My adventures at open Mics

[StephenM]

https://www.facebook.com/100000099295612/videos/948001059638204/

so I start at 20:20 and this probably will be the last video for a while... but I played with two dudes I didn't even know and none of ever played together... but I had a blast....

[Zoltan]

Such a wonderful celebration! Another fine open mic live. Keeping it real

[thetworegs]

Great job Steve a great collaboration you look like you throughly enjoyed it

[StephenM]

this doesn't exactly related to open mic but it also does.

I notice something about myself and I wonder if anyone else can relate to this.
When music is playing, usually at live productions such as concerts or clubs or even church I like to place myself against various objects and locations to feel the vibrations that are generated from the sound waves into the objects.
At church they play this old time song called "Doxology" alot of people hate it.. they say it is outdated.  However one day I was in the long hallway that runs parallel to the sanctuary while it was being played for the worshippers by my wife on the organ and another lady on the piano.  It is a very short song, usually used just after the offering is taken.  As the song played and the people sang I was drawn against the wall to feel the power and energy of the praise...it was immense.  My wife is amazing but really she just embellishes what is in the spirit of the song.. but the voices added so much as well.

I went to a Pat Travers show in Charlotte at an old theatre in the arts district called NODA.  The band was way, way, too loud for the venue size and I like loud but it was too loud... not necessary.  My son came and he was standing in the hallway near the bathroom which actually would be slightly toward the back and side of the stage.  I stood against the wall where he was and I could get a massage... but the sound was dampened and I see why he went there.  The bathroom sound was just right although, some of the higher freq's can't get through.

The other night I was at a club with brick walls and they had this short wall that projected into the back of dance floor.  The wall was a bit flimsy but I found myself enjoying feeling the vibrations coming from that wall.  There was a pretty good crowd but mostly no one on the dance floor, save for the lead vocalist who was for sure close to my age and just as energetic... but about half way through I began swirling and twirling.. after a bit some more timid souls started getting out there with me... I admit that getting older is great as I have given up alot of the concerns about what some may think of me so much... also though I try and remember not to bother anyone...

just wonder if anyone can relate to this idea.  I do believe these vibrations have alot of effect can be positive and even negative sometimes..
they say plants can tell... maybe I am a plant...lol 
song idea... I am a plant

[Ted]

I like to place myself against various objects and locations to feel the vibrations that are generated from the sound waves into the objects.

You are a candidate for a "tactile transducer monitor."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi4mBlYw4wg

There are also drum thrones, piano benches, and guitar stools with these butt shakers built into the seat.

They're not cheap.

[Zoltan]

These kinds of stories and the stuff Ted tells us are what keeps me alive.

Btw decades ago we used to joke about this techno guy... That he gets his rocks off by laying between the speakers.

[StephenM]

I like to place myself against various objects and locations to feel the vibrations that are generated from the sound waves into the objects.

You are a candidate for a "tactile transducer monitor."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi4mBlYw4wg

There are also drum thrones, piano benches, and guitar stools with these butt shakers built into the seat.

They're not cheap.

ooo... I am feeling it already in my base level chakra (whatever that means... )...lol

also I have been known to lay under the pipes are of pipe organ (it's not a really big one, but big enough and has a blower that feeds air into this big wooden box, as the stops are pulled, various valves port the air to the correct pipes when the wife (she has been the organist for 20 years) presses the keys.  Not only an amazing sound but mechanical wizardry)... I love listening to them sing and puff away.
when I was in HS I bought Black Sabbath's Masters Of Reality album.  Of course my mother would never have tolerated such sounds and I had no head phones so I would use the speakers on the floor at very low volumes about 18 inches apart and then lay my head between them on the floor and listen to both sides... I never even smoked pot back then..
anyway.. it is what it is... thanks for chiming in.

[StephenM]

yesterday I decided to go to open mic hosted by Tonya Wood Music.  She is super nice and really mentors alot of musician/singers etc... and she is nice to hang out with.  Her open mics are really taking off, as in there are 3 nights in a row at different places about 10 miles away from each other with the same name and same owner (Cedar Stump Pub).... one of the open mics, the one on Wednesday in Troutman has gone 9pm until 2:30 am 14 weeks in a row.  Not that I have been at many or stay that late when I go but just to give a reference as to how popular and successful this is getting.

I took my Hummingbird last night.  I repaired the broken head on it and it sounds great once again (it split along the grains of the wood, I watched a video on repair and it worked great, the repair isn't pretty but you don't notice unless you are looking hard at it.)  I did 3 covers from the late 70's (Ragin Fire by Pablo Cruise, More Than A Feeling by Boston, Gold Dust Woman by Fleetwood Mac.  Just me and an acoustic guitar.  I felt as though I got to a new level of letting go and really delving deep inside to bring out the passion of the songs and the style I gave them.  I felt solid and I was satisfied with each one.  I played 2nd on the night and too be honest i thought every one that played was great.  Lots of variety, even the one song that everyone plays this lady did and she was so darn sexy and sultry and damn good (and didn't even know it either, based on later conversation)... I never saw anyone softly dance with that guitar that way before. 

I was being very mellow last night... just sitting and observing and picking up the vibes.. and that is my take away from last night that I am learning more and more about everything in life, not just there... it's about the vibes

People have energy fields, some call it aura.  They say alot without saying a thing.  I was raised very western which means everything is conversational and also left brained but we are so much more... it has taken me a long time to become more aware, at least conciously of this.  I think some folks pick up the aura as colors, emotions... for me it is being aware of the frequencies, the vibrations coming forth. 
I feel as though it is much more enjoyable knowing that I can be a part of such a grand sea of unique and splendid energy (and challenging too)...
I really really enjoyed each "artist" that played... all 10 or so were single performers and there is a very special quality to that. 
I won't go that much these days mostly because it can get expensive (my bar bill was 13 bucks (one IPA, 2 PBR cans, 1 Bush non alcohol beer)... but this was doable (and I tip well)... maybe about once or twice a month is enough. 
Every open mic is a bit different, even when they are that same location and the audience, which got quite large at times, and players can be very different each time.

I also need to mention the man who i have heard once in a while... he does country and only country but man his renditions of Garth Brooks songs are so darn great.  perfect.. and he knows what he is doing

anyway... ramble over except that I decided to throw my crazy Piss on you in at the end which I haven't really done on acoustic... also I finger picked only last night... a year ago I would not be caught without a pick and I went with zero last night for a reason.. I find I can play well without a pick and it allows me to do things not possible with...

growth and improvement and sharing... is what its about for me now... and not getting in any sort of trouble... being cool.

[Zoltan]

growth and improvement and sharing... is what its about for me now... and not getting in any sort of trouble... being cool.

And with an ending like that you could start writing a novel!

I don't think Piss on you is crazy. It relatable and effective. It goes way deeper than its seemingly simplistic topic would hint at.
It's also well written. It flows naturally and begins with a great hook. The way the opening line is repeated hammers it home.
The bridge part adds depth to it and it feels a bit like better Bruce Springsteen songs.

[SteveB]

... also I finger picked only last night... a year ago I would not be caught without a pick and I went with zero last night for a reason.. I find I can play well without a pick and it allows me to do things not possible with...

Interesting that, Steve. I guess I must've originally started with a pick/plectrum/plecky etc back in the mists of time, and then for some decades I didn't use one at all. Then a couple of years ago I decided I wanted to use them again. Oh, sh*t!, I couldn't hold one properly, and since then I've put pieces of tape on the plecs to aid grip. Photo -