Jamie Kent

My first real lesson

As I work to put the finishing touches on my idea to make money, and also go back into the studio to record 5 or so more songs, I intend to play as many open mic nights as I possibly can. At first, I really thought I would be doing this as a way to expose myself to these venues and potentially land other gigs at some point in the future. While this is still partially true, I realized that these open mic nights are really going to teach me something else. Something in fact, a lot more important: how to read and react to an audience.

I realized recently that I have grown rather accustomed to playing college pubs and bars over the last few years, and almost forgot that there are many other types of audiences. I learned how to act and react to a drunk dancing group of college students, but have nearly no experience standing up alone in front of a pretentious group of yuppies, or mellow minded hippies. My first experience playing an open mic night at Bishop’s Lounge in Northampton MA last week opened my eyes to this, and I’m honestly truly excited for how much I’m going to learn over the coming month or so. Sure I’ll develop my songs more, meet some great some musicians, and maybe convert a few more fans, but my real education is going to come from reading and reacting to all of the different audiences I’m going to encounter. That knowledge will be something that I can undoubtedly carry with me as I grow, play with new musicians, and play larger venues.

I want your feedback!

Alright, so here’s the deal. These next two months or so are absolutely crucial to my career as a musician. As I mentioned, I’m going to be playing countless numbers of open mics to really gain knowledge of how to read audiences, and to also tell as many people of my music as possible! With that in mind, if you can make it to any of these shows, as small as they might be, and give me your feedback, I would love you forever. I want to hear real feedback from those of you who both like and dislike my music/performances. If you liked a show, or like a tune, tell me why. If you hated my performance, or think a tune is lame, tell me why and how I can make it better. Specifics are great, generalities aren’t. A simple “you suck!” while perhaps satisfying, doesn’t help that much. Same’s actually true of positive feedback as well; tell me exactly what tickled your pickle so I can do more of it!

I’m extremely happy with the five tunes that I’ve got up on the site right now, but I always strive to make things better. And guess what? The only way I’m going to get there is with your real feedback of what works and what doesn’t; simple as that.

Talk soon,
Jamie