring you back to hear some more good music the next week. And as I usually make clear, this applies to a good number of open mics, if not most, or all, of them. Then there are the irregulars and the touring songwriters who happen to be traveling through the area. Not to mention the welcoming hosts, such as Mr. Troll at PDP.

In particular, the PDP open mic has a weekly featured artist. Joe Cat was the featured artist on Monday the 19th. Joe’s songs are songs of the land. Telling the stories of people and places he has seen on his travels around the country while touring. Songs such as Roads Never Traveled, Dark Texas Oil, and Heart Made of Clay. My particular favorite is Silver Thread City. On his cd, How Are You? Where Are You?, the song has piano without guitar. While it’s a very good version, I like the acoustic version with Joe on guitar better. You can decide for yourself. He posted the acoustic version on his Facebook page.

Allen Hurt was the featured artist the next week on the 26th. The title of his cd, Always

Allen Hurt

Allen Hurt

Country pretty much sums up his music. As do the songs Rambling Rita, She’s A Country Girl and Two Nights and A Heartache Later. With all the types of songs that are called country these days, it’s refreshing to hear “good ole” country music . Allen’s humor fills the time between songs on stage.

So if you’re wondering what to do tonight – on any night of the week, find an open mic and go play. Even better, if you’re a music lover, go listen. Speaking for the open mic community, we’d love to have you. Having someone to enjoy our music is at least half the fun. And you’ll always be welcome.

See you at an open mic.

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – The Proposal (Seriously)

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September 15, 2016

shaquilla-hooks-and-chris-hatcherI hosted the Monday night open mic at Angela’s on Sept. 5th. As it turns out, I’ll be hosting the open mic every third Monday, with some exceptions. Be that as it may, on the fifth I opened the show. People began to show up as I finished my set. Bah Jaz followed me with some nice instrumentals on guitar.

Keith Dzygun (Dijun) played next with some cover tunes. Rachel Stokes followed with a bass player and guitar player – collectively called Salt and Light. Temi George was next, followed by Johnny Cromer. Then Allen Larson played his usual eclectic set. Pamela Pantea and Dianna Rice harmonized nicely on some standard hymns. Eric Jones played a nice set of his tunes.

During Eric’s set, Shaquilla Hooks, who had signed up to be next online just that evening, made sure I knew she had signed up. It had occurred to me earlier to check online for new signups, so I knew. I asked her what she was going to play or need. She said she was just reading poetry. So I thought, cool, some spoken word.

Shaquilla sat on the stool, grabbed the mic, and started reading a poem. It was a nice poem and I was getting in to it. I began to wonder where it was going. It was obviously about a particular person. She became nervous and it showed in her reading of the poem. She reached a point, looked behind me, and continuing the poem she said “Will you marry me?”

The person behind me was Chris Hatcher, who works at Angela’s. Naturally, he said yes, and everything stopped while they hugged and she cried. With time left, and no one else signed up, Eric played a few more tunes. During which time I took the picture shown here. It was the first proposal I have seen at an open mic – much less one I was hosting.

Have you ever had someone propose at your open mic? Or something similar?

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – Jared and the Jewelers

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September 14, 2016

jared-and-the-jewelers

I’m taking a break from recording to catch up on posts. When Troll posted the event page for Poor David’s Pub open mic that said Jared and the Jewelers were the next featured artist for open mic, I was naturally curious. Obviously, Jared was making use of his name. Was it his first name or last name? Did he have anything to do with the jewelry store?

After Troll began the evening – as usual – and Chris Weising and Rickey Gene Wright played their sets, my questions were answered. Troll had informed me earlier that Jared was his first name. Either way, if my name was Jared, that is exactly what I would call my band. The band consists of Jared Caraway on guitar and vocals, Arik Harris on bass, and Francisco Gonzalez on drums.

They define their music as heartfelt alternative rock with pop sensibilities. I would like to add energetic and kick-ass. Caraway put as much into his stage moves as he did into guitar playing and vocals, without detracting from either. Harris kept the low end going smoothly, with Gonzalez steady on the backbeat.

Larry Pevey followed the band. Regulars wrapping up the evening included myself, Gary Hurst, Darren Rozell, Scott Thornton and John Mason. It was a good show, regardless of the small crowd. If you get a chance, and want to hear some good music, check out the Poor David’s Pub open mic. Then check out other open mics – including Dallas Songwriter events. If you get a chance to see Jared and the Jewelers, definitely do that, too. You won’t regret it if you do any of them, but you might as well do them all. Just saying.

Peace be with you.

 

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Open Mic Tales – You Sound Like…

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August 30, 2016

Dan RoarkEvery now and then someone at an open mic tells me after my set that they think I sound like someone. It happens at other times, but it’s also unique to open mics because open mics tend to be held in the spirit of a mutual admiration society. The  comments, however, are usually sincere. Having people come just to listen and to hear it from them is a bonus.

An example of one of the other times was the church talent show on Sunday night. One of the youth said I reminded him of Jerry Jeff Walker. Another man said Arlo Guthrie. One guy said Judy Collins, but he was only talking about the folk scene in general. He had seen her perform in a folk club in Oklahoma in the ‘60s.

At Mr. Troll’s Poor David’s Pub Open Mic, someone said I sounded like John Prine. Which was nice because he is one of my mentors. But on another occasion a listener said I reminded him of Elvis Costello. Okay. If you take all of those mentioned here and put them on a page in Highlights Magazine -“ which does not belong” – Elvis Costello would pretty much stand out like a sore thumb. I regret not taking the time to ask him what song of mine brought Costello to mind. I like Elvis but I don’t know how I sound like him.

Who have people said you sounded like? I’m actually interested, so please comment.

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – Adventures of a Guest Host

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August 1, 2016

Dan at WildflowerI substituted for Mr. Troll at the Poor David’s Pub open mic last Monday night while he took care of personal business. Unlike other open mics I have hosted – including PDP open mic – Monday’s went relatively smoothly. One guy showed up after the show had started and wanted to sign up. But he wanted me to bump somebody from before the featured artist to after to accommodate him. Other than that though, it was a good show. It was as if we were doing it for Troll.

I opened the evening. I remembered to talk about the drink special, but I forgot to mention Carlos Sanchez on sound and to tell people to be sure to tip Leslie, the bartender. Shame on me. I told people about Carlos, just not on stage. Regardless, I played a good tight set. Mike Newkirk followed me. He performed well, despite having a sore throat previously. Jovani Flores played a good set, in his unassuming fashion.

Emma Walsh preceded the featured artist. As I said in my introduction, I have had the privilege of watching her grow in her musical career for the past few years. Her voice is mesmerizing, though it still has a ways to grow. She played a song she wrote about the shooting during the protest called I Said Hello to the Devil. It’s a nice song.

Sleepy Creek, the featured artist, took the stage next. I’ve been waiting to post for the names of the band members and haven’t heard back. I didn’t have a chance to write them down. But I do know that Joel Edgar Hill is the acoustic guitarist and lead singer. They are definitely a down home band. One of the songs I really liked was the song about cornbread and making it without sugar. A good time band with interesting stories to tell in a blues and Americana way.

Mike Freiley followed Sleepy Creek, then Wild Bill Skye before Darren Rozell played his three song set. Newcomers to the open mic, Travis Armes and Justin Kemp, both played a tight set. Gary Hurst and Tull Rea rounded out the evening. From first to last, it was an evening of good music. But that’s not uncommon at the Poor David’s Pub open mic. Just saying.

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – When an Open Mic Feels Like a Second Home Pt. 2

Filed under: Communications, Current events, Dallas Songwriters Association, Family, Music, open mic, Songwriting — Leave a comment
July 19, 2016
Me playing at Poor David's Pub open mic

Me playing at Poor David’s Pub open mic

To recap (or see part 1), the first two qualities of an open mic that feels like a second home are – variety of performers (age, talent, and experience), and performers who lack egos and are willing to support those less experienced than themselves. It should be mentioned, however, that there will always be that visiting performer who thinks he’s all that and a bag of chips and wonders why everyone’s not telling him how good he played.

While I’m using the Poor David’s Pub open mic as an example, there are a number of open mics that have these qualities in varying degrees. The Dallas Songwriters Association (DSA) open mics and song swaps are welcoming and supportive. I’m hoping other open mic hosts will chime in with comments on their open mic. I’ve also tried to show that open mics have a hard time getting started. It takes the performing community to support it. Some members of DSA and their friends play at open mics several nights a week.

In fact, the third quality of an open mic that feels like a second home is a sense of community – like a weekly reunion as I mentioned in part one. An atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie. The fourth quality is friendly hosts, bartenders, and staff. Mr. Troll (host), Samantha Sanders, and Kevin Hale at PDP are excellent examples. The fifth quality – last, but no way in hell least – is a good sound man. Carlos Sanchez, in particular, is past good.

So there are the basic qualities of an open mic that feels like a second home. Yet for the first quality, variety of performers, something is missing. And that is you. Go to an open mic near you, or near where you are going to be. Sing your songs, sing covers, read your poems, do comedy, spoken word, whatever. Or just go and listen – performers need listeners, too.

Then spread the word. Open mics are places where young talent hones their performing and writing skills. They learn, not only from playing, but from watching more seasoned performers. Open mics are where songwriters go to try out new songs. When word gets out, people come to perform and bring their friends. People come to listen because of the combination of qualities I discussed. So play an open mic tonight or go and listen. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Peace be with you.

 

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Open Mic Tales – When an Open Mic is Like a Second Home – Part One

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July 15, 2016
Mr. Troll - Host of Poor David's Pub Open Mic

Mr. Troll – Host of Poor David’s Pub Open Mic

Okay, I don’t mean you can spend the night. Or even raid the refrigerator. More like a weekly family reunion with people you are comfortable being with. Granted, there are always weird cousins or funky aunts and uncles – but it wouldn’t be the same without them.

There are a number of open mics that fit the criteria I’m going to relate. Among them are the Dallas Songwriters Association open mics – and, indeed, the organization as a whole. Those who lead an open mic that fits the category, please weigh in with a comment. Welcome to the world of open mics….

I’m using the Poor David’s Pub open mic hosted by Mr. Troll on Mondays as my example. As can be found in the Dallas Area Open Mics group on Facebook (Troll is administrator of the group), there are a number of open mics on every day of the week. As Troll says, call ahead to check the details before going to an open mic.

Bar, club, or restaurant owners, as a general rule, are notoriously impatient about getting results. Some have been known to cancel an open mic after only a couple of weeks. And sometimes, they’ve cancelled them at any time for any reason. Again, check before going to an open mic. Even poor David has had schedule conflicts and needed to postpone the open mic. But he usually tells Troll so people know in advance.

But the first criteria for a successful open mic is a good variety of talent. Some who have only been writing songs for a short time. Some who wish they were songwriters and just like to play and sing – they usually play covers. A variety of ages, as well. It’s a musically nurturing community with everyone being supportive of all performers and giving advice to those who are younger and just getting started.

Actually, that was two criteria – variety of talent, and performers without egos who support fellow singer-songwriters – rather than view them as competitors. Which means if you’re going to an open mic for the first time, be respectful and supportive of the other performers. If you’re experienced, use that experience to pass along advice and tell others how well they did. (Give them credit for potential.)

Stay tuned for part two. I don’t want to take too much of your time at once. I appreciate you being here.

Peace be with you.

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Open Mic Tales – Ukulele Open Mic on Father’s Day

Filed under: Communications, Current events, Food, Music, open mic, Songwriting, writing — Leave a comment
July 1, 2016

Dan - Ukulele Open MicI played a ukulele open mic on Father’s Day at Los Jalapenos restaurant with the Dallas Ukulele Headquarters (DUH) Meetup community. It was my first time with the group. I didn’t know what it would be like to play with a room full of ukulele players. They are an accepting bunch. I made some new musical friends.

I had replied as soon as I received the invitation for the open mic, saying that I would like to play. I got to the restaurant at what I thought was an early time. Most of the group that was coming was already there. I ordered food and was fixing my tea when Mark Levine, organizer of DUH, announced that the open mic would start shortly with the Happy Hour Ukes group. After the group we would start with the open mic list.

Dan on ukulele and drummer
Which was when I first realized that the list was on a white board next to the stage. I got closer to see the list and found that I was first after the group. I got my ukulele out of the case and made sure it was tuned. The Happy Hour Ukes were pretty good. One of the guys was playing a ukulele bass. If you haven’t heard one before, it sounds like an upright bass. The drummer had a nice setup with a cajon and other percussion instruments. I’m blurry in the picture, but you can see his setup.

Being a complete newcomer, I was apprehensive about being the first one to play in the open mic. Open mics are nothing new, but most of the crowd could play ukulele better than me. However, I was pretty sure few of them had written songs. I was hoping that would help me be accepted by the ukulele crowd.

We were each to play two songs. I played the Aardvark Song – a song I wrote with my daughter when she was twelve. Then I played Love is The Thing – a song I wrote for the ukulele. Both songs seemed to go over well. But they really liked the Aardvark Song.

I returned to my table to applause, which is always nice. As I ate my food and listened to the other performers, I gradually became one of the group. Shared looks when laughing at jokes. People telling me they liked my song.

If you have a ukulele or ever thought about getting one, there are a lot of choices. But get it out of the closet or pick one up. Then join the Dallas Ukulele Headquarters Meetup Group. Download the songbooks from the files and go to town. If you’re a songwriter, it will give you another avenue to explore in writing songs. A new instrument also gets the writing juices flowing.

Then join us/them for events having ukulele jams. The places where they have their meetups always have good food. And these folks have a good time.

Peace be with you.

 

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