A decent space, sound equipment and a few good people are all you need to create a community. You’ll soon find yourself attracting more curious listeners and more adventurous drinkers. Then, you will have a ready-made community.
This is the ideal scenario. Unfortunately, many scenes in the early stages of development succumb to cliques, elitism, and stalls in their development. This can lead to stagnation and eventual demise.
However, any stage can serve as a platform to help you reach the top of the musical ladder. As a fearless, curious musician, there will always be people you enjoy talking to at these events. You can only get involved in as much as you want.
Open Mic Nights: The Benefits
These are some ways you can use the open mic circuit in your favor. They’re here to stay for the future, whether you like it. Join them if they’re not your thing.
Test the Waters
If you are starting in life, you will need to have some first-hand experiences.
It’s better to feel what it feels like to be nervous, unprepared and even humiliated at this stage of your life than to have to organize for one. You can show up, plugin and do your job, then relax. It becomes a luxury not to be responsible for mixing your ingredients or setting up your equipment. So thank your lucky stars. Next, thank the person who set it up.
You should not get attached to the first open microphone you attend – there are many others of varying quality and popularity. Keep your friendships close if you make good friends. But don’t let this stop you from venturing out. There are always new pairs of ears at the next venue, so don’t be afraid to ask!
Connecting
There is a good chance that your local open mic will be run by someone who knows the ropes or has some knowledge of the basics.
You can be sure that they will tell you their stories.
Your future bandmates might be right there with you, just as confused about how to move. Be open to answering questions, and be ready to answer a few.
These connections can also be very useful in the future of your music career, especially when it comes down to getting people to your gigs.
If your promoter tells you you need to sell 30 tickets to make ends meet, you will need to think beyond your immediate family members and any school friends who are still in the area.
You’ll know that people will appreciate you musically, not just because they think you’re nice. You can still be nice and go to lots of gigs. Things start to improve when the same faces appear in the same places.
Improve Your Stage Presence
Closer quarters make the audience’s gaze more intense, and it is harder to avoid radio silence. You won’t have to worry about 5000 people talking to you, but it’s more important to keep them focused in a room with 20 people interested in their glasses than you.
You’ll get better at ignoring interruptions such as microphone squeals or the accidental dropping of plectrums. Or, your favorite, a guitar that needs to be tuned exactly now.
You can make light of it by saying, “Oh, there was this time I couldn’t get my guitar in tune and everyone got so annoyed that they just had to leave me home.” This is even more fun. People will be looking for you to deliver speeches at their weddings sooner or later.
Community spirit
It’s nice to contribute to the growth of a society. People are happy to see you. They remember the things you said. In-jokes become more complicated and confusing to others. You find that you enjoy listening to the same songs week in, week out because they remind you of your friends.
It feels like something is happening. So and so is doing a radio program. Let’s go on air and laugh at ourselves. Matey has a decent camcorder. Let’s make a music video with no budget.
You’ll soon gain momentum, and the entire town will be swept up in a tight ball. You can welcome newcomers and spread the love.
A debut of new material
You are working on a song but would like to try it before you take it on the road. You can find a friendly, welcoming environment at a nearby open mic where fellow music lovers are always looking for new things.
It is a relief to know that you will get honest feedback face-to-face from other people in your boat.