Open Mic Review Header

9/24/09

What a way to bring back open mic nights! We couldn't have had better talent within our walls tonight than we did with Janet Ogg, Thor Sage and A Shade Of Red. David Story, who has been playing his guitar at our Brown Street store for the past several weeks relentless, wound up in a four hour long funeral and was unable to play (But look out for him next thursday at Brown street!)

 

The night opened up with a power duo, Janet Ogg and Thor Sage.

About a month ago, Janet Ogg and Thor Sage met on craigslist, as musicians looking for a musical counterpart. After practicing for about two weeks, they choose to showcase themselves at our very own Night and Day cafe. Janet, who has been playing guitar since the tender age of seven, and Thor, who has been playing saxaphone since grade school, meshed their unique sounds into a beautiful, folky, jazzy orchestra. Janet's vocals, reminiscent of Joan Jett, backed by her electric guitar and the ebb and flow of Thor's saxaphone was a treat for everyone's ears. It was quite a sight to see the mix of the two instruments, and it quite possibly couldn't have been pulled off better! Janet and Thor played passionately for over an hour, while being pushed on by their friends in the crowd, wanting to hear more.

 

 

With a very tough act to follow, A Shade Of Red bravely took the stage next, and finished the night out right. Georgia Goad and Sean Pennington, a local duo, were another pleasant surprise of traditional meshing with eccentric. Although A Shade Of Red is well know, even within the Boston Stoker open mic night scene, I had never heard them before. Georgia, who played acoustic guitar, sang with a spicy and sultry far reaching voice that would make the alternative goddesses of the 90's go green with envy. Creating energetic beats for the group was sean, who played a traditional drum set minus a few toms and snares, but plus an african drum. Or maybe tribal? Native American? Regardless, it really spiced things up! The sound that both Georgia and Sean brought to the group ended up being an energetic indie folk music, with eccentric beats and plenty of jokes between songs. A Shade Of Red's sound is like the brilliant but somewhat creepy lovechild of Jack Johnson and Alanis Morissette, Alanis being the creepy factor.

 

We can't wait to have both of these groups back soon, and continue to check out myspace for calendar updates and upcoming shows!

www.myspace.com/bostonstokeropenmic

-Rachel

 

5/18/09

Greetings, Review readers! Thankfully, I get to report that great music keeps coming to the Boston Stoker music scene.

Introducing Bailian: A new band who's played three open mics recently- two in Centerville, and last Thursday on Brown St. Bailian brings a crowd. Good luck finding a seat when the exceptional, young three-piece takes the stage. Bailian, consisting of Brett Hill (Vocals, Guitar), Jack Huber (Bass, Glockenspiel) and Aaron Hardy (Drums/ Percussion) are a welcome addition to Stoker Open Mics and the Dayton music scene in general, via their eerie surfpop style (Imagine if Jack Johnson wrote songs for Thom Yorke (Radiohead)). A typical Bailian set can last up to an hour, but occasionally afterwards the guys have been willing to jam with other players for an exciting experimental time of musical participation!
Bailian are most welcome to return to the Stoker open mic stage. Look for them playing around town very soon.

Our next featured artists are Dan Raridan and Alex Cortez, two-thirds of Dan Raridan and Los(The) Calientes. Dan Raridan-while new to me- has been a part of the Dayton music scene for years, most notably as part of the alt-punk band 'The Tasties'. Shaking things up for the faithful last Thursday at Brown St, The Calientes dished out tasty sonic treats. Dan (Vocals, Guitar) and Alex (Bass) offered up some fine, original, rootsy pop-rock with classic independant flavor. With catchy hooks and melodies reminiscent of The Smithereens and soul like Elvis Costello, Dan and Alex are en route to crafting classic pop music. It's always great to catch artists like this in Dayton. Hopefully we'll be hearing more from Dan and crew. Check out Dan's music @ http://www.myspace.com/danraridanmusic

Fun stuff has been happening company-wide along with the recent open mics, as well. Scott Fleischauer, Mick Evans, and I got to freestyle jam at the Centerville cigar party, and some of the open mic players were invited to entertain guests at the Iron Barista competition in downtown. Big shout-outs to Mascot, A Shade of Red, and Michael Boros for enhancing a great night for the company.

Finally, big thanks to the perennial Dayton coffee shopper, Rob Kramer, for treating us to his chill acoustic style a couple of open mics ago. Watch out James Taylor!

Keep rockin'!
-Micah

 

3/31/09

Hello.

The new, revived Centerville Open Mic kicked off last Friday at the Washington Square seat store, and despite a bit of a slow start, it was good times.

I have to say it was way cool to have a barista staff who were excited to have live music in the store. Friday nights are usually hectic anyways, but the C-ville crew positively welcomed the added dimension. (Who doesn't appreciate live music?)

Centerville Stoker is a fantastic place for live music. It has a good sized stage, tons of couches, tables, comfy chairs, and plenty of space. The sound is nice and warm, and the room is exceptionally comfy-cozy for performers and listeners alike.

Being the first night for Centerville's new open mic, I decided to put a little extra effort in, and lengthened my set. I played for about a half an hour; blending covers, originals, and some progressive, experimental tunes of mine. (Surprisingly well-received, might I add.)
It felt great. I can't stress enough how great this room is.

Next up were Centerville regulars, Randy and Chuck. Randy (vocals, electric guitar) and Chuck (acoustic guitar) have graced the stage at Brown St. before, and decided to prove themselves with a strong comeback at C-ville. Man, Randy's got a cool voice. Think Don Henley (The Eagles) meets the cool of David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) meets tasty guitar. Chuck is skilled as well, complimenting Randy's electric style with tight acoustic finesse. But don't let me romanticize them too much. They're a couple of good ol' buds that like to relax and have fun on stage playing classic covers from bands like The Doors, The Beatles, and
America. Lookin' forward to having these guys back. Ask them to play "Under The Milky Way" by The Church next time you see them.

The surprise "hit" of the night (literally) came Stoker's own Scott Fleischauer. Scott is a gifted djembe player/percussionist/supervisor extraordinaire (;-D). I see Scott just about every week at the store, but I didn't realize his percussive ability until I heard him on a live recording of his band The Droney Tones. The Droney Tones from Portland Oregon actually have a droney, organic, and almost world music sound; psychedelic, man! Scott has a pretty good feel for music. It was a blast to get a jam session going with him and Chuck and Randy later in the night.

Great night. I'm really excited for the next Centerville Open Mic night. So much fun.

In the meantime, see you this Thursday at Brown St.

Peace,
Micah

(P.S., Erik. There, I Said it.)

 

3/19/09

Hey!

Thanks for checking out the new Boston Stoker Open Mic journal. I'm Micah, the traveling host of Stoker open mics, along with Parris Graves in Troy.

Things have been pretty happening every other Thursday at The Night And Day Cafe on Brown St., and last night was no exception.

I usually kick things off by playing a few songs, but I was especially excited last night to open up with covers of two of my favorite 90's alternative songs. One that I learned just yesterday by the little-known Brett Williams And In Reach, and a heartfelt ballad by Toad The Wet Sprocket. Thanks to Jason Chasteen for playing 2nd guitar on the Brett Williams tune.

Jason Chasteen was the next performer to take the stage. Jason is no stranger to open mics. For years Jason was a regular player at Taffy's open mic in Eaton. Jason is known to belt out familiar faves by classic rock/alternative acts like the Toadies, The Allman Bros., and Pearl Jam, but on the right night you might be surprised to hear a hilarious version of Britney Spears. The highlight of Jason's performance last night was an inspiring rendition of 'Change' by Blind Melon.

Following Jason were Stoker open mic favorites, A Shade Of Red. The two-piece A Shade Of Red, fronted by Georgia G.(vocals/guitar) and Jeff (bass/back up vocals) offers up passionate, honest, reflective, and original folk music. Georgia's lovely vocal character- similar to Ani DiFranco's- rests quite nicely on top of her eclectic guitar work, all well backed up by Jeff's solid and clever bass lines. Interesting stuff. It's been great to hear this band progress and perform new material. I hear from the band that there might be additions of percussion, keys, and electric guitar in the near future.
I really like their new song "Sores".
Check them out at www.myspace.com/1shadeofred

The newcomer of the night; singer/songwriter, Al Holbrook. A talented keyboardist and vocalist, Al's live style is reminiscent of John Legend. Smooth, soulful R'n'B, with a lil' club in the mix. His myspace profile (here: http://www.myspace.com/alholbrook ) demonstrates more of his aggressive sound, but believe me, he can croon with classic soul style.
Hopefully we'll hear more impressive, hard hitting songwriting from Mr. Holbrook in the near future.

Finally, capping off the night was Michelle Bullock. Michelle is a Brown St. Open Mic vet with a great set of pipes and heck of a lot of spunk. Michelle somehow manages to blend a beautiful voice, stripped down guitar, and raw personality; often taking breaks in between songs to tell the audience "how it is." Though Michelle performs mostly original songs, it should be noted that she owns 'Sweet Home Alabama' when she covers it. Big thanks to Michelle for stopping by when she's not too busy rocking out with her punk band. You can find Michelle here: www.myspace.com/michellebullock

That about wraps up this entry for this week's Open Mic Journal. Thanks for reading.

Remember: OPEN MIC @ THE WASHINGTON SQUARE STORE IN CENTERVILLE, FRIDAY, THE 27TH. 6:30 TO 9:30.

Cheers,
Micah