When Darin Jabler, owner of the used bookstore The Bookworm, started hosting an open mic event on the second Saturday of each month, he didn’t know what to expect. But, as a popular baseball movie says, “If you build it, they will come,” and quickly poets and prose writers alike showed up to read from notebooks and printed pages.
“… One of the things we wanted to do when we got the store was to have something for the community to get involved in,” Jabler said. “Because we are a bookstore, we thought it would be just readings, but after a few events people started showing up with guitars.”
The Bookworm is a small shop, but locals keen on hearing and sharing art pack in among the vaulted shelves of books. Singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars easily fill the space with sound, like local artist Amaris Taylor, who performed last month, and who will be the featured performer for the upcoming event on Dec. 14.
“[November] my first time there, and I just went up and played a couple of songs and they asked me to be the featured artist in December,” Taylor said. “I liked the amount of people there; it was completely packed out and there was a lot of creative stuff that went on.”
Jabler and his wife provide free coffee for all who attend, whether they perform or not.
“We started doing a featured artist because it makes people feel a little more comfortable that they can show up and watch the event and have nothing to offer,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want to see what it is about before committing to it.”
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The atmosphere is inclusive by nature. Sharing something as intimate as a poem or a song in such a close space makes for a Bohemian experience, and everyone respects each other’s time in the spotlight.
“I just want it to be an event that people come to feeling free to express themselves,” Jabler said. “And it is an open mic. Sometimes it’s really flowery stuff, and some of it is really aggressive.”
Local artists are hungry for open mic events, as it gives them a low-pressure chance to share their work.
“I think it gives you an opportunity to share that which would otherwise lay dormant,” Taylor said. “It’s a good social experience and a good way to relate your perspective on life and your deeper thoughts and emotions.”
Get a last-minute gift for a musician
Musicians are finicky types. We know exactly the type of music we prefer to play and the equipment on which we prefer to play it. The first step to successfully acquiring a gift for a musician is to know the musician. Is he a guitarist? If so: acoustic or electric? Does he prefer Ernie Ball or D’Addario strings? Heavy gage or thin picks? Get to know your musician!
If you have doubts, any of the musicians employed at local retail music stores can lend some help. The staff at both Owen’s Music and the Coelho Academy of Music is knowledgeable and helpful. Owen’s is better known for its rows of shiny pianos and extensive sheet music library for many instruments. Coelho’s, on the other hand, is the place to be for anything and everything guitar related, from tuners to strings to straps.
Another great way to gift a musician is to support her. Reverbnation.com is a social networking website for musicians and bands that has a “local” tab that will direct you to the pages of local musicians, bands, rappers, and more. Directly from Reverbnation.com you can start purchasing albums and marking your calendar for upcoming shows. There’s no better gift than the gift of music.
Give tickets to a show!
The Chumash Casino and Resort presents the Jamie O’Neal and Friends Acoustic Christmas Show in benefit of Toys for Tots on Dec. 14. Brain Setzer and his swingin’ Big Band Christmas Extravaganza is Dec. 19. Both shows start at 8 p.m., Chumash Casino and Resort, 3400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez. More info: 1-800-CHUMASH or chumashcasino.com.
Sweet sounds
The Tri City Sound Chorus is a chapter of Sweet Adelines International that invites all to the Friends and Family Christmas Concert on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 4725 S. Bradley Road, Orcutt. More info: 736-7572 or tricitysound.org.
Live at D’Vine
The D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro features Country Heart live on Dec. 14, Andrew Beal on Dec. 17, and Tony Botello on Dec. 18, all starting at 7:30 p.m. Karaoke nights are Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro, 107 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc. More info: 430-8356 or facebook.com.
Get juiced
Creative Juices presents the Cadillac Angels live on Dec. 13 and Jody Mulgrew on Dec. 14. Shows happen from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Creative Juices Lounge, 874 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe. More info: 219-0518 or creativejuiceslounge.com.
Share your work
Lucia’s Wine Co. offers an open mic night featuring wine, poetry, and live music on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at the tasting room, 126 E. Clark Ave., Orcutt. More info: 332-3080.
Live at the Maverick
The Maverick Saloon offers live entertainment, including country music by Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols on Dec. 13 at 8:45 p.m., followed by “Late Night with guest DJs” at 11:30 p.m. “Concert on the Deck” featuring Guy and friends is Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. Teddy Spanke and the Tex Pistols perform on Dec. 14 at 8:45 p.m., followed by “Late Night with guest DJs” at 11:30 p.m. at the saloon, 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. More info: 686-4785 or mavericksyv@aol.com.
Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 12-19, 2013.