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.
Every 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.
I 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.
Chasing After Wind 