Open mic nights??

[Fassa Albrecht]

I'm really considering getting a few friends together and doing one of these open mic nights.
Have any other TBers done this? What kind of material is good for these and what should I do/not do?

[meev992]

I played an open-mic night once (by myself). IMO, you folks should select music that many people of differing backgrounds can identify with/ have heard before. If this open-mic is your first public performance, expect many things to go wrong (murphy's law).

In any case, good or bad, use it as a valuable learning experience, it will teach you many things about performing live.

[pigpen02]

I do the open mic thing more when i've got a couple weeks between gigs. It's nice in that I find few bassists go out for this sort of thing, and I end up being invited to sit in with everyone and playing all night! It's a nice methadone fix for when the gigs are in short supply.

[anderbass]

There's all different types of open mics. I suggest you just observe a couple sessions at your
local venue first, to personally see "What kind of material is good for these and what should I do/not do".

[winstonthecat]

I went to an open mic with the guitarist and drummer from my band. Another guitarist joined us, which wasn't too bad, but another guy had this clarinet/synthesizer thing, and kept making some obnoxious slap bass sound during our songs. He was way too loud and completely out of time. Our guitarist kept looking at me like "Knock that S**t off", till he figured out it wasn't me, since I don't slap.

So it can be fun, but keep a tight rein on the players.

[ducatiman]

open mics here can range from solo acoustic to full band showcases and everything in between. i've even seen poetry and comedy acts. some very talented folks, some should have stayed home.

opn mics provide a good experience if you're new to playing in front of people. you get to gauge your reaction to and even overcome stagefright and nervousness. as you play more and more, this passes, some overcome it easier than others. the big question: can you persevere without screwin up?

all in all, a good forum for you. DO IT !


FWIW..............duc

[arjosy]

I've hosted open mics in two different venues for the last year. Important things to find out are if the style of music is in range for the venue (metal/hardcore at a singer/songwriter type coffee house won't fly too good) and what gear is provided if any. For example, our band opens the night with 4 or 5 tunes and provides bass rig, two guitar rigs, drums, and full PA. We have people coming out just for fun, new bands looking to shoot some live photos for promos, etc. I think the majority of players find it a positive experience. If you look, I think you'd find several different open mics in your area with one that fits your style of music, etc. At the end of the day, it's putting you and your music in front of an audience....it's all good so go for it.