Music

I haven't posted any YouTube songs in three months, so I'll get on that soon. As it turns out, even if I'm not getting any positive feedback on YouTube, I'm good enough to get positive feedback when performing live.

We went to an open mike in Addison Thursday night. It was not a standing-room only crowd, as the bartender on Monday informed me, but it was still a pretty good crowd that paid good attention to the performers, depending on how well-received they were. I went first, once I saw that no one else would want to do it. Paying my dues, in a way. During my first song, a group of six people in the back got up and left. I did not take it as a bad thing, as they were likely going to leave anyway or wanting a quieter place. No one left, and I got good applause on everything I did. In fact, I got three final ovations from the crowd. One when I was done, one started by Roland the host, and one started by another performer who could sing opera as I was leaving.

I performed six songs: "Solisbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel, "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" by Pearl Jam, "Drive" by Incubus, "This Guy's in Love with You" by Herb Alpert, "America" by Simon & Garfunkel, and "Penny Lane" by the Beatles. There were a few humorous moments interspersed, such as when I guzzled my beer during the two pregnant pauses on the Bacharach tune.

I can't say that this particular open mike is the one for which I've been searching, but it's the best I've found so far. Oddly enough, another performer told me that a great one is in Batavia. This would've been great during the 15 years that I called Batavia my home, but now I'm 45 minutes away. Also, it's once a month and took place the very next night. I wasn't about to subject Margie to yet another night of hanging out at a bar and watching my and others play while using up all of her vacation time, but maybe next month I'll give it a go.