OPEN MICROPHONES 9 & 10

I took the L train over to Williamsburg last night to play two open mikes. It was my second time at both of them. First, I walked over to Pete's Candy Store. I arrived about 30 minutes late to find out that there was no host for the evening. However, someone had created a makeshift signup sheet, so I grabbed spot number 9. I decided to do a song I finished a few days ago that I'd never played in front of an audience. I wrote most of the words for it after visiting Auschwitz during a trip to Krakow last year. I thought it went well, although I'm still trying to figure out how the melody should go near the end. I think I'll give it a B+.

Afterwards, I walked over to open mike number 2 at Bar Matchless with Clara, another open mike attendee from Pete's. I signed up to play 9th and grabbed a beer. This open mike is hosted by Ivan Sandomire, a kind and accommodating individual who always keeps things running smoothly throughout the night. I went on around 10:15 after my new friend Jim Pannea, who played a song about Sarah Palin that he told me he wrote while sitting at the bar before the show. I played a short blues number about a TV anchorman plus an older song about coalmining in Kentucky. The stage is a pleasant place to perform with both good sound and lighting. Several people complained about how the lights were too bright and that they couldn't see the audience. Personally, I prefer to be onstage when the lights are bright. It's like a protective shell I suppose. But either way has its merits.

I took the L train back to Manhattan around midnight, where I gave into temptation and had a slice of Nonna Maria from Bleecker Street Pizza. Then I went home and gave in further by eating a cupcake. And then I watched the season finale of Mad Men with a friendly glass of red wine. On the whole, it was a pretty good Sunday evening.