TJs open mic night - Thursday 27 January 2011

Bob-Dubery

First TJs open mic night of the year.

Venue: Marks Park sports club, Judith Road, Emmarentia, Johannesburg
Date: Thursday Jan 27
Time: Music starts at 20:00, doors open at 19:30
Admission: R20

Food and drinks may be ordered from the Marks Park staff

TJs provide PA and microphones. You need to bring your instrument along.

The deal is that you get a maximum of 3 numbers in a 15 minute slot. Get there early and you can book the slot that suits you.

You're also welcome to just come along and watch if you don't want to play.

Bob-Dubery

Bump!

I'll be going along - though maybe not playing. Voice is awful scratchy right now.

(your chance to observe that that never stopped me before)

VellaJ

Am I being silly, or should the heading not be "2011"? ?

Bob-Dubery

VellaJ wrote: Am I being silly, or should the heading not be "2011"? ?

Well spotted. Fixed.

Bob-Dubery

So for those of you who weren't there (most of you) you missed out on, yes, sure, an open mic night. But open mic nights aren't necessarily about hacks banging out "Mull of Kintyre" and "The Leaving Of Liverpool". They are about whoever walks through the door and asks to play. So last night that included Mick Matthews (ex Ballyhoo), Squonk, the always excellent duo of Mike Burger and Richard Bruyns, a more than useful fingerstyle player (who even gave us an Opeth number).... oh yes and a hack banging out old Fairport Convention numbers.

Quite a good turnout for the first open mic night of the year, a full list and some sets cut short to fit everybody in.

As usual there was a warm, friendly audience. If you want to break your performing duck then TJs is a good place to do it.

Squonk

There were Morgans, Breedloves , Taylors, Gibsons, a lone Takamine, Martins, Yamahas, Ibanez

A good venue to see and hear all these wonderful instruments.
What I noticed -

The Morgan sounded top class, good balance between bass and treble strings, good for fingerpicking(Had the truest acoustic sound on the night)

Breedlove - lovely rich sound (LR Baggs Anthem, I was told) and Mike Burgers playing style(full of textures and colour and swells) made this instrument a desirable thing.

The Taylor, Gibson and Martin sounded if anything just below average, I am still waiting to hear good Taylor tone in a live setting.

Fingerpicker who does the sound does a great job, so it wasn't the case of the dodgy sound man ? There were no effects involved, so I am wandering if the pickups/preamps were not up to scratch? I know Bob's Morgan has an LR Baggs, maybe this is the difference!

One thing I noticed is that you need to have a decent soundhole pickup! The Yamaha sounded like pea soup(green and murky).

But as Bob said, what a great night and an excellent opportunity if you are in the market for an acoustic, to come and scout and see the variety ?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: There were Morgans, Breedloves , Taylors, Gibsons, a lone Takamine, Martins, Yamahas, Ibanez

A good venue to see and hear all these wonderful instruments.
What I noticed -

The Morgan sounded top class, good balance between bass and treble strings, good for fingerpicking(Had the truest acoustic sound on the night)

Breedlove - lovely rich sound (LR Baggs Anthem, I was told) and Mike Burgers playing style(full of textures and colour and swells) made this instrument a desirable thing.

The Taylor, Gibson and Martin sounded if anything just below average, I am still waiting to hear good Taylor tone in a live setting.

IMO the recent Taylors with factory fit electronics don't cut the mustard.

Paul Hohns pops up at TJs from time to time and he has an older Taylor that always sounds good - plugged in or not.

Squonk, your Takamine sounds pretty good plugged in. Also Fingerpicker commented that he didn't have to do much to get a good sound out of your Taka - it's "plug and play".

Mike Burger is a good friend of mine and I know that Breedlove well. It's a fab guitar. As you note, it had a Mike Burger attached to it. This is a good thing. Mike has a great touch on an acoustic guitar and always makes a guitar sound good. I have never heard my Morgan sing like it does when Mike plays it.

Fingerpicker who does the sound does a great job, so it wasn't the case of the dodgy sound man ? There were no effects involved, so I am wandering if the pickups/preamps were not up to scratch? I know Bob's Morgan has an LR Baggs, maybe this is the difference!

One thing I noticed is that you need to have a decent soundhole pickup! The Yamaha sounded like pea soup(green and murky).

Take pity on Fingerpicker. That's not an easy sound job. Short sets. Lots of them. Minimal setup time. All those different guitars and different pickups - some with lots of grunt and some with little. Some guys want to plug in, some want to be miced up.

The guys who got their early and did a soundcheck got better sound. But at an evening such as this where people just walk in and ask to play there is no way to soundcheck everybody.

RobK

I think I'd feel pretty intimadated pitching up there for the first time. With all those Morgans, Breedloves, Taylors, Gibsons and Martins on display, I'd be hesitant to pull out my "unworthy" cheapie Cort and bang out a bad version of "Mull of Kintyre" ?

Squonk

RobK wrote: I think I'd feel pretty intimadated pitching up there for the first time. With all those Morgans, Breedloves, Taylors, Gibsons and Martins on display, I'd be hesitant to pull out my "unworthy" cheapie Cort and bang out a bad version of "Mull of Kintyre" ?

Not like that at all Rob ? I was comparing all the tones of the different guitars. What I haven't mentioned yet is that it's got a lot to do with your own talent and fingers, Bob mentioned that Mike Burger made his Morgan sing, he would do the same with a Spongebob guitar.

I had my cheap Takamine, there was a Cort there as well that sounded good.

The thing about TJ's Open Mic that it's there for anyone who wants to come and play. The crowd are extremely supportive.
Last night we had the top class acts, inbetweenies and some buskers, there were older people and young people.
Some guitars weren't even in tune ? but this doesn't stop the TJ's folk from cheering you on ?

As Bob says, an excellent place to start playing live....

RobK

Squonk wrote:
RobK wrote: I think I'd feel pretty intimadated pitching up there for the first time. With all those Morgans, Breedloves, Taylors, Gibsons and Martins on display, I'd be hesitant to pull out my "unworthy" cheapie Cort and bang out a bad version of "Mull of Kintyre" ?
Not like that at all Rob ? I was comparing all the tones of the different guitars. What I haven't mentioned yet is that it's got a lot to do with your own talent and fingers, Bob mentioned that Mike Burger made his Morgan sing, he would do the same with a Spongebob guitar.

I had my cheap Takamine, there was a Cort there as well that sounded good.

The thing about TJ's Open Mic that it's there for anyone who wants to come and play. The crowd are extremely supportive.
Last night we had the top class acts, inbetweenies and some buskers, there were older people and young people.
Some guitars weren't even in tune ? but this doesn't stop the TJ's folk from cheering you on ?

As Bob says, an excellent place to start playing live....

I was just stirring a bit. ? Most musicians I've met so far are very open and helpful towards newbies (I always mention I am one) and don't really care what brand you play(guitar specifically in my case), as long as you play.
Quite a difference from some other "arty" hobbies I've partaken in, where equipment is rubbish if it isn't the latest and greatest from the well known brands, which automatically makes the end result you produced rubbish as well.

I'm not a "playing live" type of guy, but if I ever decide to give it a go, I won't hesitate to get up on stage at any open mic.

Keira-WitherKay

RobK wrote:
Squonk wrote:
RobK wrote:

Most musicians I've met so far are very open and helpful towards newbies (I always mention I am one) and don't really care what brand you play(guitar specifically in my case), as long as you play.
Quite a difference from some other "arty" hobbies I've partaken in, where equipment is rubbish if it isn't the latest and greatest from the well known brands, which automatically makes the end result you produced rubbish as well.

i must say the music industry is not immune to people forming opinions of players because of their gear ....... or lack of the correct name on the headstock ....... and the advertising of gear is a big driving factor in this trend .... "use this and you will sound like this or that big name" but hey it's just human nature to want to be " keeping up with the jones" or bettering them ?

Bob-Dubery

RobK wrote: Most musicians I've met so far are very open and helpful towards newbies (I always mention I am one) and don't really care what brand you play(guitar specifically in my case), as long as you play.
Quite a difference from some other "arty" hobbies I've partaken in, where equipment is rubbish if it isn't the latest and greatest from the well known brands, which automatically makes the end result you produced rubbish as well.

Yes. A lot of musicians that I've met regard their equipment, even if it is very good and very expensive, as tools of the trade. They might advise you to get something better if they think your particular implement is an impediment, but they don't tend to look down their noses at the owners of gear that is less prestigious than their own.

I am also often struck by the attitudes of professional musicians - they way they respect the performances of lesser mortals. I think especially of Steve Newman who famously once arrived at at TJs open mic night and was very encouraging and respectful to other, far less talented people there that night. I know that he LISTENED to other people's sets because afterwards I heard him saying things to people like "Oh... you're the guy who played 'Heart Of Gold'. You did that well."

[deleted]

X-rated Bob wrote: I am also often struck by the attitudes of SOME professional musicians - they way they respect the performances of lesser mortals.

Fixed!

Squonk

Stratisfear wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: I am also often struck by the attitudes of SOME professional musicians - they way they respect the performances of lesser mortals.
Fixed!

Thank You Strat for putting up with us ? we are not worthy ?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote:
Stratisfear wrote:
X-rated Bob wrote: I am also often struck by the attitudes of SOME professional musicians - they way they respect the performances of lesser mortals.
Fixed!
Thank You Strat for putting up with us ? we are not worthy ?

Oi! How about a modicum of humility and respect over there.

Stratisfear has played with some BIG names.