Jeff Dunn hosts Zephyr Open Mic
Played again at Zephyr tonight. There were quite a few more people tonight, despite the recent bad weather. Jeff Dunn was hosting. I actually met him a few weeks ago at Strega when we both played there. Nice guy – and he was kind enough to invite me to tonight’s open mic back when we first met.
Before the show stared, I ran into Mike again, the sound man / BMW motorcycle guru and Jess “Monkeyblaze” – both of whom were having a good time harassing Mike’s father sitting at the other end of the bar. Sound was less of a problem tonight – we were up and running shortly after I arrived. No shocks tonight either – knock on wood Mikey!
Jeff played a few of his own first – and a couple covers. Nicely done on Doobie Brothers! One girl in the audience was either really into Jeff, or really into something pharmaceutical, because she laid down on the stage (see the picture) and stayed there for most of the song. Yeah, Jeff killed.
Then I jumped up and played a decent set, including an updated version of Brighter Hopes, Polkadots and Moonbeams, and then a brand new song I wrote called “You Know You Want Me” which is sadly out of my range. You’d think I’d know to write a song I could sing, but in my defense this was the first time I’ve actually performed it for an audience, and I have to admit I’m never sure what my range will be when I perform. That’s part of why I started this weekly performance challenge! I gave it my best and it came off ok, but I think it was at this point that the same girl from Jeff’s set who laid on the stage proceeded to fall out of her chair. Nobody seemed to mind, so neither did I. I’m starting to get that feeling from the Zephyr…. and it’s alright with me!
I finished by playing Lady, Dancing, Leaves, and Helter Skelter. Nice to play when there are only a few performers as you get to expand a bit. I would much rather push to play more (at least for my own benefit) than be stuck to two or three. Of course, that depends on the audience – and I tend to start asking if I should keep playing after the 4th, but they were receptive tonight and one member, Dani, even bought me a drink (another PBR) when I had finished. She was on a trip with her boyfriend to Reno for vacation, and she told the highlights of what she’d done for the first time so far – including gambling and getting high. I’m surprised that she hadn’t accomplished the latter in Oregon – you don’t really need to come to Reno to do that.
I left halfway through Ted Zeppelin’s set. Jess was sure to remind me about an upcoming show (this Friday) in anti-honor of Black Friday. Check it out here. All in all, a good night. Happy to have played. Thanks to those who listened and supported!
I’m Chuck McCumber. I live and work in Reno, NV, where I’m finishing my MBA at UNR and where I play at open mics (and an occasional paid ::gasp:: gig) around town. Cecil’s Refrain is my long time music project and this site is a place where I talk about my experiences playing and the fellow musicians, artists, and fans that I meet along the way. I’d love your feedback. And if you’re ever looking to jam, hit me up.
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