The Online Open Mic Scene
With so many open mics happening every day in Suffolk, you may have a overlooked a slightly more secretive music scene happening behind closed doors...The Online Open Mic.
Recently we spoke to local musician online open mic connoissuer Terence Reed about what it is like to participate in an online open mic. From speaking with Terence, it's clear that these events, which connect people from different countries on a weekly basis, can be just as special as any other open mic night.
Terence at The Angel, Woodbridge. Photos by Clayton Photography
How often is the Jim Jam's open mic?
It started life as a Wednesday night pre covid event in a pub in Pimlico. We were IT consultants from as a far a field as Cornwall, Suffolk & Glastonbury, working and staying in london during the week. When we left London, we decided to continue with the open mic on Zoom, and it was hosted every Thursday night, expanding to include friends from Germany, Finland, Poland, and further afield.
Do you need any special equipment to join this type of open mic?
Oh my, there's a thing. No! It varies from an iphone and a ukelele up to some people (like myself!) with a mixer, microphones, digital effects and much more. There's even a music setting on Zoom which makes it possible to jam with each other live.
The Online Open Mic
Is there a ‘scene’ of online open mics?
Well, kind of..In between the Thursday open mic there are various musical collaborations happening. There's also FAWM - February Album Writing Month - where the challenge is to write, record and share 14 songs in 28 days. Sometimes someone will show us a set of lyrics and we all set about writing and recording our own song to them. I'm also in an online band called the Electric Trousers - you can find them on Youtube & Spotify!
You have in fact written a collaborative album online...can you tell us about this?
With so many collaborations going on and songs being written it only seemed natural to put together an album. The album, Original Sound (the title coming from the Zoom setting we all kept forgetting to set!) was released in September back in the original Pimlico Pub with members of the open mic there to support it's release. All proceeds from sales are going to Tonic Music For Mental Health. It'll be on spotify soon but for the time being, you can stream it on BandCamp.
Should there be more online open mics? Are they a good environment to try out new songs?
Sure, although you can't beat the atmosphere of a normal pub, online can be a great environment to risk new songs or try off the wall ideas with a close group of friends.
Finally (and most importantly!), do you all have a pint as you sing? As you do at a pub open mic!
Oh yes, oh very yes. We have beers, tears, virtual hugs, breaks to get another pint, open a bottle of wine...snacks...do a song or two, put the world to rights, the usual stuff.
