Most nights of the week in Denver, there is an open stage somewhere--a local bar, pub or venue that allows local musicians to sign a list, get on the stage and play whatever they want for a few minutes. But there's one stage in town that tries to take it to the next level.
If you've ever been to the D-Note in Arvada on Monday nights, you're probably familiar with open-stage ringmaster Jay Ryan. Drawing from his own past experience as a circus performer , Ryan hosts the open stage with a "big-top" theme--he dons a topcoat and top hat (and sunglasses, when he's particularly in the mood), announces each act with a huge buildup (usually comical), and refuses to leave the stage unless the audience gives a big cheer for the upcoming talent.
A veteran musician himself, Jay Ryan currently plays in a band called Cain and April, and is launching another one called HighRaceVine. Like most serious musicians in town, he plugs away at it to pay bills and make a living at it. Yet the Big-Top open stage remains a huge passion for him. A natural cheerleader and coach, Ryan loves to make room for new talent, loves the interaction, loves the sense of community--and is truly excited when promising musicians grace the stage.
So why go to all this trouble for other musicians when he's working so hard at it himself? "Because there is no path," Ryan says. He goes on to use the analogy of baseball, that for upcoming talent there is a prescribed path toward success: little league, high-school and college baseball, the minors and the majors. If you want to play, there is a path to take. With music, Ryan says, there is no prescribed way to "make it", and lots of good musicians are wandering around trying to figure out how to succeed. He sees the open stage as a community, a path, a place to start--a place to learn and grow by listening to other musicians and interacting with them. Many bands he knows, including those he's in, have formed out of open-stage talent. Ryan says he learns as much from each open stage as anyone else, and adds what he learns to his own arsenal for success. "If I'm gonna build a boat," he says, "I'm gonna build it big enough for everyone."
Why the ringmaster schtick? While some might think the big-top theme is "over the top", Ryan believes it weaves a common thread into the evening, for the benefit of the audience as well as the players. When something goes wrong, for example, it's the ringmaster who steps up and draws the audience in while the mess is cleaned up. And Ryan's bigger-than-life, comical M.C. approach puts the nerves of the newcomer at ease, because "if the audience is going to laugh at anyone, it's going to be me." It's the big-top approach that takes a lineup of unknown talent and turns it into a show for the audience.
When asked who among the current open-stage regulars stands out as exceptional talent, Ryan doesn't hesitate: "Brookefield H." (Brookefield H. was profiled here as one to watch earlier this fall.) Also, he mentions Martin Gilmore as a promising regular.
You can catch Jay Ryan's Big-Top Open Stage at the D-Note, 7519 Grandview Avenue in Olde Town Arvada, every Monday between 7 and 10 PM (sign-ups at 6:30).
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