I can’ t believe Christmas is next week. And 2009 is coming the week after! Where the Hell did 2008 go??
Its amazing how when you enjoy what you are doing how the time seems to fly. That’s one way to explain why my last post was in AUGUST. I can’t believe that either!
The last time I blogged, I wrote about Ashley Riley and her CD release party. As I throw down this entry right now, Ashley is back in the house, but it is a much different beast. The place is packed with both performers and audience as our second Friday Night Open Mic grooves along. This is the second in our monthly presentations, which from next month forward will take place the last Friday of every month (the next will be Jan. 30th).
So far, these weekend versions of our regularly scheduled Wednesday night Open Mics have been even more exciting than I had ever initially hoped for. Aside from the fact that they have been ridiculously well attended, the diversity of the performances have been incredible. Not just a rehash of the Wednesday night feel, the Friday night version rightfully rocks out just a bit harder, while still serving up some quieter moments throughout the night.
Take tonight for example: Ashley performed right out of the gate (at 8PM) with a full band for the first time and it was awesome. That has been followed by two more full bands, one of which is rocking right now (the reggae beat can be heard quite clearly from inside the cloffice), as well as some of our favorite Wednesday night singer-songwriter regulars who feed off the Friday night crowd’s energy in ways that do nothing but make them glow even brighter.
And again – the crowd! The entire reason we decided to try this out was that we had talent coming in on Wednesdays that we felt deserved a wider audience. Well, they haven’t disappointed, because the crowds have been super-supportive of these acts! Lots of folks have come in specifically because they were aware of the event, but there are plenty out there who just happened to have wandered in on the right night and who’s attention is now glued to the stage.
Like I said, based off the positive response for these first two events, the game-plan moving forward is to continue with the once-a-month idea and presenting our Friday night Open Mic on the last Friday of every month. So the first one of the new year will be January 30th, 8-11PM. If you haven’t made it out to one of these yet and enjoy a wide variety of exceptional performers doing what they do best, then I can’t encourage you enough to come check out Friday Night Open Mic at Block’s!
