JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Musician Message Forum Open Mic NITE

Big Jim,
That's a bit different than here. All of the open mics I've been to in the Tampa area are for the most part original music, with some covers, rarely is there any kind of fee involved, and no one ever asks the musicians to play a certain tune, unless they're friends and want to hear a certain tune the musician wrote.

As a matter of fact, the open mic I go to most had a "no covers" policy for a long time, and they've just done away with that, but the vast majority of performers play original music there.

Different strokes for different folks. I personally get bored hearing some chick with an acoustic sing Stevie Nicks tunes. I'd much rather hear original music. But the nice thing about the scenario you describe is that there's an audience. The open mic audiences around here consist of the musicians who come and whatever friends they drag with them. It's more of a support club for singer/songwriters than an anything else. But maybe that's why I enjoy it so much.