Last night I played my first open mic in Seattle. It’s quite a different scene there than the East side. The room was in the basement of an old church in Fremont, the self-proclaimed center of the universe. It had that dark coffeehouse vibe, without the coffee. The lineup was relentlessly young, hip, confident, and accomplished, none of which I am. And they all wrote their own songs. Even the... Read More

I performed at my first open mic yesterday. It was a rainy Tuesday night at the old train depot in Issaquah. I was late on the sign-up sheet and got stuck near the end, so I was only allotted one song. I had a chance to reflect on the value of going early as I sat through performer after performer who was much better than I, including an 18-year-old who was a fantastic guitar player. He also had... Read More