Fiddlin' with my dreams

Awhile back I set a goal to perform some of my music live. My singing teacher, knowing that my confidence was as shaky as an octogenerian on Viagra, reccommended that I try a local spot called the Fiddlers Dream. (www.fiddlersdream.org) It is a local spot that specializes in acoustic music for performers of all levels.

Jodi and I checked it out last night. Here are a few thoughts......

• It is run and operated by the "Friends of the Quakers" or something. As expected it was a very welcoming and docile environment. It's great, my music could suck but I would only get cheers. The majority of the attendees were middle aged hippie/folksters who preached inclusiveness and a good time. Unfortunately, since no alcohol or drugs are allowed, they had to get high on the music. There was also a mix of middle aged average joes who just can't put their guitars down and a few young kids wanting to test their stuff out, heckle free, before going in front of more brutal audiences.
• This is the perfect place for an NPR piece. It could focus on the small enclaves of authentic folk that still thrives in a world of strip malls and blogs.
• It literally looked and felt like a glorified clubhouse. It was behind the church and probably holds no more then 40-50 people. The quarters are pretty tight. There is a little concession stand in the back, serving a few flavors of coffee.
• Most people attending were performers, the remaining few most likely the immediate family. Tonight was "open mic" night. Your name is put in a hat and selected at random. You are given eight minutes to perform two songs.
• I really enjoyed the breadth of the performances. While everything was acoustically based, many styles were reflected. Each piece was unique and reflected the tastes or eccentricities of the performer. We had spanish, blues, blue grass, power ballads, country, and a lot folk.
• I noticed that the best guitarists never sang and that the worst guitarists were the song writers. I would fall somewhere in the middle. There were only three songwriters or of the eight people we watched.

All in all a great evening. I look forward to doing this but hope that I will be able to get in front of a bigger audience. I'm glad that places like this are still around. They add a little positive color to our communities.