Professor Java's Wide Open Mic, April 12

This was the 2nd gathering of this new series at Professor Java's on Wolf Rd. in Albany, NY. Its host is Keith Spencer & it's "wide open" because they let folks with guitars (tuned or not) join in. I usually have an aversion to these open mics because 1) there are plenty of music open mics around; 2) the musicians always play longer than the poets read (I like equity); 3) too much time is wasted tuning up; & 4) how many "heading down that lonesome road" songs can you listen to at once? But this wasn't bad -- & 3) & 4) didn't happen. & I was there to support my friend Keith & a new venue for poets. There was even one singer I thought was really good (see below).

Since even the musicians don't like to be #1 on the sign-up sheet, once again I was the first to read, starting with "Coffee House Rant" because that's where we were, then with "The Lilacs" to show off the new anthology it's in. I was followed by a solo electric bass-player, Dan Sales, improvising a couple of pieces.

Then one of my favorite poets (whom I haven't seen out in a while), Jan Tramontano, with a new piece "In the Music, Voices, Piano."

Josh McIntyre did 2 short poems I've enjoyed before "In Tune" & "Radio."  Greg Guba, who also plays solo gigs around, did a couple of Eric Clapton tunes, one from the Blind Faith album (one of my personal favs), then another when Eric was Derrick & the Dominoes. Jason Butchkoff said his long piece, a letter from Icarus, was the first poem he had written in a long time. Sometimes an open mic can sound like an evening at group therapy, & that's what Joyananda's "letters written & never sent" sounded like -- hope it helped.

The next singer/song-writer was Carolyn Brown with a tune by Jewel, then one of her own songs, "Through the Mud," about over-coming difficulties. Coincidentally, the next poet was named Carol Jewell, with 2 intriguing poems, the inventory of a "Junk Drawer" & "I've Heard that Song Before." Mary Panza really likes Keith's "Elvis mic", into which she breathed "Hit Forward" & one of my favs, "Fuck the Giving Tree."

Erin Powers was the night's singer that impressed me the most, a big voice in a small body, with 2 originals, "Miss Misfit" & "It's a Dark NIght" wrapped around her version of the Jefferson Airplane's "Don't You Want Somebody to Love" -- I'd definitely pay to listen to her again. D. Colin is a young poet organizing a new series at the Center Galleries in Albany; she began with a moving piece about Haiti, a poem beginning & ending with a song, then "Before Translation." Ed Rinaldi's poems are short, & he too had an Icarus poem, "The Nose (or was that "No's"?) of Icarus" where the character swims rather than flies, then a tender love poem, & ended the night with his part of a collaborative poem, "Sharp-Winged Nymphs."

Check this out on the second Monday of each month at Professor Java's on Wolf Rd. in Colonie, NY, 8PM -- guitars permitted.