5th Open Mic

I'm losing count...5th, right? lol

Since I've had a tickle in my throat for the past few days, I didn't want to sing. Easily resolved - I would just play an instrumental on my guitar (the 'untitled' I've posted about previously). And I wasn't even going to do that but was inspired to by a young man -my friends' brother's stepson. All but 7-years old, he sat attentively listening to every performer. His mother told me that this was his 1st time watching/listening to live performances.

[geodeticman.5]

Dang I wish I knew what Gord did - cause he spoke of this very problem you ask for advice about. Having played only one "gig" - the comical drumming pinch-hit at the Ramada C & W band night, I surely don't qualify as a musician who is accustomed to audiences.

Gord spoke of this in the first person on an album cover , in a bio I believe where he was quoted ( maybe the gatefold double-album in vinyl LP days of GG1 I think) and very roughly he said "playing in bars and nightclubc had its advantages and challenges; getting through the noise of rowdy patrons watching our national past-time - Hockey on the bar TV was a real challenge - so I'd tell a few off-colour jokes, and use the time to experiment on stuff I would never have played if the audience was really diggin' it and listening. I could test out new material, play covers, and when I could get their attention through the fracus , it was very gratifying.... enjoying seeing people get off on the music and my singing was great, and I made several contacts and colleagues on the audience - Ian & Sylvia , Peter Paul and Mary, and Ronni Hawkins. They picked songs of mine and recorded them before I was on vinyl; introduced me to infuential business people in the recording industry, it helped give me ahand-up in the business. PLaying at Steel's Tavern was actually like being on a Riverboat Saloon; done up just like one, larger audience, attentive, I got playing reular there monthly. I was able to refine a set of songs the audience got off on , anticipating my first album's material.
This is all I recall from memory, Steele's Tavern versus what may in fact have been the "Riverboat" Sloon I think was actually two different places. A friend of mine while working through college in a lumberyard said, having grown-up in Toronto, where STeele's Tavern was, that he drank a few times with Gordon between sets, and said "oh man taht Lightfoot was a DRUNK.... man he could put it away...." . That saddened me, I knew Gordon had experienced his battle with the bottle, but to say it in such a pejorati ve sense caused me to really take umbrage as a die-hard fan..

Bottom line I believe is Gord's challenge, pertinent to your question as to what to do when the noise is irritating and it confuses you.... - recall him saying one more thing that kind of sums it up...roughly again:." while they watched hockey, yelling and throwing things, talking loudly, never even knowing I was there at times, I figured out I could use it to my advantage by considering it "paid rehearsal" . No one (for the most part) was listening enough to criticize, and I could try anything I wanted, build my repertoire, and get paid for it." - not bad thinking i 'spect. Hope this helps from an unqualified source Podunk

~geo steve

[DawnsMinstrel]

In the context of an open mic, I would do whatever the mood strikes. Open mics, in my experience, are supposed to be about musicians getting together and showing each other what they've been up to musically. New songs, new cover arrangements and so on. So if that's not what's happening then I would feel free to change my plans.

If you're not on stage yet when the crowd is getting noisy, I'd consider telling the emcee to skip over my performance if it's something you really wanted the audience to pay attention to. If you're already on the stage, and you or someone else has already announced what you plan on playing, I'd say something polite to the audience like "well I was going to play that but I don't think it fits the mood of the night, so I'm going to do something else..." and then play something that matched the energy of the crowd.

On the other hand, if you've only got that one arrow in your quiver that night, you could just try to take a moment to step back mentally from the crowd, pretend you're in your usual practice room and just try to play as if you were playing for yourself and let the audience fade from your mind.

I wouldn't give the audience a hard time. They're there to have fun and relax. If they're paying attention and you're subtle and friendly about changing things up, the one's that are more on the ball will "get it" and the next time you're up things will be better. That's my theory anyway, for what it's worth.

These are all just ideas, but they fit what I'd do in your situation. Just always be sure to make it about enjoying yourself. It is after all just an open mic.

Tim

[Nightingale]

Hey Pam,
I don't have any advice...I can't get my family to shut up long enough to listen to me let alone a whole crowd of people....lol.
Just wanted to tell you that I am happy and proud that you are sticking with it.
I know it's gotta be hard, especially when you get an unruly crowd.
Good for you that you could just keep going!
That boy is cute...lol. What a doll baby!

Did you have big hair tonight?

[Patti]

Hey Pam, I sang in a mic a few times. If it was a little noisy, I just figured that's just how the place is, and I just sang. But there must have been some people listening, because I received some nice compliments. Mostly I had a pretty good time, and it is nice to have others singers with you too.