TJ's OPen Mic nights - October and November

Bob-Dubery

These are the last two of 2012. In each case it's the last Thursday of the month - 25th of October and 29th of November. Usual venue: Press Club Bar, Marks Park, Judith Road, Emmarentia. TJ's provide the PA. Sets are 15 minutes. Admission R25 (playing or not). Plenty of parking. Food and drinks can be ordered from Marks Park staff.

I will be hosting the November open mic night.

deefstes

I've been out of the loop on this scene for a while now but I'm missing it. Any GFSA'ers planning on attending 25th Oct? I think I'll try to pop in. Also I think it's time I prepare something to play again so maybe I can take the stage on the 29th Nov when his Bobness hosts.

Squonk

deefstes wrote: I've been out of the loop on this scene for a while now but I'm missing it. Any GFSA'ers planning on attending 25th Oct? I think I'll try to pop in. Also I think it's time I prepare something to play again so maybe I can take the stage on the 29th Nov when his Bobness hosts.

Ditto - hope to be there next week.

Nitebob

Think I'll pop in...just to say I was there...before going to Cape Town, to meet the forumites I can and (hopefully) hear Squonk play again...

Bob-Dubery

deefstes wrote: I've been out of the loop on this scene for a while now but I'm missing it. Any GFSA'ers planning on attending 25th Oct? I think I'll try to pop in. Also I think it's time I prepare something to play again so maybe I can take the stage on the 29th Nov when his Bobness hosts.

I'm there next week, but probably not playing - at least next week. I've been telling everybody at TJ's that I've hung up my axe, but the host is expected to play at open mic nights (or at least to be ready to play) so I have to dust the thing off and do some practicing uh-gain. Luckily I have TWO (count them!) acapella numbers in my repertoire now.

Bob-Dubery

OK... my intent is to be there tonight (sans axe, as I'm hosting the next OM). Hope to see y'all there.

Nitebob

Sorry guys, really wanted to come and bid y'all goodbye before leaving for the Cape. I only have a week left however, and won't be able to make all the turns I need to make before I go... ☹

Squonk

Nitebob wrote: Sorry guys, really wanted to come and bid y'all goodbye before leaving for the Cape. I only have a week left however, and won't be able to make all the turns I need to make before I go... ☹

Pity....I suppose you will be routing for WP next season?

Will try and make it, but in the middle of bedroom moves at home, will be at the mercy of the Irish wife ???

Nitebob

Squonk wrote:
Pity....I suppose you will be routing for WP next season?

Not likely ey...my blood will always be blue...besides they quit doing labotomies.... ?

deefstes

I'll be there tonight, like Bob in a non-playing capacity. I might be a few minutes late so if any of you guys plan on busting a tune for us, please don't take one of the first two slots. ?

VellaJ

Myself and stu should be there, also not playing, considering we haven't had time to prepare due to exams...

Bob-Dubery

OK.... the last Thursday of this month is the last TJ's open mic night of the year. I think I can say with a high degree of certainty that Deefstes, Squonk and myself will be there and ready for action (as host I have to be prepared to go all night if necessary, but also to give up my own spot if there are lots of people wanting to play. I know. I try to bear it with grace). I'm hoping (hinting) that Stu and VellaJ will work up a short set. That idle so-and-so Fingerpicker should be back from his holidays and tweaking the knobs on the PA.

And it's a small PA. The open mic nights are set up for people with acoustic instruments that have an internal pickup or that can be miced up. Pre-recorded backings are a strict no-no. 1: The core audience tends to not like them 2: they're a pain in the ass for the sound guy when we're trying to turn acts around quickly so that everybody gets their fair shot.

Come and have a beer at least. Bring your axe and have a go. It's more fun than bungee jumping.

Bob-Dubery

Okey dokey. So it's two weeks to go to your last opportunity this year for 15 minutes of fun and possibly fame.

Squonk, Deefstes and myself all plan to be there and to have our axes with us. I'm hoping that we'll see some other GFSAers there too.

stu

Im gonna be there. Playing a few songs with a friend of mine.

Fingerpicker

I can't wait to get back. I am 24 hours from dry land and this infernal satellite link comes at 10euro per hour. See you .

Bob-Dubery

Fingerpicker wrote: I can't wait to get back. I am 24 hours from dry land and this infernal satellite link comes at 10euro per hour.

That's the price of not getting jet lag.

Squonk

Last night at the Open Mic there were a couple of acts that were performing for the first time (at TJ's at least)

One act in particular "Flint, meet Spark" who have played at plenty of venues mentioned that this was by far the most appreciative audience they had ever witnessed. They went on further to say that 'These people actually listen to our songs"

So I just want to put out there to any Forum members who need to "Dip the toe" as XRB always says. This is the the place and the audience if you have ever thought about playing live.(Where people actually listen to your songs!)

And don't think TJ's is the place where you sing "What shall we do with the drunken Sailor" with drunken crowds and beer glasses raised high....

There is Jazz, Folk, Americana, Prog Rock, Alternative, Country, Flamenco, Classical and everything in between

Last night Stu was doing metal songs, Deefstes did his stunning arrangement of "Sleepwalk" , Bob did his original arrangement of " New York Mining Disaster 1941", Fingerpicker did some Dylan and there were original compositions. As you can see monumental variety.

So just an encouragement to attend the open mic nights, either to play or to see some good talent for a measly R25

Be there or be Square

Generally the last thursday of every month @ Marks Park

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote: Last night at the Open Mic there were a couple of acts that were performing for the first time (at TJ's at least)

One act in particular "Flint, meet Spark" who have played at plenty of venues mentioned that this was by far the most appreciative audience they had ever witnessed. They went on further to say that 'These people actually listen to our songs"

So I just want to put out there to any Forum members who need to "Dip the toe" as XRB always says. This is the the place and the audience if you have ever thought about playing live.(Where people actually listen to your songs!)

And don't think TJ's is the place where you sing "What shall we do with the drunken Sailor" with drunken crowds and beer glasses raised high....

There is Jazz, Folk, Americana, Prog Rock, Alternative, Country, Flamenco, Classical and everything in between

+1

One of the best things about TJ's is their core audience. Don't worry about age gaps or any other superficialities, they are supportive, encouraging (especially at open mic nights), they do actually listen and they have a broader range of what they will listen to and enjoy than perhaps even they imagine.

I've pushed the envelope quite a bit when I've run "big" shows (invitation only, not open mic) for them. I've had Conrad come down and do a set of flamenco (with dancers). Once we had Stratisfear do a set of pink floyd songs rearranged for one guitar and trumpet (on another night he also did a stunning solo version of "Shoot Out The Lights"). We had Nechama Brodie do a whole set of her own songs that very few people had heard before. Thomas Selmer Olsen, Jesse Clegg's guitarist, who is fairly well known but seldom gets to perform his own material but did so at TJ's. I do only covers, but I do go for songs that I don't hear on the radio and don't heard anybody else covering - so last night they got a Loudon Wainwright song and a Julie Andrews song. All this, and more, has been well received by the TJ's regulars.

So there is a reason I keep on punting TJs as a good place to dip your toes into the waters of live performance, and it's largely down to that wonderful, friendly audience who go along to listen, to enjoy and appreciate.

Bob-Dubery

From memory (I don't always get to watch as I have to hunt down performers and tell them their on next and they should please go and tune their guitars) we had

1) Your humble host. (Loudon Wainwright's "The Doctor", a re-arranged "New York Mining Disaster" by the Bee Gees, a song recorded by Julie Andrews but originating, I think, in music hall "Don't Go In Them Lion's Cage Tonight")
2) "Flint, meet Spark" who came down from Pretoria (with a dud guitar, so I had to lend Adele from that duo mine) and did a set of original, modern pop songs - and did them very well
3) Squonk. But as we all know he can't play guitar and can't write songs ? so I suspect he sent in a ringer because whoever it was that got up there (he DID look a lot like Squonk) did well and was well received with a surprising blend of blues, prog rock and celtic.
4) Stu and his friend Cameron who did originals, including a reworked metal number.
5) Paddy and friends who did a set of sort of soft AOR ballads
6) Deefstes whose set, as Squonk notes, included a pretty good solo rendition of Johnny and Santo's "Sleepwalk".
7) A bloked named Andrew who is actually a luthier, played a very unusual guitar of his own making and did some very good instrumentals in a sort of new age-ish style.

Very varied, mostly of a good standard. Lots of fun for audience and performers, and hard-working bar staff bringing your refreshments right to your seat. What's to not like?

deefstes

I must say, the standard of last night's performances were very good indeed and the variety of sets thoroughly enjoyed. Some pics...

Flint, meet Spark. I really enjoyed this couple with their unique original material. They were called upon for an encore and comfortably slipped back behind the mics to performed their best song for the night. Not that the first three were bad, I'm just always impressed when an artist does an impromptu encore and manages to draw you in even better than they did with their prepared set.

Squonk, whom you should know by now. If you have not heard him perform yet, you seriously need to make a plan and get with the program. With all his crazy alternate tunings, acoustic finger tapping and bridge slapping, he is always a thrill to watch.

Here is Andrew with his Drew PS guitar which had a lovely tone and which he played expertly. Very unassuming artist I thought but very impressive.

Stu and Cam singing in Victorian English which they claimed not to understand any of... Nicely played guys, you got away with murder. ? I found it quite amusing how some of the oldier and prim ladies in the audience gently tapped away with their feet to the soothing sounds of Jimmy diddling a squaw... ??? Stu also performed his metal number which went misunderstood in the GFSA challenge but was well received by the erudite TJ's audience.

Here's another very solid guitarist, Brian, who is a lurking GFSA member. He has a very precise and intricate fingerstyle. Top notch.

And Fingerpicker, a.k.a Deadly Dudley, the fifth and final GFSA'er to grace the TJ's stage on the night. I always enjoy his performances. He has a very comfortable stage personality and is equally comfortable on the fingerboard.

Unfortunately I don't have any pics to share of X-rated Bob this time as my camera was in the car and I decided rather to enjoy his full set than walking out in the middle of it to fetch the camera. I don't have any pics of myself either but here is a video clip with crappy audio quality that Mrs. Deefstes captured.
=

GFSA was quite well represented on the night with 5 members taking to the stage and VellaJ observing from the sidelines. It's always good to bump into you guys. We'll do so again.