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A very random open mic night
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Probably more rare than a photo of Bigfoot...
Earlier this week I found a short, mysterious posting on Craigslist that advertised an open mic night every Thursday at a place called the Coach House off of Belair Road at Kenwood Avenue. Last night, having little better to do with my time, I decided to venture out and see what this venue – previously unbeknownst to me – had to offer. Would it turn out to be a hidden oasis of undiscovered singer-songwriter talent? Or maybe this was all just part of some elaborate marketing ploy, created to trick me into listening to a timeshare presentation on a Thursday night... In any case, I decided to take a chance and go.
After successfully finding my way there, I was surprised to walk into a near empty bar area, occupied by only a couple people that appeared to be regulars at the establishment. But further back in the corner, sure enough, there were three guys playing music – a drummer, a guitarist, and a very intoxicated man hitting some congas. The only other person listening to the trio came up to me and introduced himself. His name was Bobby-O, and he was as friendly as could be. He explained that the open mic night was a weekly affair, organized by Joe, the guy currently playing the guitar. Just as I was preparing to spend the night listening to Joe and his two buddies play through the classics, another group of musicians began coming in with instruments and gear in hand. Much to my surprise, it was no other than The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad! They had brought some equipment and were looking to play, responding to the very same ad that I had found on Craigslist... it's a small world after all.
I found out that the Flute Squad had never been to this particular venue before. They had come in not knowing what to expect, the same as me. And also like me, they seemed a little freaked out by the almost total lack of an audience. The two other musicians – and I say two because I'm completely unaware as to whether or not the drunk man with the congas was actually considered a musician – were very friendly, however. The drummer, Nick, performed some original songs on guitar by himself before the Flute Squad went up to play a brief acoustic set. Then the original three, plus a bassist that showed up, went back on and played some more classic cover tunes (The Eagles, Jackson Browne, etc).
It actually turned out to be an interesting night, overall. Hands down the highlight of the evening was getting to snap a rare photo (shown above) of the Flute Squad who for the first time ever performed WITHOUT ANY COSTUMES ON! It was an eery and terrible sight that I hope none of their other fans are ever forced to endure. But to wrap things up, while The Coach House is certainly not one of the hottest up-and-coming venues around Baltimore, if you happen to stop by on a Thursday night you're guaranteed to find a couple friendly musicians there who are more than happy to let fellow performers have their turn in the spotlight.
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