I walked in a couple of minutes late around 7:02 pm. I thought since I had signed up at such short notice, my performance won’t be up until later. I was surprised to see that it the open mic night was already underway with an impressive musician singing to the piano tunes of a 16-year old artist. I put down my name in the register, literally the last one on a 9-item list.
I had visited this music store Licorice Pizza a couple of times as it was just a 7-min walk from home. Its cool sign outside that lights up in the evening, added to its stunning vibe. The eclectic record collection in the store along with some funky merchandise made it all the more alluring to people of all ages – especially music lovers! And then of course there’s the recent movie that added to its already prominent fame.
Tanner was already in the audience when I walked in. Summer and I sat at the back listening to one musician after another playing some cool compositions. We also had the privilege of listening to a couple of high school poets – their words so sincere, honest and pure!
And then it was my turn to go up. I was about to perform in front of people after almost a year so I was naturally nervous – but also pumped. It helped that at least two of my friends were in the audience so expected at least some sympathy laughs! My 5-minute piece went pretty well I would say. I got some compliments from people later. I also got some genuine notes from Tanner and Summer which I can incorporate soon. Overall, it was an inspiring evening and provided some momentum for me to get back on the horse.
We went back to Laurel Tavern for a drink and some more talk about music, movies, comedy and more. Tanner and Summer seemed to hit it off over cultural references I was alien to. It was a good time at LT as always and we called it a night with the promise of seeing each other soon!