Thursday, September 26, 2013

An Autumnal OMN

The creative commemoration of a change in seasons greeted those who attended and participated in another installment of The Living Room’s weekly Open Mic Nite Series on Sunday September 22nd. The Stroudsburg, PA venue, known for it’s welcoming atmosphere, opened their doors as the first hint of Autumnal colors touched the trees lining the streets of the town. Soon, guitars began being tuned by their owners and excitement filled the air as anticipation grew while waiting the for evening’s entertainment to begin.

The hour finally arrived when Co Hosts AP and Jessie Roth (aka JR) welcomed the gathering and introduced the first performer. BRAMBY (aka Brad B.) took to the stage, signaled the co host to turn on his music, and began to dance with moves that mystified and amazed all who were witnessed to them. He was followed by Melissa whose vocal performance engulfed the room with her magnificent voice leaving a profound silence in its wake except for the eventual applause and very vocal show of praise by those who heard her. She was followed by co host AP who amused the gathering with the vocal manipulations all have come to love.

AP was followed by Harold Jenkins whose reading of his literary works instilled a profound silence among his listeners who took the words and the experiences they conveyed to their hearts. Harold was followed by The Duet known as Woodrow www.facebook.com/wearewoodrow who consists of Theresa Ratliff and Brian Bramkamp and who never fails to bring some good vibes to whatever venue they play. This was especially true of The Living Room where they played a mixture of songs dating back to the 1960s along with some tunes recently released and played on the radio. In either case, they bought a relaxed hippy like style to the songs which proved to inject a wonderful contagion of happiness into the audience.

Woodrow was followed by several solo guitarists who performed their songs each with an unique style that enhanced the evening. They included Rob Lytle whose voice flowed gently through the crowd, Kes Lyman whose familiar presence pleased the audience once again, Nick Fuentes whose congenial disposition was reflected in every song he played, Vinnie Huevos whose kick ass interpretation of the music he played rocked the room, and Michael Welten who elicited numerous comments regarding the sexiness of his voice and, although every seat is a front row seat in the venue, Melissa (who sang earlier that evening) made a special front row seat for herself during his performance. The front door had to be opened to cool the place down.

As the gentle evening breeze calmed the room and the final resonance of the guitars’ strings dissipated, Dom White took the stage to bless the mic with his a cappella performance of hip hop that impressed the gathering to a great degree. He was followed by Tycho who was joined by Vinnie. Together, their guitars struck not only the chords of their instruments but the thoughts of everyone who heard them. As Vinnie and Tycho concluded their performance, it was announced the official list of performers for the evening had reached its end.

However, since the event had more time to spend before reaching it’s scheduled close, Woodrow was called back to the mic to perform a few last songs to finish the night. Their performance proved to be a fitting farewell to the evening as their finale was the Jefferson Airplane song titled, “White Rabbit” which was written by Grace Slick and was released as part of the band’s album titled, “Surrealistic Pillow” in 1967. The song’s lyrics utilizes imagery alluding to Lewis Carroll’s (aka Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) children’s books titled, “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass” reflecting the psychedelic nature of the times the song was written while its music reflects the rhythmic crescendo of the classical composition written by Joseph-Maurice Ravel titled, “Boléro.”

Woodrow’s rendition of the song empowered the gathering as it’s final notes echoing the rallying call to “Feed Your Head” filled the imaginations of many with speculative wonderments about what would be in store for them during the next installment of the Open Mic Nite event. Denizens of The Living Room shared their good byes after the song while dreamingly moving along the town’s sidewalks toward their destinations waiting for the days to pass so they could continue their adventures through the looking glass for the soul found in the wonderland known as The Living Room. You’ll be able to find more photographs taken during the Sunday September 22nd Open Mic Nite in The Living Room 2013 Gallery Part 4 at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151751090710421.1073741841.636000420&type=1.

The next installment of the Living Room Open Mic Nite Series will take place on Sunday September 29th beginning at 7pm. Musicians, poets, writers, and anyone who would like to share something with an audience are welcomed to do so. You can learn more about The Living Room Open Mic Nite Series by Exploring their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/OpenMicAtTheLivingRoom.

In addition to the Open Mic Nites presented at The Living Room, the venue also holds a Gallery which presents the work of visual artists from around the area. Their current exhibition is their September Exhibition titled, “Word and Text” featuring a group show showcasing the work of local artists. The work will continue to be on display until September 30th. The next exhibition will take place in October and will feature the works of Keyaira Daniel, Andrew Ozkenel, Shane Izykowski, and the artists of Inksplat 13. The Artists’ Reception will take place Saturday October 5th beginning at 6pm with the work being on display until October 30th. The Living Room is located on Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA next to The Sherman Theater who owns the building. Please Explore The Living Room Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Living-Room/123978921059378 for more information on The Living Room, all they have to offer, and how to be a part of it all.

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