Over one hundred open mics logged on this website!
On Thursday, April 26th, I was at Allan Brothers Coffee in Eugene Oregon for their Open Mic.
I’ll get back to that in a few.
Right now I’m going to talk about the fact that I’ve logged over a hundred open mics on this website.
I kept trying to think of what to write about and so I started looking at old posts and I found a few words and images that stood out for me.
There are links to the corresponding entry below each excerpt and image.
“Who the hell reads a blog about some dude in Eugene Oregon going and playing an open mic?
And yet here I am writing to you.
That’s right I am writing this for you.
Just you.”
“I have decided to get out of my little room and play more open mic’s around town.”
“My favorite part of going to an open mic is listening to other people play music.
There is nothing like sitting that close to someone while they share music with you.”
“Tonight was really fun! I played my electric guitar and I played in Open D tuning.
I played two as of yet untitled songs and “Did You Know?” as my third and final song.
The set was short and sweet but it was a lot of fun! I really rocked out!”
“It’s much different playing an open mic in a coffee shop versus a bar.
In a bar most people are pretty oblivious to you and what you’re doing, they are mostly just there to drink and have a good time.
In a coffee shop people are a little more critical and present.”
“I went to this open mic with no intention of playing.
I didn’t bring my guitar, I didn’t bring my camera.”
“I decided tonight to just play John Frusciante songs.”
“I expected people to run out of the room making grumpy faces but in fact more people came in and just sat and listened!”
“Mulligan’s is not really the type of place that you would expect to find good music, I can remember the first time I went there with my friend Brett Estep and thinking to my self that it was a very strange place.
The “stage” is nothing more than a piece of carpet on the floor surrounded by some rope lighting and a pair of speakers, the “audience” is made up of bar regulars and other musician’s sitting in a little clump of chairs and tables situated right between the pool tables and the stage area.
The room is no bigger than my living room, one wall is covered in lottery machines and the other is taken up by the bar, there is a little back “patio area” (actually a parking lot with some tables and a tent) where people sit and smoke and play music together.”
“Most open mics that I have been to have a list that you put your name on, usually next to a time slot and that’s when you play.
I have also been to a few open mics that don’t have lists at all.
This Open Mic was more like the later, there were two jars, an early jar and a bigger late jar, you write your name on a little piece of paper and put in the one or both of the jars and than hope that the host picks your name out of the jar.”
“Last night I was at Hot Mama’s Wings in Eugene Oregon for their Tuesday night Open mic.
Hot Mama’s has spicy chicken wings.
I didn’t have any wings, I sat at the bar and talked with a young man named Max.
This was only his second time playing an open mic.
Max and I talked about our stage fright and about our influences.”
“We talked about music, terrorism, Osama Bin Laden, social networking, the stupidity of humans, stand up comedy, depression, friendship, girls, technology and a whole bunch of other stuff.
At one point I even got up and played some music!”
“I’ve never been to this establishment or this open mic.
I ordered a lemon aid.”
“There is no mic and it can be kind of nerve racking getting up in front of a bunch of people and not having that security of the mic and the amplified sound in between you and the audience.
I did pretty good though, I got over my nerves and I just played the best I could.”
“It was a really nice set and after I played someone asked: “What kind of music was that you were playing up there?”.
I responded “I don’t know really… You tell me… People tell me it’s Pop but I don’t really know.”
To which he responded “I liked it, it wasn’t like anything I had ever heard before”.”
“Lately it has gotten to a point where I don’t really even feel motivated to go out to an open mic or try and book a show because I don’t want to always be “the guy who plays the sad music”.
I don’t always want to bring that kind of energy into the world.”
So, back to #100.
I was at Allan Brothers Coffee and Steve Goodbar was hosting.
Steve does a really good job with this Open Mic and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get their feet wet performing.
I happened to be the only person on the list so I was able to play for quite a long time.
I played:
“Song To The Siren” by Tim Buckley, “Untitled” by Me, “After All” by Me, “Ice Cream“, by Me, “Home” by Me, “Baby Bitch” by Ween, “You’re a Big Girl Now” by Bob Dylan and “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga.
I am so excited that this is my one hundredth open mic blog!
And I’m so excited that you’re reading it!
And I’m so excited that you’re going to leave me lots and lots of comments! 
Thanks for listening.
