Here's the original event thread:
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/guitar-events/pretoria-open-micget-together-possibly-on-cards-for-tues-31st-july/
Keira organised a great evening at a wonderful restaurant. Tanya and I have long been fans of Lucit Restaurant but we haven't been there in over a year so it was nice to visit again and experience Gideon's hospitality and the chilled, romantic atmosphere that we've come to know Lucit for.
The show started at about 7:30pm and ended around 10:00pm. It was a wonderful mix of acoustic pop, classical, jazz and comedy. I was impressed at the players' ability to entertain a crowd; not just during a performance but in between songs as well. Those few minutes while you prepare for your next song can be difficult to fill and cavernous when left empty.
There were 6 acts in total:
Ian Brady with some cool jazzy tunes on his upside down guitar ? I kid you not, bass strings at the bottom.
Andre Steyn with some laid-back jazzy/pop tunes on acoustic.
Eclectic with some beautiful pop vocal stuff. Keep practising Nitebob - you did great! It's nerve-wrecking up there but I'm told you get used to it!
Squonk with some humorous fingerstyle acoustic numbers (as well as 2 beautiful numbers dedicated to his little boy and wife - awesome ?)
String Symmetry (Conrad & Letitia) with some classical/flamenco style playing.
Keira + Ian with some jazz classics. You could really tell they were having fun up there.
All in all it was a fun night and I was inspired to attend more of these in future! It's such a great opportunity to get some exposure (as an MC ? or as a player) and get used to being in front of the bright lights and the room full of eyes ?
Big thanks to TID for loaning us their Bose PA system. It sounded gorgeous, just gorgeous!
Big thanks to Gideon for hosting us. His venue really is beautiful and set the tone for the evening right away.
And a massive thank you to Keira for organising the whole thing! I sincerely hope that this was the first of many. Gideon told me he'd be happy to host us again so hopefully we'll see you at the next one if you didn't attend tonight!