Countdown to 100: 4 - Baker Street Pub
Chronicling the final 10 out of 100 Open Mic and Showcase performances I have done since June 2011. This is #97.
It was a dark and rainy night when I set out for Baker Street… OK, that’s cheesy and ominous sounding. Or it might be ominous if it wasn’t so cheesy! But it WAS dark, cold and drizzling when I headed out for the bus last night to go back to the Sherlock Holmes themed Baker Street Pub. Luckily the busses that are overly air-conditioned in the hot weather are nice and toasty during the cold weather, and Baker Street was nice and toasty too.
There was a football game showing on the big projector screen in front of the stage when I walked in, and a big rowdy crowd enjoying said game. I had a moment of nervousness, “Sheesh, they are going to kill us if we take away their game for some acoustic songwriter music…” Luckily there are a ton of other TVs around, and I think someone even said that the game they were watching ended right around our start time anyway. The room definitely cleared out a good deal when the music started though. Just one of many opportunities not to take things personally. :-)
Some people are paying attention though, because the past couple nights I’ve had performers who have seen me at other venues come up and say, “Hey, what number are you at?” Some over estimate, some under estimate, but either way, it means they have been listening and I’ve made some sort of impression!
I had a new/old song to try out on the crowd. I’d been going through my YouTube videos and found one from several years ago that I wrote when my brother moved to New York City. Luckily I’d put the lyrics in the description, so I pasted them into a Google document, chopped it up and put it back together in what I think is a tighter/stronger song. It could probably still use a little bit of tweaking, but after the set one of the hosts said she liked the second song, so even if she didn’t completely hear all the words and whatnot, that was good feedback, enough for me to keep trying it out.
There is definitely a push in the open mic scene to bring something new as often as possible. People start to recognize you and then the next time they see you they say, “Got anything new?” It’s a tricky balance though, because playing at least some of the same songs is part of what gets them to recognize you. I’ve had a few times where people don’t really seem to recognize my face but when they hear the songs they say, “Oh yeah, I saw you at such and such other open mic!”
It’s also funny to compare that situation to a songwriter who has had either some or a great level of recognition. For those folks, the audience always wants to hear the same hit song, or the songs from the album that made the artist famous. I suppose that could be another measuring stick of success - earning the right and expectation to play the same song at every single show! ha!
In any case, that’s part of why I created my spreadsheet back in June to document these open mics. I wanted to be sure and not play the exact same sets at any one venue two weeks in a row. Turns out there is a set of folks who make the open mic rounds almost as much as I do, so they are going to end up hearing the same songs multiple times a week, but I really can’t do much about that. :-)
I also ended up having a nice conversation with a construction worker dude while waiting for my second bus home. He noticed the guitar on my back, asked me what kind of music I played and talked about how inspiring music was to him, and how he wished he had the talent to play, but all he had talent for was a hammer. I told him maybe he could play a drum, and also that it was never too late to start and be simple about it.
Funny that in the past two nights of bus rides, I’ve run into someone who wants to have a conversation about how inspiring music is to them. I feel like even without them hearing me play a note, we made a brief connection and I was still able to share my message about how important and healing music can be, and that it doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated to make a happy little difference. I hope our simple little conversations made some happy difference in their lives, because they filled my heart up with a little more gratitude for this music thing!
Songs:
Keep Telling Me, A Sister’s Prayer, Rain Song
Hosts:
Justin & Tiffany of Justif
Location:
Baker Street Pub & Grill
3003 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704-4703
(512) 691-9140
Sundays - Sign up at 6:45, Music at 7-till close. 3 to 4 songs depending on how full the list is.
Favorite Baker Street eats: This week I tried the Kraken Cookie Crumble, which ended up being rather like a grown-up milkshake almost. Kraken Spiced Rum and Gingerbread Syrup and like, cream or something, on ice, with some spiced sugar on the rim… Wowzers. Yum. :-)
Other things I like about Baker Street Pub: All the fun Sherlock Holmes themed decor inside - bookcases, leather chairs, a London phone booth replica!
