Last night, November 7th, 2019, was the final open mic at our local café. With much fanfare and bloviating, the evening went as expected. The roaches came out of the woodwork to perform, even though they didn't support the program on a regular basis. But, that's to be expected. The venue is moving to a new location, near downtown, and if it's as I've heard, the location is going to be even smaller and more chaotic than last night.
As a result of every amateur musican in the county and beyond wanting to get in on the act, it meant having only a chance to play 2 songs. That's okay, because some of the 'entertainment' should have been restricted to just 1, but that's just a matter of taste on my part. The emcee kept reminding everyone that they needed to be ready when they were called to play. Why, I don't really know, since the thing went on well past closing time anyway, but that's just the best way to keep some people of sitting around scratching their ass, while they should be paying attention to what's going on.
Of course, it was no surprise to me that the Witless Lunatic would have to delay things when his turn came to be on stage. This is the same guy who signs up, leaves the building and doesn't listen to the other performers, and then comes back at his leisure to do his set. Thoughtfulness must not be part of the equation for a lot of these guys.
Since the entire event was indoors, it was too fucking loud most of the time. Some of these performers were just screaming into the mic and slamming their guitars like they were trying to put out a fire. I could literally feel the wall behind me vibrating with some of the noise. Yes, I'll call it noise. It wasn't music. It was noise. It was yelling into the microphone continually, with no dynamics in the song whatsoever.
What I've observed, not only at this venue, but at most all others, is that men tend to beat the shit out of their guitars. There is no subtle playing. I don't know why this is, but it happens all the time. There are a few exceptions, and these are the players who seem to be most in demand. Russell knows how to make his guitar sing as sweetly as he does. Randy is another one who can finesse the heck out of his guitar.
A couple of surprises from last night, were Beth singing melody and harmony, and sounding great, and Richard's pure, clear, smooth voice singing a country song. I've heard Richard before, but guess I'd never realized what a great voice he has. Equally surprising were those who were there for the first time, had what looked like a lot of experience, and didn't sound that good. Looks can be deceiving. Having an old guitar doesn't translate to good music.
The after party might have gone on for a long time. I don't know, I left at the end. The faux ego made his choices on who he wanted to hear from again. I wasn't surprised. This is a place that caters to the white guys or the young, blond chicks. I'd heard these guys enough for one night and didn't care to stay around for more. Actually one of they guys who got invited back, owes me a big favor, but he didn't think about that when he was asked to perform again. I'd relinquished my spot a few weeks earlier so someone he knew could perform. I've done this several times, and now realize that no one cares after the fact. No special favors have gone the other way. But, there is one guy who did allow me to play when I hadn't signed up, but he wasn't the regular emcee. He did it because he's a great guy. The regular guy only allows favors for his special guests and the guys he likes.
As a result of going to this venue for over 5 years, I've met a lot of good people. I've been able to play music with a lot of them outside this café. I've developed friendships with some of them, and do find the majority to be decent people. I'm sure a lot of them will visit the new site, and participate in their open mic there. I'm not sure I want to continue, especially since it'll be the same emcee, and the same shitty sound system. Others can go and make small talk, kiss the asses of the overlords, and spend time listening to the same old people. To me, it's much ado about nothing.