Thanks Mike! It's a VERY special open mic! A treasure called Third street coffee house. It is in the basement of a 100+ year old Methodist church near downtown Roanoke. The open mic has been running for 25+ years. The true beauty of this place is that
music is the focus. Here music is the main event. They also sell coffee, tea, cheesecake, and popcorn. It is not for profit. When I used to play bars a buzz and hooking up/social interaction was the the focus, the main event. The music was usually background noise. It was there to be loud enough that people could carry on 73 simultaneous drunken conversations without everyone else hearing.
Playing the leads live. Yes, great suggestion. That or the rhythm. But yes, leads would be more fun! It was a last minute thought the day of the open mic. So I didn't have time to refresh my memory on the leads. There is also the matter of just playing two songs. That's all they allow. So set up time is quite limited. I have played CBG and sang, looped A Capella, played piano and sang, and sang along to my tracks.
The open mic goes on for half an hour. Then the featured performer/act plays for an hour and a half. That place is a treasure. I've headlined twice. Once time they said I filled the place more than anyone ever!
it was standing room only.
This is from the other night that I headlined. It was not packed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHbfifn5d3o
