My first acoustic open mic is tonight...

Bod

Hey folks, thanks for all your support yesterday - it was most appreciated!

It went OK actually for a first attempt.  Annoyingly, we played everything too fast, possibly just due to the nerves, but it was fine.  There were a few mistakes, but by the last song we were in the flow and felt more confident.  The little lead break I was worried about was fine, so I was pleased to get away with that.  There was lots of applause and we managed to have a laugh with the crowd, so that was great.  Looking at the photos, I could perhaps have smiled more though - it's not something that comes naturally to me under pressure

One bit of advice I'd perhaps add to that above would be to attend as a non-performer before deciding to play.  This session was a bit of an old boys network and both crowd and performers all knew each other really well, and the genre was very much 60s/70s classic rock.  We were the only people there that played anything remotely upbeat and poppy, which was OK and we went down well, but it did feel a bit like we were gatecrashing a private Saga party.

All-in-all, it was definitely a worthwhile experience and it was good to step outside my comfort zone which, as someone that suffers from anxiety, wasn't easy.  We've got a plan to take it forward from here, so all's good!

Thanks again everyone.

Cirrus

Part of the joy I derive from doing open mics is in exposing old people to music released after 1970, so it sounds like you did it right. 

TheOtherDennis

Bod said:

One bit of advice I'd perhaps add to that above would be to attend as a non-performer before deciding to play.  This session was a bit of an old boys network and both crowd and performers all knew each other really well, and the genre was very much 60s/70s classic rock.  We were the only people there that played anything remotely upbeat and poppy, which was OK and we went down well, but it did feel a bit like we were gatecrashing a private Saga party.

Glad it all went well, but speaking as a member of the saga generation, I can pretty much guarantee that those there will have been really pretty pleased that you turned up and added something new to the mix. Yes, seasoned and well tested classics always go down well, but there are only so many ways they can be done and only so many times you can hear them, so something new they've not heard before will always be a good idea.

No need to worry about gatecrashing at all.

Rocker

@TheOtherDennis, I have never heard of the word 'saga' before.  Please explain (as I might be one and not know it!).  Thanks.

Bod

@Rocker Saga are a company that provide products for over 50s, though I'd always thought it was over 60's. It's often used as a euphemism for old age.  No disrespect meant btw, I'm not far off myself.

BahHumbug

It seems to be fairly common for open mics/acoustic clubs/folk clubs etc to have regulars who all know each other.  If you stick with it you just become part of the social group.  I bet they actually appreciated someone showing up and playing songs that were a bit different to what they they were used to.

TheOtherDennis

Bod said:

@Rocker Saga are a company that provide products for over 50s, though I'd always thought it was over 60's. It's often used as a euphemism for old age.  No disrespect meant btw, I'm not far off myself.

Indeed.

I was actually a customer of theirs (car insurance) for a few years, but then I found someone cheaper. And I'm 59, in case you were wondering.

Musicwolf

Cirrus said:

Part of the joy I derive from doing open mics is in exposing old people to music released after 1970, so it sounds like you did it right. 

That stuff released after 1970 is music -  it's just noise, noise I tell you.