| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
 Posted - 10/14/2002 : 11:27:42 PM
|
The venerable Freight and Salvage is holding three open mics in the month of October, then none for the rest of 2002, so I decided I should stop stalling and get some stage time. I played the 10/8 event and was very impressed with the other performers, the host, the PA, the soundman, it was really a first class operation.
The sound was especially pleasant, they provided cords for plugging in and SD condenser mics for instruments, something like an SM58 for vocals. The sound man is wide awake and knows how to duck the mic when you plug in your guitar, catch your level with a couple of strums, then fine tune the EQ during the first few seconds of the song.
Here's a link to the October 2002 calendar:
http://www.thefreight.org/2002/october/octcalendar.html
I'll be playing at the event tomorrow, Oct. 15, and I plan to make the one on the 22nd as well. If anyone is in the neighborhood, it would be terrific if you could drop by.
Fran
|
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
|
|
Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2002 : 09:52:41 AM
|
Hi Fran,
So how are the open mics going? I just read on RMMGA about your McCollum stealing the show. Funny. Any advice for me since I've given open mics a thought but am still stalling? |
Andy |
 |
|
|
Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2002 : 3:50:44 PM
|
Aloha, Andy,
I certainly know what you mean about stalling on the open mic thing. I've been putting it off all summer, but I'm glad I finally went for it. The Freight is a special place, and the open mic there is run very smoothly and fairly. There are a number of regulars, but newcomers get pulled in very quickly. This may not be true of every open mic situation <g>.
The last session was very sparsely attended - hey the Giants are in the World Series! - so we each got two tunes instead of the usual one. That brings up the one thing that is probably common to most open mics - the audience is mostly made up of other performers, so they're usually pulling for you.
The best part of the open mic experience for me is the stage time. As we discussed long ago, playing background music at an event is painless, no one pays attention and it's like you're practicing at home with just a little extra edge. But an open mic has you front and center, spotlights and mics and the whole bag, so you get to experience real stage fright!
If I don't get through my list of tunes to learn for coffee house gigs by the time the open mics resume, I expect to go back to the Freight in January.
The Hawaiian open mic at the Templebar was quite a different experience. There were non-performers in the audience, but the event actually seemed to be planned in advance, with only a token expectation of sign-ups. I had to tug the MCs sleeve to get him to notice that I had signed up and waited two hours, and then I got to work from the floor in front of the stage while one group tore down and another setup. Still, there's nothing more gratifying than getting a big hug and smooch from a charming auntie who says the slack key took her home.
Fran
|
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
