Open Mikes..?

[Vince]

As you may (or probably may not) know, I'm a bit of a fixture at open mike nights. I can go out and play a couple of times a week or more, if I want.

But I do have qualms about it, I'm kind of interested in hearing opinions.

On the one hand, there's the way that there's no money involved, which makes me wonder if I'm not undermining working bands and their efforts to get paid. I do feel guilty about that.

On another hand, having played my share of early-in-the-week originals gigs where the only person that made money was the sound guy, I can truly say I am making roughly about as much money as I ever did.

And nobody much goes to see a new band on a Tuesday or a Wednesday anyway. Especially on a drizzly winter night.

On the positive side, open mikes allow people to grow as performers by regularly putting them in front of actual people, even if those people are just other amateur musicians waiting their turn to play a couple of songs. You really learn to perform. And you do run into the same people week after week in various places so it does become a little scene of its very own.

What do people think of open mike nights? It seems to be a (vaguely) growing thing.

[Slowy]

Excellent things; they fill a niche. Unfortunately, it's sometimes a niche for people who should never be allowed on a stage unless it was to be sawed in half.
Seriously, they offer opportunities for valuable experience (performer and audience) and there are pleasant surprises to be had on occasions.

[fyrbyrd]

I do sound at an open mike night. You don't need to worry about edging out paid musicians. The club is only doing it on the quiet nights, and it seems like a win/win for everyone.
I have had to watch way too many lame eagle covers, but there are great players too - seems to be one third of the players are very good, one third OK and one third pretty bad. The soundman is to blame for the bad ones of course!

[MattH]

They're great. The only thing is that no-one seems to listen at most of the ones I've been to.

Here in New Plymouth, we have a guy that's been running the open mic for the last 10 years and has turned it into a local institution through some pretty clever methods.

He puts it in a sit down venue. He sets the ground rules and has people in the crowd to help him support them. He insists that audience members are quiet when musicians are playing, but only allows each player one song. It means that most musicians have to go up and do their best straight away, so they we often warm up and jam in the green room beforehand (yep, we have a green room for our open mic night).

The only problem is that we're all spoiled rotten and most of us get the hump if we have to play open mics elsewhere to a noisy, drunk audience!

If you're ever in NP on the last Friday of the month, check out Singer Songwriters at the Little Theatre. Anyone welcome!

[Vince]

They're great. The only thing is that no-one seems to listen at most of the ones I've been to.

Yes, that's a real PITA. The most annoying thing is when someone turns up with the crowd from their office, who basically don't give a shit and go see a band maybe once every couple of years, on NZ Music Month. They yak yak yak away until Their Hero plays. They shut up for that, except to applaud hysterically at Their Hero and then they all bugger off into the night. The height of rudeness, but they don't know any better.

I find that one way to get people to shut up is to play really softly. It doesn't always work, but it's worth a try.

[MattH]

They're great. The only thing is that no-one seems to listen at most of the ones I've been to.

Yes, that's a real PITA. The most annoying thing is when someone turns up with the crowd from their office, who basically don't give a shit and go see a band maybe once every couple of years, on NZ Music Month. They yak yak yak away until Their Hero plays. They shut up for that, except to applaud hysterically at Their Hero and then they all bugger off into the night. The height of rudeness, but they don't know any better.

I find that one way to get people to shut up is to play really softly. It doesn't always work, but it's worth a try.

Yep - I get about a 20% success rate with that approach!

Hey - here's an article I wrote about New Plymouth's local event for NZMusician. Might be of interest.

http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/p ... cleid/4235

[dylan]

Im just about to move to from akl to wanganui. (bought a house for 65K). open mic nights / the musicians club are going to be my main way of finding people to jam with. i hope they (and i) dont suck!

[MattH]

Have played there. Not much of a listening audience, but they are appreciative - even if they are smashed half the time!

[Vince]

Hey - here's an article I wrote about New Plymouth's local event for NZMusician. Might be of interest.

http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/p ... cleid/4235

That's just... crazy talk Seriously though, sounds like a great place.

[MattH]

Hey - here's an article I wrote about New Plymouth's local event for NZMusician. Might be of interest.

http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/p ... cleid/4235

That's just... crazy talk Seriously though, sounds like a great place.

Well, you look back at places like Greenwich Village in New York in the 60s, and that's exactly the kind of venue you'd be looking at. It's opening a can of worms, but the majority of the public audience in New Zealand high street bars are meat-heads when it comes to listening to live music. Anand just saw a niche and went for it. It's ace!

[Vince]

Well, you look back at places like Greenwich Village in New York in the 60s, and that's exactly the kind of venue you'd be looking at. It's opening a can of worms, but the majority of the public audience in New Zealand high street bars are meat-heads when it comes to listening to live music. Anand just saw a niche and went for it. It's ace!

It's a tough call for bar managers, I guess. The risk is that the people who insist on talking will take their drinking, and $, elsewhere.

Wellington is getting quite good for open mikes, there's quite a few that I can think of.

The most "intimate" one so far is at the Green Dragon (every 2nd Wednesday) because there's just two long couches and you're set up at the head of the couches. You don't even need a mike. There's still noise from the main pub area but that's life, I guess.

I'm told that from tonight onward, they're moving the pool table and there'll be a lot more room. I hope it doesn't ruin the intimacy.

There's also Blah Blah Blah which is like an old-school drop in centre (BYO), with lots of pillows people can sit in. I think tonight's their last night though.


The other day, as I was thinking of starting this thread, I felt that much in the same way as people go down to the local for a game of pool, I go to the local to play a few songs and watch everybody else do theirs.

[tubeswell]

Jam nights can be fun if there's not many other guitar players there wanting to hog the stage so I can't hog it.