Strange and Unusual Places
Strange and Unusual Places
Open Mic Night
9
0:00
-3:07

Open Mic Night

with Haynt Blue
9

loop station Jam session

How about this piece, used the Godin guitar, played over an Orange crush 35RT amp, with a Boss RC 300 loop station, an Artec Power Wah pedal, Zoom H3 effects pedals and a Focusrite phase shift interface. I looped the first chorus then played the lead over it. If you listen closely, you can hear the foot switch as I changed effects. SemperFi

Welcome to Open Mic Night with Haynt Blue

Told ya’ things would get interesting. SemperFi brings it home with some thrash to open the evening, (he’s got some nice stuff, and he knows how to use it) so let’s give him some encouragement folks, we’re volunteers here.

Now to a hillbilly all that tech stuff is alien language, but ya’ gotta’ love it, (imagine bein’ in this guy’s livin’ room!). Not much a fella’ can do with just a six string when you’re followin’ this.

We noodle around…

0:00
-2:52

Live recorded, improvised and original music - livin’ the dream.

Open mics are a fickle breed since they typically occur in small venues, most of which are privately owned eateries, inns, saloons, dives and similar places. The freedom of expression is not a privilege in America - it is a right; however, we have limited rights when it comes to private property. Different strokes for different folks and all it takes is for one patron to complain about volume or lyrics or something else for the owner of an establishment to start laying down some ground rules; and so the open mic will die a slow painful death or be nipped in the bud.

Travelling musicians like Townes Van Zandt don’t stick around long for that reason. My own record reflects about three consecutive appearances before the politics set in, so catch me if you can. Few venues survive the long term.

Drilled into us is a requirement to play through a piece of music no matter what, meaning no matter what: put money in the juke box, turn on a radio, interrupt in some way and be forever banished from my musical world. It’s mine.

How about some guitar pics?

Guild owned by SemperFi

Not sure what year this Guild is, but it sure looks familiar. Maybe the owner can help us out.

Guild owned by SemperFi

Now this is a rare bird, and a gem. The Guild Music Corporation didn’t make many of these - you might never see another, but you can hear its growl in the opening take.

SemperFi might owe some explanation.

S&UP brings to our open mic virtual stage…
Andres Segovia, the father of modern guitar.

Thanks for reading Strange and Unusual Places! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

This is a Dead Strings Production brought to you by S&UP, 2025. Thanks goes to SemperFi, Haynt Blue and the Open Mic audience, also Ellen from Endwell for undying support.

Open Mic means open to anyone. Join in, you’ll figure it out.

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