Was this article written for The Onion? If not, congratulations to the author for the most off base, biased, and unresearched article Ive ever read. No wonder he had a bad experience, being that it was at a brewery, of all places, but he shouldnt generalize about open mics. Almost none are like that. I played open mics 4 times a week for 10 years, working on my craft, along with a whole bunch of other songwriters who were all good enough to eventually have national touring and recording careers. Open mics have given so many artists a place to develop and a real sense of community. They provide an encouraging environment, yes even for the tuneless raw beginners and tone deaf old-timers. New material can be tried out in a safe setting, in front of friends and fellow open micers. A weekly or monthly open mic gives folks a reason to practice, write a song, or learn new tunes. Ive literally been to well over a thousand open mics, and Ive rarely ever seen performers play their own songs and just leave. And the sign ups are always first come first serve, by lottery, or by pulling names out of a hat. Ive never seen the host assign prime slots to his or her friends. And I for one have no problem with the host being paid a decent wage. Its a 4 hour gig. The host has to be present for every song, has to adjust mics, plug in guitars, announce whos next and wholl be after that, and usually play several songs. Sometimes it involves setting up the PA and operating it. Sometimes it involves BRINGING the PA. Open mics are a blessing to a whole lot of people. gigsandbands/5-reasons-why-open-mic-nights-are-killing-live-music/
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 03:42:36 +0000
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