The following article appears in the June - August '98 issue of FolkNotes.

Open Mic Reviews: 15 Minutes of Fame

By Christopher Weiss
(pictured right, at the old Happy Endings stage)

P.J. Dorsey's

P.J. Dorsey's, Wednesday, half past eight, I lumber in with the Washburn dangling discretely over my back and saddle up to the bar. Arty is nowhere to be seen, no equipment, no guitars. I wonder if I am in the right place on the right night so I check my watch which resolves nothing since the date and time haven't been reset since my Christmas visit to Austria. I slide the guitar under the bar ledge, order a Rogue Ale, and wait. The night is cool and clusters of folk begin taking up space by the dart boards, pool table, booths and along the bar. With my glass half empty Arty bursts forth with a woofer, an amp and his Gibson. He smiles a smile of distant recognition and begins to move tables around then rushes back to his car for more gear.

"Can I help?" I ask knowing that he's gotten most everything in by this point. Arty is instantly friendly. He has a very easy way about him which makes this open mic extremely relaxing. As he sets up he sings into the microphone with whatever happens to be playing over the juke box and adjusts the levels accordingly.

"I'll play a couple then you can come up and do your thing." Arty begins, tuning his guitar and "check-checking" the microphone. The barmaid finally pulls the plug on the jukebox and ends the pop slop. Arty introduces himself and then energetically begins with Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl." After a couple more wonderfully done songs Arty puts down his ax and motions to me. So up to that microphone I step and the clock on my 15 minutes of fame begins ticking.

"So much for the talent part of tonight's show." I am the master of self deprecation. "I'm gonna get a few songs out for you and I hope you like 'em." The drunk college boys from the bar seemed to appreciate the humorous tunes so I decide to focus on them and play a Loudon Wainwright III tune titled "Nice Guys." Nobody else walks into the bar with a guitar so Arty says, "Keep going, it sounds good." So I do a David Wilcox tune, a Tracy Chapman version of a Dylan tune, and a "Short Order" Cooke song describing the frustration of a husband who is a wanna-be golfer and a wife who thinks the fantasy is ridiculous.

Arty asks if I'd lend one of those college kids my guitar. Being the nice, slightly buzzed, slightly stupid guy that I am, I agree. He does two songs. I remember the second because, as he starts, Arty says to me, "Man, that song is a mouthful. Is he really gonna do that one?" After one too many choruses of "The Cat's in the Cradle" I tell his buddy that I really have to leave and cannot lend him my guitar.

Happy Endings

Open Mic at Happy Endings happens Tuesday evenings. I've played the HE open mic several times. The first time I played with Dana "Short Order" Cooke and I think Larry Hoyt was the host. Larry taped it and we always hoped it would show up on some cable channel but I never saw it, did you?

That was several years ago. Age and experience tend to improve folk music. Happy Endings has a new performance theater making the open mic a more serious musical event than your average noisy bar set-up. For the most part the chatter and clatter of espresso drinkers and drink makers is out of earshot. People do wander in and out of the performance space but they are quite respectful of the performers. The pureness and intimacy of the performance theater allows those open mic singer/songwriter types to try out the brand new stuff; songs that are so new they don't even have a name; songs that have changed since last Tuesday night; songs that merge with local and national news. One might hesitate doing this kind of material at a bar open mic where it is difficult to take the time to introduce a song that requires the listener to actually attend to the lyrics.

What many folks like about the Happy Endings open microphone is that it starts relatively early. The host usually gets going with a short set by 8pm and by 8:15 it is on with the show. A sign-up sheet is usually available by 7:45 or so. Another interesting feature of this coffeehouse/theater open mic is the rotating host format. Currently five musicians share the hosting responsibilities: Dennis Goltermann, Joel Ackerson, Steve Carbone, Patti Jackson, and Dana. The owner, Shelby, tells me that in the different hosts can attract slightly different performers. While Steve and Joel tend to get a younger crowd, Patti attracts more female musicians and Dana and Dennis seem to bring in a broad range of folks. I asked Shelby what she liked about the open mic night.

"It's all new talent that you get to hear and every now and then you hear someone you really like and hope they come back."

We sometimes forget that the open mic format is a window to a musical future. For those who play in bands and perform already the open mic offers them a chance to try new material or just practice but for many it is a chance to stand before one of the toughest juries in the world, an open mic audience. Like a gumball machine, you never know what you'll get but chances are you'll find something sweet in the music.

No Borders, No Boundaries

Wednesday nights around 9pm (closer to 10pm in the summer time) No Borders, No Boundaries holds an open microphone hosted by Dylan Wolfe. This is a delightfully comfortable room with rugs, love seats, a couch or two, bookshelves like in your grandmother's house and neat stuff in the various nooks and crannies including and ecclectic collection of LPs. What I appreciate about this coffee house is the living room atmosphere. Those who are interested in the music can sit close, listen and sip their java while those who would rather read the paper or converse with a friend can sit in the back or to the side inconspicuously. Anyone who enjoys music in an intimate setting will like this place. There is also a nice mystique about being a second floor coffee house overlooking the famous and historical "M Street." We local kids are proud of this history.

On the few occassions that I've played there Dylan Wolfe has not opened with a set of his own. Heis a calm sort who strikes up friendly conversations with the clientele and just wants to make the performers content. Another feature of this open mic is the sound system. As more and more music has been happening up there more and more equipment has been accumulating - there is no shortage of monitors, amps, microphones and speakers. Even more importantly, from the technical side, the sound is good.

If you're inclined to play at open mics and like a mellow, laid back kind of atmosphere I think you'll really enjoy No Borders, No Boundaries especially in the summertime. Unlike Happy Endings or PJ Dorseys if you want a larger audience you may have to bring some folks with you. Remember when you play at open mics there are no borders and no boundaries -how adventuresome are you?

This page maintained by Dana Cooke. E-mail me at djcooke@aiusa.com.