There’s live original music going on in this town just about any night of the week now, what with all the shows at various bars, coffee shops and performance spaces, but Monday nights find me working the sound board at the Blind Tiger’s world famous Open Band Jam, where bands can sign up in whole or in part, empty spots in the roster being filled by one of the three house musicians on call.
Like most open jams, Monday has its regulars: the wiry art-funk of Carla R; the Trower/Vaughn/Hendrix blues worship of Stickers for Cigarettes; the spacey reggae/hip hop of Xuluprophet; and the duo that plays each week under a different name, but always includes an original titled either “I’m the Batman” or “No More Dead Cops,” but either way it ought to be the theme song for the next installment in the Caped Crusader silver screen franchise. Any and all experimentalism is spelled with a little “E”; it’s what punk must have been like before it started taking itself too seriously. There’s also the house band, and of course my sub-Ed Sullivan MC’ing.
Photo by Dan Bayer
Sometimes I think open mics are the purest form of public musical expression; rough-hewn garage bands bump shoulders with semi-professional part-time pickers, original visions too far out to fully elucidate bang heads with questionable-or-not covers of classic rock chestnuts. Too varied to coalesce into a self-policing “scene,” not polished enough to charge admission to, sometimes teetering on the brink of musical chaos, it’s an opportunity for musicians and audiences alike to take chances on new approaches and new talent.
There are other open mics in town too: Matty Sheets hosts one at the Flatiron, and there are open blues jams at Plum Krazy’s, the Clubhouse and Club Zion. The blues jams, as the name implies, are pretty much rooted in that genre, but still fun nonetheless, and a good chance to work on your chops while meeting other local musicians.
So don’t let your lack of a band, or a missing member, or fear of public performance keep you from going out and being part of Greensboro’s music scene. Open mics are a chance to experiment and hone your craft, or just to play music in public without the stress of having to hunt down regular gigs. Most importantly, it’s fun!