barbequebob
2681 posts
Aug 14, 2014
12:52 PM
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Some of you may find this article interesting that I saw on FB:
6 Ways To Piss Off An Open Mic Host
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Philosofy
594 posts
Aug 14, 2014
2:30 PM
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They forgot:
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
"Am I up next?"
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Frank
5126 posts
Aug 14, 2014
3:18 PM
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Gluing the woman's toilet sits in the up position may be a 7th way to piss her off, though she seems like a tuff cookie and would just as happily stand-up and pass gas while she tinkles :)
Last Edited by Frank on Aug 14, 2014 3:19 PM
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nacoran
7932 posts
Aug 14, 2014
4:23 PM
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I'm sorry. I'm going to screw this post up...
Okay, I've been guilty of that last one, particularly when trying something new. I do try to shorten my set accordingly if I spend too much time apologizing beforehand. I think it's more of nervous tick than anything else, although as someone who has watched a lot of open mic performances I'll say the self-effacing person who goes up and gives it the old college try is less annoying to me than the guy who goes up their who is terrible and pretends or doesn't know it.
As for the lack of gear at an open mic, I blame that on the venue. If you are going to host an open mic you should invest in some basic gear. If it's going to be infrequently enough that you don't want to invest, hire someone with the gear and pay them for bringing it. This is your live entertainment. You're already getting a bunch of free performances and those people are bringing friends. If you were hiring a band you'd make sure that they either had their own gear or that the house system could handle it. You shouldn't do expect any less with an open mic.
Philosofy, an open mic I used to go to a lot had a chalkboard for the signup list. It worked pretty well. They announced every band so it was easy to see where they were on the list.
Frank, my aunt, as a kid, was apparently quite the prankster. She snuck into the teachers' lounge, lifted the toilet seat, put a layer of saran wrap down and put the seat back down. Actually, that reminds me of a similar accidental toilet trap that caught me a couple times... my friend's mom liked having one of those fuzzy wraps on the back of the toilet along with a thick cushy toilet seat. The problem was, this made it so that when you lifted the seat you couldn't quite get it balanced back and sometimes mid stream it would just fall on you. The first thing to worry about was getting everything important out of the way, which sadly meant the second thing- keeping control of the stream- fell by the wayside. :)
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Nate
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Frank
5128 posts
Aug 14, 2014
4:48 PM
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keeping control of the stream, hahahahahahahaha
It does seem like they are running a pretty crappy jam there and blaming it on BM, there has got to be more to the story then that for the jam being so lame, at least the article makes it appear that way :)
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SuperBee
2161 posts
Aug 14, 2014
6:16 PM
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I go to an om sometimes. I don't think I've ever seen any of the behaviours described in the article, except the apology perhaps, but that is usually more of a laugh about giving something a go for the first time...
The guy who looks after the sound is really good at his job. He provides the PA and mics. There is no 'house' instrument of any kind, just amplification. There is a 15 minute rule, which includes setup and breakdown, and a lot of mutual respect among performers. People use it to try out new songs, or develop stagecraft, or just whatever else reason someone has to perform for an audience. It's a very safe and supportive environment.
The host is great at making people feel welcome, letting everyone know how important the venue is, thanks for the bar owner and staff, and she has engaged support from a local rotary group, and donates the excess funds to them, so naturally they support the OM.
The sound man is also very good at engaging with performers and taking an interest in their comfort, which helps them take a more thoughtful approach to how they present.
I've seen a bunch of young folks come through the OM and it's great to see them develop from one month to the next...
A well-run OM is a wonderful thing for a community imho
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didjcripey
796 posts
Aug 15, 2014
4:15 PM
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@superbee: the open mics round my way are much the same.
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Lucky Lester
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Thievin' Heathen
367 posts
Aug 16, 2014
8:24 AM
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What we are up against.., I had a guitar player tell me that harmonicas should come in during their "solo" and just stand there the rest of the time. That's the sign of a great harmonica player. It's as if there's an entire generation of "blues" guitar players who have never listened to Muddy Waters. Or let's use a Dixieland comparison - "O.K., now let's hear a trombone solo... and now the clarinet"
I think the root of the problem is most people are not ready to accept the harmonica as a musical instrument and they are just not going to allow their brain to go there.
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Bilzharp
6 posts
Aug 16, 2014
9:40 AM
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An awful lot of harmonica jammers don't play rhythm or fills, they just solo through the whole song. Could be that guitar player had been exposed to too many of those guys.
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