Dennis does open-mic night with The Zombies

dennisg
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Tue Jun 26, 2012 4:28 pm

I have to say, it's really a pleasant experience to be up on a stage, just starting a song, and to see the audience immediately engaged with what I'm doing. Yeah, I know, it's just barely a shadow of what real professional performers get to experience on an almost nightly basis, but even with only 30 people in the audience instead of 30 thousand, it still felt very nice. I've come to understand that audiences really do want you to succeed. They want you to blow them away with good music they can tap their feet to and sing along with.

One of the things I mention in the article I wrote for Wood & Steel magazine is the importance of song choice. I suggest in the article that you go with an uptempo song that the audience knows, and for open-mic night I decided to follow my own advice -- which is why I chose She's Not There. It's a song that everyone knows, yet isn't over-exposed on the radio.

Now, on to your comments:

Daryl: Getting a whoop and a wow is an awesome feeling (as is nailing the licks). Thanks.

Michele: A billion thanks for your always enthusiastic support. It means the world to me.

Tom: Your reaction to the song is exactly the reason I chose it: it's an old favorite that people probably haven't heard in a long time. Thanks for watching the video.

Jay: Thanks, Jay. Yes, my wife is ... uh, compelling. I plan to do a lot more open-mics -- maybe one per month, although I probably won't record them all.

Suzi: I guess I am sort of proud of myself, but the overriding feeling I had after the performance was relief that the terror I experienced at my first open-mic isn't a permanent condition. It was almost paralyzing the first time, and it's a wonder I got through my two songs. Before I go on, I pay attention to how the other performers are introducing their songs, and I've learned to keep the intros short and sweet. There's a fine art to that, I realize, and kibitzing with the audience is all part of it.

Hydro: I didn't intend to imply that anyone in the audience was annoying, including the nice lady who sang harmony. To be honest, I wasn't even aware she was doing it until I played back the video. She happened to be sitting near the camera. What I DID find annoying while I was up there was the feedback I was hearing after the sound man boosted my guitar volume. I'm glad you liked the video and I appreciate your comment.

Rick: Fess up -- is it my trips to the nail salon or my open-mic performances that have you living my life vicariously?

Tony: Yeah, my voice was a mess all day, and I could never rehearse the song without descending into a coughing fit. It was probably psychosomatic -- my brain's way of instructing my body to protect me from the panic I assumed I'd be experiencing that night. As I mentioned to Suzi, chatting with the audience is a good thing ... so long as you keep it brief, relevant, interesting, inviting, and possibly humorous.

Marc: I know this is a song you like, and I thought of you that night. Your support for this song is what helped me decide to choose it. So thanks very much.

Craig: Hey, I wish you had been in the audience. Thanks for your nice comment.

Chris: I love your observation -- "That's a great song to do live, Dennis, short and sweet but with great impact and dripping with nostalgia." I agree with you. In that regard, it's a great song to bring to an open-mic night. One more thing, Chris: it's also an easy song to do, and that was an important consideration for me after my Autumn Leaves experience from 9 months ago. I appreciate your enthusiasm and support for this video.

Willem: Yeah, there's nothing like using words like "puberty" and "sobriety" to get the audience's attention. I'm pretty sure most people in the audience hadn't experienced either of those things in decades. I hope you try out this very fun song. I'd love to hear what you do with it.

Cori: Yep, you hit the nail on the head -- this song was a huge confidence builder. Just to know that I can pull it off successfully, get the audience behind me and enjoy the experience was exactly the result I hoped for. Thanks so much for your generous comments.

Anton: So nice to hear from you. Regarding the somewhat unusual strumming I do on this song: it's what came out of my guitar the very first time I tried to play it. It's not something I ever thought about or planned or even practiced -- luckily, it was just there.

Bob: Thanks so much. Very nice of you.

Pierre: I'm only too happy to act as your tour guide on this adventure. As you've probably guessed by now, I'm a pretty analytical person. So it won't surprise you to know that I went away and thought a lot about my first open-mic experience, so what you see in these two latest videos is a direct result of my figuring out what works and what doesn't. As Chris noted, She's Not There is an almost perfect song to bring to an open-mic for so many reasons. It's easy to play and has very few lyrics, so it's a tough song to screw up. Thanks so much.

Rhapsidy: You are absolutely right -- the fear of screwing up is just paralyzing. That's why I chose the song I did and didn't give a lot of thought to the possibility that I'd mangle it. I appreciate your comment.

Pete: Nice of you to watch the video. Thanks so much.

Ness: As we say in English, better late than never. I can't even count how many times I thought of you before, during, and after the performances. Your comment about relating to the audience was hugely valuable to me, so I decided to begin the process almost from the moment I stepped onto the stage. However successful I was at that, I have you to thank for it. We'll have to wait and see if I can get Jamie back up there. And, yes, I was enormously proud of her.


AcousticAl
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Wed Jun 27, 2012 8:40 pm

Home run with this one, Dennis!

You seemed so confident up there. Bottle it up and send it my way for when I ever do an open mic night!

Congratulations.


Chasplaya
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Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:44 pm

Dennis Sorry missed this one till now. The simple fact you've got the audience engaged, singing along wooping! states you've made it as a perfomer. Really well done. Also the fact you've done a self critique is great, means you won't rest on your laurels.


Catman
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Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:45 pm

Late to this one as I haven't been able to access videos recently.

Dennis, that was a fantastic performance from both you and your better half! I think it's all be said by now (late as usual) but I second it all.


MarkM
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Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:59 pm

Well look at you Dennis. You old pro!!! Playing some serious catch up with the TG forums today and just came across this. Wow!! Loved it. Your vocals were seriously strong on this one. You had some great vocal tone for this song. This song fits you like a glove. You should be very proud for these performances. Thanks Dennis I really enjoyed this one. Now I'll have to find that other one that you and Jamie did.


MarkM


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