I think the open mic was terrible!

[stick]

[sigh ]

[Casey H]

I walked away from this thread upset and disappointed.... maybe a little angry ... I don't know if I am overreacting but something doesn't feel right about this thread.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. Now I do appreciate that people want to make positive suggestions regarding how do to this differently at future rallies. Maybe sending those directly into TAXI might be better than commenting publicly on people's talent level.I love you all- my fellow dots, but this one hit me this way... Casey

[stick]

Hmmm, yeah Casey, you're probably right. (Says Stick down in his newly dug hole) But, let me keep repeating, not everyone was disappointing. And I should clarify that... disappointing TO ME. I've never been to a Rally. I was expecting to hear some great songs and solid performances, which with a couple exceptions wasn't the case. There were some that I enjoyed hearing. Perhaps to those performing and the folks cheering loudly for everyone the open mic is exactly what they want and are very encouraged to either get the chance to play or hear what others are writing or playing. And yeah, since we're all about encouragement around here, I can understand how this thread isn't that. As far as my ideas about something different for next year, I was simply trying to not jump in a conversation with a critique without what in my opinion could be a better solution. Again, Casey, you're probably right. Thanks for speaking your mind.

[tedsingingfox]

Another reason I kept my mouth shut. But I gotta say, my years of open mics taught me so much about people. And most times, I applaud the most for the worst performers, just because (male or female), it takes balls to get up there and expose yourself.I was there once. I bet you were, too.Ted

[alstallio]

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.

[tedsingingfox]

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. What's wrong with applauding someone who's just started writing songs 3 months ago for sticking their neck on the chopping block and making the effort to challlenge their scared self to take that first step? Step back for a minute and remember the time when the only people telling YOU that you were any good was your family and friends. Empathy goes a long way, here , so Breathe, OK?Ted

[paults]

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. What's wrong with applauding someone who's just started writing songs 3 months ago for sticking their neck on the chopping block and making the effort to challlenge their scared self to take that first step? Step back for a minute and remember the time when the only people telling YOU that you were any good was your family and friends. Empathy goes a long way, here , so Breathe, OK?TedI'll take that one step further - if a person gets some kind of validation or amusement by starting a thread to proclaim in a public forum that an entire group of performances was "terrible", I think that says much more about the person than it does about the performances.

[stick]

Guys, I'm sorry to be coming off like I must be... I'm really not trying to be a jerk about this. (FWIW, I didn't start the thread, but thoughtlessly jumped on the bandwagon.) Of course it's good for inexperienced performers to gain experience. Of course not everyone is going to be awesome. Of course you learn about yourself and others when you put yourself out there. My hang up is the choice of venue for putting yourself out there. Is the TAXI convention with hundreds of musicians the best place to try out a song for the first time? The place to figure out where the cord goes into your guitar? The place to play a song with your guitar frightfully out of tune? Yeah, all these happened while I was sitting there watching. Casey and Ted, if it will make you feel better I'll gladly go back up and delete my posts. In fact I'm going to just edit out my poorly chosen language and leave the ideas for something that would be more interesting TO ME in place of that time at the Rally. I certainly don't want to be discouraging to anyone, but encouraging to those that are trying to get better. And I'm at the top of that list. If nothing else you've helped me understand a little better what the point of that open mic is supposed to be... and it's clearly not what I thought it was going to be as a Rally newbie. I do appreciate that we can discuss and help each other understand even with the communication barrier that this style of converstation imposes. I hope you guys got to know me enough at the Rally to know I'm not out to knock anyone else down. -b

[squidlips]

Well, one day I'm gonna make it to the Rally so I guess I'm curious......what is everyone's expecations of the open mic? I thought an open mic was simply a place where anyone could get up and do their bit. Maybe drawing from a hat somehow changed that expectation?

[mazz]

I think what Stick is saying is that maybe the Rally is the place to put your best foot forward at all times and the local coffeehouse open mic is the place to work the bugs out of your songs.The Rally is not an invited open mic and the term "open" mic should be an indicator to anyone that you may or may not get a level of brilliance that meets up to your pre-conceptions.More than once it was discussed around a few drinks that the TAXI membership is a microcosm of the larger world of the music business. In that case, there's going to be a huge variety of people at all levels and they rarely are all represented in one place like they are at the Road Rally. How many brilliant pieces of music never got pulled out of the boxes at the listening panels compared to how many were actually played? You can judge for yourself if you were there. No wonder A/R people come off cranky sometimes!Let everyone have their shot at the big stage in LA. Not to be too presumptious but you've got two legs and probably know how to stand up and walk out of a room. There's plenty of nice folks to talk to if you need a break from the open mic. Walk over to the bar, don't torture yourself!. Mazz