So I had a successful first set at the Flask last night. It's a quiet pub in Hampstead right by the tube station with traditional English pub decor, wooden seats, wooden tables, lots of lamps and surly barmen who manage a smile when you buy them a pint.
The Wednesday open mic is run by a great bloke named Iain, and he started off the evening with a few originals and great cover of Tom Petty's "Free Falling". The evening swiftly moved on and soon it was my turn. I played four tunes, starting with Ben Harper's "Another Lonely Day", and moving into originals "Big House", "Escalator Ballet", and "White Coated Wolves". The set was a success, although I did learn not to start with that specific cover. It's not necessarily vocally difficult, but until my voice is warmed up enough I tend to sing it in a monotonous kind of way. I think it made people sit up and listen when I then sang "Big House" a capella which is more vocally dynamic, but in the future I won't start with that cover.
Another success was a new pickup I bought for my guitar. Given that I can't afford the electro-acoustic that I want, I picked up a Fishman Neo-D pickup for £30 with my staff discount, and it worked perfectly. It's a very mid-heavy pickup which rounds out the sound of my Seagull very nicely. I'm also happy with it because it means that I will be able to use my acoustic in conjunction with my looper at future open mics, where bringing a guitar amplifier is frowned upon.
Anyways, I did record last night's session. I haven't had time to listen to it yet, but hopefully it turned out ok so that I can post something.
Comments