Acoustic Open Mic

The leader of the Downingtown Acoustic Jam meetup e-mailed the group that there's a new opn-mic on Tuesday nights. It's in an old barn that's currently a carpet store, and the owners are into music and want to support the local music scene. I talked to my aikido- and band-mate Eric, and we decided to go check it out last night.

We brought our acoustics with us, but left them in the car, as we weren't sure how big the crowd would be, and if we'd want to get up and play. We got there at the posted time of 7:00, but things were running late, and it was probably after 7:30 before anything started. There was a small, friendly group of maybe 15 people, and most were from the meetup group.

With such a small group, we didn't hesitate to sign up for a slot to play, and we ended up going third (after the owner, who went first, then a guy who played a scorching electric guitar - he had a tiny amp and a recorded backing track, and did a great job on Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover.")

We did two songs: "Crossroads" and "Bring it on Home" - two songs we know backwards and forwards, and had actually played together on the acoustics last weekend. We weren't perfect, but I think we did a creditable job. Most of all, it was a lot of fun.

We both had to get home, and weren't able to stay until the end, but I hope to get back there again on a Tuesday evening, and I salute the people who are trying to make this happen. If I find a website, I'll post the URL.

Addendum: the open mic facility is being called "The Rock", located inside the Exton Carpet & Rug Company at 160 Park Road, Downingtown, PA 19335 (Corner of Route 100 and Park) by Pearls Market. Here are the details:

Occurs every Tuesday
Sign Up at 7:00 PM
Performance starts at 7:30 PM
Admission - $3
BYOB – wine or beer only