Once again I've been out and about visiting various open mics around Houston, and once again I am impressed with the talent and the support that I've seen.  According to houstonopenmic.com there are over 50 weekly open mics, and each of them have their own unique qualities.  As hosts we do our best to support the wants and needs of the venue, the audience, and of course the musicians.  This is why I am happy to announce the return of a sorely missed feature at The First Tee Open Mic.  That's right folks!  The on stage drink holder is back!

We had a fun night last Thursday at The Tee.  The crowd was light and the list was short but it didn't stop us from playing some great music and having a good time.

We started off the evening with Brandon Smith.

You can find his music at www.brandonsmithmusic.com.

Hogmire was in attendance and in great form. 

It's always a pleasure to hear him.

John Durr followed Hogmire.

John is gearing up for a performance with

The Remnants Of Polaris at JP Hops House for Spudstock.

Find out more about Spudstock at www.jphopshouse.com

Next up was Jeff Norem with his Chapman Stick.

Jeff is truly a master of this unique instrument 

and always a crowd pleaser.

Bruce Ross followed Jeff.

Bruce is a welcome regular at The First Tee Open Mic

and often stands in with other performers 

on Bass and Vocals

Bruce got some back up from Keith Craik.  

Keith is one of those rare musicians that can

back up just about anyone.

Lance Johnson joined us for a few songs. 

Lance was followed by Hunter Nelson.

Hunter has been featured a couple of times at JP Hops House,

and has written a very entertaining rock opera.

We closed the evening out with Clyde Sayre.

Clyde is always entertaining and always leaves you wanting more.

But you'll just have to come back next week for another dose,

because it is time to 

"Exit...stage left."

Hope to see you out and about this week.

First Tee Open Mic 7/14/11

Last Thursday night the First Tee Open Mic was fun and interesting.  Although the roster was a bit shorter than usual we had some excellent talent, and some unusual instruments.  You just never know what you are going to get at an open mic. Read on...you'll see what I mean.

We kicked off the evening with Jason Hykle.

Jason got some backup from Bruce Ross on Bass

and Keith Craik on fiddle.

Next up Reverend Johnny brought out an

Alvarez Yairi Double Neck Guitar.

Ben Gould took the stage next with his first attempt at

a home-made instrument which was quickly dubbed 

the Canjo.  It actually sounded pretty good.

Bruce Ross brought us back to the real world after Ben and Johnny.

But it didn't last long....Hunter Nelson started his set 

rocking out on a Ukelele.

Hunter brought Rhew Fletcher up to take over the Uke

so he could once again ease us back to normalcy.

The Reverend Doctor Otis Futhermucker wandered in to 

The First Tee of a splash of tea, so we brought him up

to play a couple of songs for us.  

And we closed down the evening with Lance Johnson playing for us.

As always, it was a fun and entertaining evening, and I'd like to thank everyone for coming out and participating.  Open Mic is about people.  I couldn't do it without you.

First Tee Open Mic 7/7/11

I’ve been hosting open mics for a few years now, and as anyone in this business will tell you there is no way to predict what kind of night you will have.  However, when word got out that Josal  was in town and planning on being at The First Tee, I was pretty certain it was going to be an exceptional turn out.  Indeed it was.  

Open mic is far more than a few musicians showing up to try out new songs, or brush up old ones.  It’s far more that new players working through stage jitters.  It’s far more than entertainment for the local bar patrons.  Open mic is a community of folks that love live local music.  They love the camaraderie and  they love the community.  Some come to play, some come to listen, but everyone comes to take part in the open mic. 

Last Thursday at The First Tee was a perfect example of that.

Pete Bosshart kicked off the evening,

and got some help from Keith Craik

Captain Rick followed with some First Tee favorites.

  The Captain was joined by Ken Jensen on the Jews Harp.

He also managed to get Josal up for some great harmonies.

Jason Hykle was next up and also took advantage of our fine

house fiddle player Keith Craik.

Randy Soffar joined us this week and got request for some

of his old Z Rock songs.

It's always a pleasure to have Jeff Norem on our stage with

his Chapman Stick.

Then Josal took the stage and was joined 

by Willie B and Keith Craik.

Although that was a hard act to follow Peter Cornish 

did exactly that without flinching.

Mitch Tiffin joined us tonight.  He's been spending some 

time writing new songs and brought them out for a test drive.

John Durr of The Remnants Of Polaris was in the house

and took us back to the 60's ...it's what he does best.

The Reverend Johnny followed John Durr,

and Josh Wager was next up.

Clyde Sayre was in the house for a good time.

Glynace Eastam made her first appearance at 

The First Tee Open Mic. 

And we're always happy to see Larry Sepulvado on our stage.

Bruce Ross closed down a long night of great music

and invited Steve Telfer with his flute to the stage.

Many thanks to all of the players and listeners that keep open mics alive.  

Hope to see you out and about this week.

First Tee Open Mic 6/23/2011

I’ve been cruising around a bit lately to check out some of the other open mics around town.  Two things are apparent.  Open mics are abundant, and they all have unique qualities.  I’ve sat outside under magnificent Live Oaks.  I’ve sat in rooms with remarkable sound systems.  I’ve heard very talented singer-songwriters.  I’ve listened to garage bands at blues jams.  I’ve been to high dollar wine bars, trendy coffee shops, ice houses and neighborhood bars.  Regardless of location or format,  one thing they all have in common is people that love to play and listen to music come together to swap songs and experiences,  and enjoy camaraderie with like minded people.   One such example is The First Tee Acoustic Open Mic every Thursday night.

We’ve been experiencing strong turn-outs of talented folks as well as an appreciative audience.  The First Tee is a friendly neighborhood bar that supports Houston’s live music scene with bands, open mics, and an occasional jam.  Come on out and join us every Thursday night.  You’ll be glad you did.

Last Thursday we kicked off the evening with Van Buchanan

Reverend Johnny dropped by for one of his occasional visits.

Jason Hykle has been a steady performer at our open mics for quite some time now and it really shows.

 It was good to see Larry Sepulvado on our stage.

I couldn't help but join in on a couple of  Larry's songs.

Doug Micheals followed Larry and brought his 12 string out.

Bruce Ross was up next.  Please don't let this crappy picture

reflect on Bruce's talent.  I'm not sure what I did wrong, but 

this was the best of five shots.  Sorry Bruce.

Josh Wager is another favorite regular at The First Tee.

 When it was time for Jason Waggoner to take the stage he recruited

Jason Hykle and Bruce Ross to join him.  And now we're jammin'.

Zane Nordin brough his keyboard out last week. 

May I point out that shiny new keyboard stand?  It doesn't have

quite the character of the Bud Lite cases,

but it sure is more convenient.

Then we got into another little jam session with

Doug Micheals, Jason Waggoner and Bruce Ross.

Clyde Sayre slipped in later in the evening and played a few for us,

as did Lance Johnson.

 And what I was saying about camaraderie.....

Lance and Clyde

Clyde and Van

Sarah and Van

That my friends is why we do it!

Hope to see you out and about this week.