Subsequent trips to England throughout 2001-2004 afforded me several opportunities to play
at open mic nights in Southampton.
Here I am at The Candle Club on November 12, 2004, sharing my version of Americana with the Brits.
My performance forays in England inspired me to once again get active in the local open mic scene
during the spring and summer of 2005.
This was a chance for me to take the acoustic guitar out and just play some "cover" songs
for whoever would listen. The crowds are usually populated primarily with other people that
have also come to play, and they are invariably enthusiastic and supportive.
Here I am at the Winedale Tavern, playing along with regular Dominick Black on March 23, 2005.
Performing regularly with the acoustic guitar prompted me to record another CD in the summer of 2005.
My intent was to limit myself to the acoustic duo format that is common at these venues.
The result was a duo called The Riot Act. I recorded over two and a half hours of music for an album
entitled Wooden Duet. The album is available below. From this, you can get an idea of what the
open mic performances sounded like. (Of course, those performances were limited to one of me, so this is
only a representation.)
The Riot Act
Wooden Duet
Click the Disc Number to play the entire CD. (Recommended)
(To download a song, right click on the song title and select "Save Target As...")
An increase in my workload brought an effective end to this relatively fruitful musical period.
The swansong was my only trip to England for 2005 in December.
*
This video clip
of Classical Gas captured a performance at a small pub called the Bent Brief in the Portswood
neighborhood of Southampton.
Occasional opportunities to play live continue to present themselves.
A performance of Classical Gas was captured in this video clip at a Dallas bar at the invitation of my old friend Tracy Ready on April 14, 2007. How many themes can you name in the improv section? (After you've listened, click here to see how many you got.)
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