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Endings and Beginnings
From Paul R on 8/12/2019 12:28:26 AM
Last September I left the open mic I'd been a part of for seven years. I discovered a monthly one closer to home, at the Elm Cafe.
This June I left the Bluegrass jam. It was less and less a Bluegrass jam and more of a jam where people would impose their style on the session. A lot of them couldn't figure out what Bluegrass is, and didn't seem to care that much. It seemed, as well, that some were lacking the ability to listen.
A jam, to me, requires its participants to have a certain level of ability - not be a flashy expert, but somewhat competent. What we got was guitar strummers who didn't add much, and a lack of other instruments - too many guitars. Song choices weren't, shall we say, inspiring.
We also had a problem with hearing, due to so much talking by people in the "audience".
Well, I discovered an open mic in Bloomfield, Prince Edward County. It's called the Quarter Moon Coffee House, in the Baxter Arts Centre, a former cannery converted to a community activity room. It takes place on Thursdays just twice a month, which makes the hour-long drive bearable. I brought an American musical friend, Peter, and he's making it a regular thing, too.
The other week they held a special session, Quarter Moon on the Park, a concert-style open mic in the waterfront park in Wellington. It was a fun event with an audience in their lawn chairs and musicians supporting each other musically and emotionally.
What makes this special is the low-key and welcoming nature of all the people involved (and the attentive audience). It shuts down for the fall abd winter, but will continue when the weather gets warmer and the days get longer.
2 Comments |
 | David M says:
8/15/2019 2:44:08 AM
Hi Paul, good to hear from you again.
Sounds like you done well staying at the first place that long, unless things have changed only recently. It's a difficult thing for some to realise their place at a jam, it only takes a few extroverts to want to take over and all of a sudden it becomes their show and the rest their backing group.. :-/
Because I played indoors mainly on my own for over 25 years, all of a sudden playing amongst so many others was very weird to me. For a start I couldn't hear my own bare finger picking much so was playing from memory most of the time and just watching the others..!
I think some view open mics with a broad mind regarding what music is acceptable. The club I went to was advertised as a folk and bluegrass club but there were still country songs going on now and then. There were some pretty outspoken attendants who made their feelings known one way or another that made for uncomfortable moments sadly and you never saw the players again.
Your new place sounds better and more welcoming. Maybe the Winter lay off will give you time to play elsewhere with some of the other friendly participants..? Maybe round some houses.
I moved to Scotland nearly a couple of years ago now and haven't found anyone to play with yet, so I'm still picking everyday indoors to myself.
Good luck with your new ventures.
David
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 | Paul R says:
8/15/2019 11:46:48 AM
Thanks for your good thoughts, David. It's too bad you don't have people to play with. There's nothing quite so satisfying than playing with others who can complement your music.
Being in situations where that happens less and less is frustrating. I was on the "committee" at the Bluegrass jam, but we made very few decisions. When one guy showed up who couldn't play (sat there with a guitar, could maybe form a chord if you named the key, and never changed chords, never sang), nobody would address the elephant in the room. Was this a session or a support group? Sessions imply a degree of competence - at least being able to play the chords.
There's something special about a small jam. Bigger is not better. Usually the sound gets muddier, it's harder to hear, and some people get off the rhythm. We had fewer and fewer "good" pickers. They'd see what was going on and not come back. When I think of the calibre of players who came only once ...
And the open mic became a live karaoke for those who couldn't carry a tune in a dump truck. It relied more and more on amplification.
The Quarter Moon is more relaxed. There's no restriction on style, so no arguments one way or another there. It's an attentive, appreciative group/audience. I was even asked by a fingerpicker if we could work on something together.
Playing with others gets you out of your comfort zone and makes you find ways to blend in. I found it simplified some of my clawhammer playing so that I could better "serve the song". But for this you need pickers who are sympathetic to this notion. You don't need a lot of skill. We had one guy - now unfortunately not with us - who was just a basic rhythm flatpicker, but you could count on him to keep time like a metronome. If everyone had his sense, the jam would be so much better.
I hope you find suitable musical companions. Even just one or two people can make it that much more fun. Good luck!
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