I think the open mic was terrible!

[Casey H]

What really got my underwear in a knot was the very title of the thread, "I think the open mic was terrible." That's a much stronger statement than simply making suggestions. Now, I may lack objectivity because I had such a great time at the rally and was so thrilled to be there, that this kind of negativity ticked me off. Of course, we suggest to performers that they be better prepared, rehearsed, etc. Regarding the performers being better prepared... What can anyone really do short of making it a complex (and costly) process of auditions, selections, etc? And the random name selection was meant to give as many people as possible a chance without it being a competition... The organizers were trying to be fair! I bet mega-bucks that if there was a screening process, this board would be riddled with complaints about not being selected!!No event is perfect in every way to all people, especially 2000 or more. If you were pleased with 90% of the experience and thought some aspect could be improved, using words like "terrible" in a public forum is bad style, IMHO. Step outside of TAXI and the music world. Pretend your company just threw a great picnic for all their employees, spouses, and kids. There were games for the kids, great BBQ'd hot dogs, events for the adults, gag awards, etc, etc... But you thought the way they chose up sides for the softball game wasn't the best. Would you say something to the boss like, "the way they picked sides for the softball game was terrible!" Think of the emotional impact of the word "terrible" and the focus on the one small thing that wasn't perfect for you.Anne, Stick and friends ... I'm not ragging on you at all. Your hearts are in the right place and I know it... You are simply giving advice to folks who are thinking of performing in the future... Most likely if the thread didn't open with that title, I wouldn't have even noticed it. Casey

[stick]

Thanks Steve. You da man. You guys are all right on this subject... as I've learned through this, the Open Mic is different things to different folks. Now I know what it'll be for me next year (unless they get Jon Brion or something!)... time to hang out with you guys! Maybe we should have our own little open mic so you can all laugh at my singing.

[johnnydean1]

Quote:Quote:ok so some of u are upset, but why should we all lie that everyone is good or made the effort.in my life i only get told the truth. so thats the way it should be. does simon cowells tell the bad acts on american idol that they're good for effort.... nah, not in the real world.only your families will like your efforts... no-one else.so if your good keep doing what u do.if your bad then dont give up the day job. Simon's JOB is to give that type of feedback and the performers come there expecting it.You were not giving honest feedback to a friend who asked for it. You broadly said the whole thing was "terrible", to use your word.There is a difference between honesty and knowing when not to say anything at all... e.g:"Hi Honey... Your hair looks like sh*t today and those pants make you look fat...[** SMACK **].... But honey, I was just sharing honest, open communication with you..." (He never heard the shot) CaseyI haven't met a Muso yet who does not exagerate his/her opnion on all things musical.Maybe he should have said,I was bored or I was unispired.Would that have hurt any the less?

[aubreyz]

Quote:....No, I wasn't at the downstairs mic... But I find the very idea of having a THREAD saying you were disappointed with the level of talent bothersome. It's just one of those negative things that that only serves to hurt some people's feelings. If you had played there and read this, how would you feel? And maybe the intention WAS NOT for it to be a competition of who can be best, but a place for people to have fun and enjoy playing for a crowd. I've not had a chance to join in here and get my share of pummeling But honestly, I said in person the same exact thing as the title of this thread. That's too broad of a statement of course, there were a few glimmering moments, but the whole open mic thing was the most depressing part of the whole rally for me, except for going home .I must admit, that I had a total misunderstanding of what it was and very unreal expectations. I guess I read between the lines and created my own reality. I thought it was a big deal. I thought that the same opportunity to "be heard by the industry" in the listening panels, and the lobby hangouts would exist in the open mic - but hey, I was a newbie. I busted my butt to get a few minus tracks mixed, and was well rehearsed. I know it was a luck of the draw, but if we got the draw I didn't want to blow such a great opportunity.The first night, we lugged the guitar and pedal board down the elevator-- it was go big or go home. I was still kind of buzzing by how exciting this whole thing was. it was the TAXI Rally and we were there and had a chance to perform. To make a long story short, we sat there for the entire 3 1/2 hours. It felt like 18. Some moments were brutal. In the whole session I heard a few decent songs, a few good performers, but as a whole it was major amateur night. And yes, I've done the Nashville open mic thing too. This was not at all that. By the end of the first night my excitement of maybe winning the lotto and getting on the stage was replaced with sheer depression. Casey, I understand your point about not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings. But this is not a "feel good" kind of game we're playing. I also know that many songwriters are not performers-- that wasn't the problem either. I was depressed because surely most of those folks had picked out the best of their best. There were quite a few that need a real wakeup call - too many people have patted them on the back not wanting to "hurt their feelings". There were many times I felt like I was in some kind of Farside Cartoon episode of "I write the songs Karaoke night". I'm not trying to be overly harsh, and now that I know what to expect I'm sure my reaction would be different.After that grueling first night it became obvious that my time was better spent hanging with the dots and looking for other opportunities. There were not any "industry" types in the open mic. It would have been cool and felt good to get on stage in front of several hundred Taxi Members, but I wasn't there to feel good and after I understood what it was, the open mic wouldn't have achieved as much for us as the lobby networking did.For me, I must admit, the open mic was terrible. After that first night I doubt we would have taken the stage even if our name had been called. Upstairs was more interesting, but I didn't find that until the second night. Based sheerly on the number of people who attended each night, there were many that found value in it. I'm not trying to discount that. But there may have been some real value if there were a few Simons on stage giving some "wake up and smell the coffee" advice.Aub

[Casey H]

I am officially off my soap box... Thanks for listening... Casey

[squidlips]

Good post, Craig. Insightful. I appreciate that. And I wish there were more folks out there willing to give a songwriter more time and thought. From what I've read, I think the Rally sort of ratchets up expectations of how songwriters think they should behave. I would think a lot of folks go to a gig like that with some idea of what they're going to do/say/sing/play, imagining what it will be like when they get there, opps they'll have, what they'll say. And this translates into critical viewing of others, I think, and before you know it, everyone has unspoken expectations about everyone else at a gig like that. (ex: members who put their cds in the wrong genre box)I think there's an expectation by some of the more experienced members that if you've got the one chance at the Rally to go up and do whatever bit is going to rep you, it should be spit-polished and shined. And to be honest, I wouldn't put my name in a hat either, unless I had a song like that in my pocket somewhere, ready to be used. People judge in a matter of seconds now. I wish they took the time you do, it's wonderful. But, in general, they don't. You've got about 60 seconds to grab them, if that. At an open mic for something like the Rally, where there are literally hundreds of songwriters (all with unspoken expectations), you've probably got even less than that. They've been listening to songs handed to the wrong genre all day, shown examples of music that needs work. They've been taking classes on song critique all day long. It makes sense that they're going to be uber-sensitive to what they're hearing (hopefully for enjoyment alone) at the open mics. Jes like it's hard for me to write now without taking the screeners into account (stop that, squid, stop that! ). This could be me, though. I don't like to risk much during a performance due to stage fright so I minimize that by preparing until that song is almost second nature to me, I could do it backwards, forwards, in my sleep. Reduces risk of mistakes, anxiety, anything that might lower the level of performance I'm used to. I realize most folks don't have that handicap but wouldn't it make sense to put your best foot forward the one time of the year when someone really could be listening? Jes me though. I live with a screener nazi in my head.

[jimi]

In the last few years, JP Folks had a great open mic after the event.Though not an "official" part of TAXI, I really missed it this year.generally, Open Mics are a vehicle to test drive new songs & or tune up your performance, align yourself with others in your communityit is NOT a place to expect grand national competition.

[matto]

Quote:Quote:Interestly enough, there was a Hit Songwriter's Teaching Concert and the ballroom was practically empty. Huh, I woulda made at least that one. Weird.I did and it was brilliant...Also, there was a "best of Taxi" artist showcase at one of the Rallies a few years ago one night instead of the open mic. Apparently it wasn't too big of a hit either...I remember liking that one too. I think open mics are really all about participation. People are applauded for having the guts to perform and bare their souls. Not so much for having great songs or performing them well. I think they attract a certain kind of performer and certain kinds of songs. It's that old "Kumbaya" vibe again... To me they're kind of the musical equivalent of Youth Hostels. Perfectly valid in every way, but not everyone's cup of tea...Btw I didn't get a chance to attend either Open Mic this year, so I'm not talking about anybody specifically who performed there this year... matto

[Casey H]

Hi Michael DeanSome good comments and suggestions... I was one of those "scared sh*tless" folks at the upstairs open mic on Saturday night. I admit, as a total non-performer with no goal to become one, I can only see one side of it.There was an email address set up by taxi specifically for rally feedback and suggestions. I can't seem to find it now but if you use memberservices@taxi.com and label it as "Rally Suggestions", I'm sure it will get where it should. Can I suggest you email these thoughts to taxi? Last I read they were assembling a list of these suggestions in one place so they can review them all. (Jimi: If you see this, can you post that address again?)Regards,Casey

[stick]

Very subtle there, manager-boy.