Noli Me Tangere

Eddie said sing

So a couple weeks ago I played at the Eddie's Attic open mic night in historic Decatur, GA. This is a weekly event that has grown into quite a spectacle. You have to sign up 3-4 weeks in advance to get a spot, and performers come from all over country to play 2 songs in this open mic. Some participants are touring professionals who are traveling through Altanta. Judges select 3 finalists who perform a 3rd song at the end, then the winner gets $65 and a headlining spot at Eddie's in the near future. There's no audition for the open mic, so the only requirements to get a spot are patience and persistence. Needless to say, the acts are all over the board.

When I walked in, there was a guy playing funky, Jason Mraz-ish pop. He had a silky-soul delivery and good guitar chops. I thought to myself, "what have I got myself into," because he was really good. As the night wore on, we also heard some folks who sounded very amateur, including one girl who played keyboard and intoned this sort of creepy, irregular, stream-of-consciousness poetry about social insecurity and her inner princess. Her voice trembled, and her hair covered her face, sort of like Slash.

It was hard to enjoy it, perhaps because in the back of your head you know it's a competition. In any case, while I enjoyed listening to such a diverse group, it felt like a real critical crowd. I was sure my songs would be dissected and I'd be pronounced a fraud. Needless to say, I was a little nervous and didn't play well.

But I did play, and that was probably the first time I've ever played my stuff in front of other musicians. So it was a moral victory, but it was also a harsh reminder that there are scores of other musicians and songwriters out there who are driven, charismatic, and undeniably talented. Ultimately, it's discouraging that the pathway to artistic expression/outlet that's in any way meaningful to others is so crowded and competitive. I love to play, and derive great joy from communicating things through song that would otherwise go unsaid. But the only way to get a microphone is to claw your way to the top of the heap, and to do that you start to write and play what people want to hear rather than what you want to say. And I have to ask myself, "do I want to chase this rabbit?"

That being said, open mics like Eddie's are sort of exceptions to this rule, in that anyone can play, and they are set up to provide venues for free expression. The shy girl with the keyboard and tormented poetry can share the stage with someone like Kristin Cifelli, who had angel voice like none other. She sounded a lot like Patty Griffin, and ended up blowing everyone else away. I predict we'll hear her name a lot in the near future. Another act that I won't forget is Daniel Lee, who played these really catchy, unusual songs and accompanied his voice and guitar with a hi-hat. His website is hilarious, too.

And thanks to Janie Chu who is another semi-pro singer/songwriter who accompanied me that night. I'll be taking over her spot (for one night only!) at Chocolate Coffee in non-historic Chamblee, GA on Feb 7th.