Starting a new jam

Well, you could just go in some local clubs and talk with the owner about starting an Open Mic. It's not that hard to do, but don't expect to make much. I ran an Open Mic with another fellow for 2 years. We provided a drum kit, PA, bass & guitar rigs. We got $50 each.

It's something you have to make a commitment to. We had to be there every Thursday night. We arrived around 8:45 PM and didn't pack up until 1 AM. Fortunately the club owner let us store everything in his secure basement, so we didn't have to haul gear to or from the show. It's still a lot of work.

At first we made some flyers and put on telephone poles, the music stores, and basically anywhere anyone would let us. After about 3 months the word was out and we started getting great response. We didn't have to advertise at all after that. We would get 5-10 musicians come in, and started to draw nice crowds too.

It was a lot of fun. Man, I've heard some great music and some awful music. You never know what you're gonna get. I could not describe all the experiences I've had.

I met lots of musicians. My next 3 bands were musicians I met at that Open Mic.

We weren't very formal about it. Nobody had to sign up or anything like that. People would just walk in with their guitars and amps. We tried to give everybody the chance to play 4 or 5 songs and then we gave someone else a chance. We had big jams. Lots of fun.

After about 2 years it got a little old. I was tired of having to go to the club every Thursday. You tend to drink (we also got free drinks as part of our pay), so, you feel pretty lousy Friday morning (not to mention you don't get to bed till around 2 AM).

Sometimes I really miss that. You would be surprised at some of the amazing music that comes out of jams.

Go to the GN home page and search on "Riverside Jam". You will find many articles already written here that cover the topic from many angles.

Check them out.

-Laz

Thanks, ya'll.