Open-mic nights seem to be the place to be on weekdays—maybe even on weekends, too— in Jackson. This summer, I frequented them at Fenian's Pub and Martin's Lounge. One of my musician friends tried his best to perform at those bars each week. One Monday night at Martin's (my first time going to Martin's on a Monday), I joined him for open-mic night. I didn't know what to expect.
Chris Rybolt, Martin's bartender, manager and music booker, had set up a microphone and some sound equipment toward the back of the primary bar. When I walked in, my friend was already setting up to play, his maroon hollow-body Gretsch hanging from a guitar strap around his body and a cold Blue Moon—one of our favorite beers—in hand. I sat at a table with several of our friends; we made up about half the attendees at the bar.
I expected that open mic would be something like karaoke, where you got to play one song at a time, but my friend, who was playing first that night, performed at least four or five. He had a whole set list planned. This was also my first time seeing him perform live for an audience that wasn't a few friends in a room or Millsaps College students sitting outside on campus. I recognized all of the songs he played; they were originals, but he had played them for me on different occasions.
Every time I've seen him play at open-mic nights since then, people have come up to him after to let him know that he did a great job or to ask if he had any CDs available. He would just direct them to his SoundCloud account. Although he is only 22, he believes he is starting his musical career late. While other people his age and younger were doing the open-mic scene already and even getting bands together and recording EPs and LPs, he was busy studying for music theory and other Millsaps classes. What he should realize, however, is that it is almost never too late to pursue a passion and that he should not be comparing himself to others anyway. That's a sure way to feel like a failure.
Chicago-based blues and rock player Voo Davis—who plays at Underground 119 Oct. 26—says he didn't even start playing the guitar until he was about 19. Now, at 40 years old, Davis has two full-length records, the latter of which came out in September. The first album, "A Place for Secrets," spent seven months on the American Music Awards and Roots Music Report charts. I'm sure that at some points in his life, he also felt as if he should have been making music instead of doing something else.
For this year's music issue, I interviewed Jackson-based Adam Collier, aka AJC, of AJC and the Envelope Pushers. He's 28 years old and is working to release his first LP in April. He is relying on community support to make it happen and is hopeful about the coming months. AJC has big plans and knows that Jackson will help him out.
The Jackson music scene, as Lydia Bain of Wink & the Signal described it to the JFP (page 16), is full of different age groups and skill levels working together to help each other succeed. The community aspect of the scene is strong, and to some it might be daunting.
Someone on Twitter recently asked the Jackson Free Press what the best ways are to get involved with the Jackson music scene. Some might think that a silly question because Jackson seems to be flourishing with music, but I would say that many of those artists have long been part of the scene in one way or another.
From the outside, it might be easy to wonder how to get in. Everyone seems to know each other already, as last year's "Jackson's Musical Family Affair" illustrated. Artists in and around the city have come together, regardless of genre, age or gender, to create great music.
No matter how you want to be involved in the Jackson music scene and its various sub-scenes, a place for you exists. Shows need volunteers, promoters need street teams and bands need members.
The easiest and quickest way, however, to get involved with music in Jackson is show your face at music events around town. Working in an office with Music Listings Editor Tommy Burton has shown me just how much music is happening in Jackson. Each week, the music listings email ([email protected]) gets dozens of messages detailing upcoming events, all of which go up at jfp.ms/musiclistings. Some names come up each week, often with more than one performance per week. Venues such as Duling Hall, Martin's Lounge, Ole Tavern on George Street, Freelon's Bar and Groove, and Hal & Mal's have live music each week.
Open-mic nights are also an important part of Jackson nightlife.
While some may think open mic is just stomping ground for amateur artists, it has actually proven to be the opposite for me. I wouldn't call a single thing about the performances I saw this summer "amateur."
Each artist was professional and seemed seasoned in his or her approach to performing, regardless of age or genre. Some of the people performing at Martin's or Fenian's were there almost every week just like my friend.
Open mic was the only time that some of them ever get the opportunity to perform for an audience. Others were accustomed to playing around town either solo or with full bands and did open mic for fun, more exposure, or a change of scenery.
The longer I stay in Jackson, the more I discover about its rich musical history and present. This year's artists to watch show just how diverse Jackson's music scene is right now.
If anyone is wondering how to get involved or get started, they should just take some advice from the folks featured in this issue. They're making it happen, and so can everyone else.
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