Churchill's Open Mic 5/11/2010

Last Tuesday at Churchill's Bar & Grill was just an amazing night of music.  We opened the evening with Justus taking the featured slot.  Tim Jewell and Dirk Hetrick play a diverse array of classic rock and country songs.

We started off the off the Open Mic with a new comer to Churchill's, Jake Honeycutt, who gave us some nice country covers.

Randy Soffar took the stage next and rocked the house with some of his original music. He also invited The Revernd Doctor Otis Futhermucker up to help him out.

Ira Perez joined us for the second time at Churchill's. Ira is an incredibly talented performer and song writer.  You WILL hear more about this young woman.  Mark my words! 

Don and Jake were back at Churchill's this week for their second appearance at Open Mic.  This night they hooked up with Kevin on the Stand Up Bass and Chris Mitchell on Soprano Saxophone.

John P Barton took the stage next and shared some of his originals and a cover with us.  Wayne Lacey joined him on the Djembe, and yours truly played a little harmonica with him.

Amy Waters was a new act to Churchill's stage, and only here second open mic ever.   She just picked up a guitar about four months ago and is already confident enough to get out to the open mics.  She did a fantastic job.

Stephen Daly took the stage next and threw down an excellent performance of classic rock and blues.  Stephen invited Chris Mitchell to join him with some Saxophone on a song, and Otis Futhermucker blew his fine harp for one song.

"Little Terry" Rogers has become a regular performer at Churchill's Open Mic.  He sings and plays some excellent blues harmonica.  He brought Otis Futhermucker up to accompany him on guitar as well as Kevin with his stand up bass.

We ended the list with none other than Coco of Coco and the Players.  He gave us an excellent selection of songs and got a little help from Otis Futhermucker on harmonica.

It was quite an evening of music indeed, and I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for your support of live music and open mics.  

Lynn's Longbranch Saloon Acoustic Open Mic

Every Monday night at Lynn's Longbranch Saloon you will find an excellent open mic hosted by Mark Zeus. Lynn's is a very nice little neighborhood establishment that serves beer, wine and setups. The layout is great for music with a slightly elevated, good sized stage and a nice dance floor.  There are a few TVs but none that compete with performances.  Lynn's also has 4 well kept pool  tables, but they are in a separate room so again, there is no interference with the music.  Step out the back door at Lynn's and you'll find a huge patio and back yard area with a stage, several cafe tables and picnic tables, barbecue pits, and horseshoes. It's perfect for small to medium outdoor events.  Parking is adequate although dimly lit at night.  They do have several security cameras however that are constantly  monitored at the bar.

Mark Zeus is a very experienced open mic host that makes all players feel welcome.  Having run open mics for good while, Mark has developed a strong following of talented musicians but always welcomes new players to his stage as well. The PA is plenty powerful for the room and the performance area includes a stage monitor, two microphones and instrument cables.  This open mic is a 3 song / 15 minute format and sign-up is in person on a first come first served basis.  It is an acoustic music open mic.  No full bands, large amplifiers, drum kits or comedians please.

Lynn's Longbranch Saloon is easy to find and located conveniently for folks in the 290/610 area.  Just a couple of blocks east of Antione on Pinemont, you'll find Lynn's Longbranch Saloon an inviting spot to stop in on a Monday night for some great live music.

Lynn's Longbranch Saloon
5505 Pinemont
Houston, TX 77092

Map
http://lynnslongbranch.com
(713) 686-8668

Ashford Arms Acoustic Music Open Mic

The Ashford Arms Irish Pub is a family owned authentic Irish pub.  It's not a big music venue however besides the weekly open mic they have Karaoke and occasionally they have bands on the weekends.  The Ashford is a friendly place with an above average beer selection and a full bar.  It is a non smoking bar but they have a cozy patio where smoking is allowed.

Located on the southwest corner of Dairy Ashford and Perthshire, the Ashford is easily accessible from most points in west Houston.  Parking is adequate and fairly lit.  The entrance to the bar is around the side which sometimes confuses new comers, but it's not hard to find.

The acoustic open mic is a three song (15 minute max) format. Sign up is in person, and first come first served.  Covers and originals are welcome as well as all types of music.  It is an "acoustic" open mic so no drum kits or large amplifiers are allowed.  The sound system was plenty sufficient for the room and the levels are kept at a reasonable volume.  Although the open mic starts at 8:00 the host occasionally invites a "featured artist" to open with a 45 minute set before they actually start going through the list. This open mic is fairly well attended by some good musicians.  The list often times fill up fast so it's a good idea to get there fairly early to sign up.

Stop by the Ashford Arms Irish Pub any Thursday to enjoy some great music or to sign up and play a few songs for the crowd.

Ashford Arms Irish Pub

14605 Perthshire Road

Houston, TX 77079-7607

Map 

http://www.ashfordpub.com

281-497-5316

JP Hops House Acoustic Open Mic

The JP Hops House Sunday Open Mic has been running for well over 10 years.  This is possibly one of the best attended open mics in Houston and for good reasons.

The acoustic open mic is a three song (15 minute max) format. Sign up is in person, and first come first served.  Covers and originals are welcome as well as all types of music.  It is an "acoustic" open mic so full drum kits or large amplifiers are not allowed.  The house sound system is excellent. On stage monitors are controlled from the stage and the house sound is controlled from the room.  The folks that run the sound are real  pros too, and help everyone sound their best on the Hops House stage.  They have three stage mics and plenty of instrument leads making it a welcome place for small combos as well.  The room acoustics are very good and the people are there to listen to music so there is not a lot of chatter and crowd noise. Hostess TC Smythe is possibly one of the most personable open mic hosts in Houston.  She make getting on the stage easy and waiting for the next act fun.  She's a pretty darn good musician to boot.

JP Hops House is the premier outside the loop listening room.  Owners Jim Fowler and Pam Herndon have done a great job of making their establishment a warm and friendly place to be.  This brew pub has a great selection of beer with a wall full of taps and coolers full of imports from around the world.  At any given time there are around 200 different beers to choose from. The room is well situated with a lot of chairs as well as ample bar space.  Parking is sufficient and the lot is fairly illuminated.  The location is a little hard to find (some say that adds to it's appeal) as it sits back off of Highway 6.  Their sign can be hard to see because of the congestion of other signs, street lights and traffic.  People in the know will tell you to turn in at Shipley's Donuts and you can't miss it.

Stop by and check out this long running well attended open mic. 

 J P Hops House
2317 South Highway 6
 Houston, Texas 77077

Map
http://www.jphopshouse.com
(281) 496-0623