The Buzz - Open Mic

This was the scene at the Arden open mic last night. That's the list of performers. As you may discern from the photo, it was rather a confusing night. Unfortunately, Aaron and Todd didn't end up playing 'cause they have families and stuff like that to go home to, and the night was getting later and later. I have stuff to go home to, but a fish is probably not going to jump on my bed to wake me up at 7 AM. Anyway, it was great to hang out and play some tunes.

You have to play these things by ear... you can pick out your three songs hours beforehand, then get up on the stage and change your mind completely just based on the people before you and how you want to direct the energy of the audience. Or at least, I think you should do that, if you hope to capture their attention. If you don't care about that, then play whatever the heck you want. I wanted to play "Crowns," but it's slow and thoughtful and everyone before me seemed to have mellowed out the room. And frankly, I couldn't stand it. So instead of showcasing any guitar skill, I chose just to play three more upbeat and funny songs, which worked well.