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‘Music Makes Me’ – Local Music

Last week was an article that I talked about the sad loss of one of rock and roll’s legends Charlie Watts. Most people who are fans of rock and roll know the name Charlie Watts. But at one time in his life, that was not the case. His family and friends would only have known him. This week I want to talk about that a little bit more.

I love to go out and listen to local live music. I get out quite frequently to check out musicians at different places close to me. That isn’t that strange for someone who likes to get out of the house and enjoys the music scene. What may be a little stranger is what I do on some nights like last night.

This week I hadn’t been out of the house since Sunday since I work at home for my job. Wednesday rolled around and I needed to get out of the house/office for a break. As you may imagine, midweek nights are not the best time to catch live music at the normal places. So what I enjoy doing on these types of nights is catch a local open mic. I’m sure most people know about open mics, but for those of you that may not let me explain. It is a night at some venue where musicians sign up to play a couple song set. Depending on the length of the open mic night, you could potentially see half dozen or more musicians of varying skill levels.

You could get seasoned musicians who just want to work on something new that isn’t in a place they are being paid to perform. It also could be a budding artist who is ready to try performing in front of strangers for the first time. Finally it may be someone who is not a beginner but has not broken into the local paid performing circuit and is trying to get noticed. So basically you never know what to expect when you show up. So with this uncertainty, why do I enjoy it so much? And more importantly why do I feel it’s important for you to show your support as a music fan?

First of all, venues host these in order to get more business. It’s a smart business decision to drum up business during their non-peak business days. But if they don’t get enough people that show up, they could cancel open mics. For the new artist, it helps when they have an audience to start getting comfortable performing in front of strangers. For the experienced musicians, it provides them with feedback based on their audience’s response. And for those in between, they have an opportunity to get their name out there, but obviously that can’t happen if there is nobody there.

So back to yesterday’s night out. I started out going to a local venue, Bella Terra winery, to hear the performers at the open mic hosted by musician Brad Abbott. I didn’t stop there though. Once that open mic was over I drove to another open mic at School House tavern hosted by another local musician Luke Weltz and his band. Two open mics in one night is a little much, even for me. But last night was one of those magical nights where I got to hear a young lady sing accompanied by a guitarist. The crazy thing was it was their first time ever performing in that venue having moved here from Florida during the COVID shutdown. Like all the artists, they played their set of a couple songs. The song that really captured my attention was their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman”. Her voice reminded me of Grace Slick so if you are a fan of both; picture that combination in your mind. I don’t know if they will make the local music circuit or if I will hear them again. But for one evening, I was blessed with a sound that I may never hear again.

So if you are a true supporter of the local music scene, don’t only go to shows. But also check out the occasional open mic and support your local venues and musicians. I think most open mic venues will have food and drinks so it is a good opportunity to grab a late dinner and check out the local talent that you may not hear elsewhere. And who knows, you may be one of the first people to experience the next Charlie Watts.

Hopefully you will get out this week and check out the local music scene.  Until next week, if you’re a music lover, you can hear, see or learn about new music every day on my Facebook group, Spotify playlist or YouTube playlist. And as always, feel free to reach out and let me know about your favorite new musical discovery.