There are so many musicians in the world and many are right here in Nottingham. Music isn't just about making money, being famous or pulling groupies (even though that might seem hard to believe when you listen to commercial radio) but it is about human emotion, soul, spirit, relationships, personality, showing your views of reality and life, and having fun.
Just cause your not in a band, or you don't have a degree in music, or the voice of an angel doesn't mean you can't write and perform music that matters. Which leads me into this article, Nottingham's Open Mic scene. Open Mic session are a chance for solo musicians, bands wanting to test out their sound, or anyone who wants to show the world their art and ideas and have fun, to perform.
There are several open mic sessions held at a variety of venues in Nottingham and the quality ranges, from experienced musicians in well known local bands, to young kids playing for the first time. The appeal of open mic sessions is that there is no pressure to put on an amazing performance as it is all about giving it a go.
So we tried to forget our hangovers and get our arses off the couch to make our way down to The Frog and Onion on a Sunday evening.
The Frog and Onion is a cosy little place down in Forest Fields, with a great selection of real ales and a nice atmosphere, it is a very pleasant place to come to drink away the night before on the best of occasions but on a Sunday there is the extra incentive of live music!
We get ourselves settled with a pint and as the first acts get up to perform, we start seeing why the night has got such a good reputation. Now organised by Paul and Mike from the band Trickster, the night has been going for a long time now, with previous landlord Dave and open mic founder Martin working hard to give acts of all types of genre and experience a chance to shine.
We decided to see what the locals had to say about the night
Paul and Mike (Trickster/Organisers) 'It starts about 8.30 but the earlier people come the better, we started coming down to play along time ago now when Martin ran the night but we took over about 3 months ago. The ex-landlord Dave worked really hard on it and we get a good following down every week, I think the best bit is the jamming. Its good for meeting people too and our band Trickster (www.trickstertrash.com) come down and socialise quite a bit'
Superstar (Local and Regular open mic addict) 'I moved to Nottingham 2 years ago and have been playing open mics since I arrived. I really enjoy playing and jamming with others too. I have been in bands before when I lived in Toranto but now I like doing my solo stuff but am always up for others helping and showing me something new. I like to class myself as world music, cause I play for the world, you know? Check out my website http://www.myspace.com/superstardavethompson
Ben (Grain) 'It's a real community atmosphere here and very welcoming, Grain grew up in The Frog. and we have jammed down the open mic and played full gigs here, we always get a good response. I think its a lot of fun and in the past has really helped musicians network and gives new people a good starting point. It changed hands lately so I am not sure if the new owners will keep the atmosphere Dave created but hopefully they will as it has grown a good reputation so we will have to see I guess'
Judging from what we witnessed, The Frog and Onion on a Sunday night is a really good session and very welcoming. It mixes all sorts of genre from Folk to Indie and Rock to Funk, a really good night for musicians and fans a like, you get a free pint for playing and it ascends into a free for all jam at the end, so we recommend it highly.
