How was your open mic or jam night last night?

[Geek99]

My OM night was brilliant. 

i had been chatting to two singers (sisters) who are both bass curious. Neither had sung with a band before, always tapes. So we made it happen.
 

Then we did their mum as well.

 

Yes, she wanted a band-backing experience too. She did Breakfast at Tiffany’s with someone playing double bass very well. 

 

I got called up to play The Chain all the way through, then one sister joined in with the hostess, a professional singer, for Dreams (me on bass) and the other sister with hostess for sweet home Alabama (me on bass predictably) .
 

One clearly has great taste as she admired my sire v7/5 in metallic CAR 

Edited November 27 by Geek99

[tauzero]

Busy night for me - last time, a guitarist I've played with before at a different open mic turned up with a drummer friend who hadn't played live for years and we did about half a dozen songs. The drummer turned up again this evening and sat in with one of the regulars while I played bass. I'd made notes, having been slightly forewarned, but everything was two semitones down, fortunately not complicated songs (Stick season, Shotgun, Somewhere under the sun). Then played with another regular who always does the same three songs (a blues in E, Folsom Prison blues, Knocking on heaven's door), and then got recruited by another duo of drums and guitar/vox to play Route 66, Amarillo (hadn't played that for about 20 years), and Ventura Highway (new one on me). And a guitarist I've played with a few times before asked me to have a look at a couple of songs for some future occasion.

[knirirr]

Last night's jazz session at The Chequers in Chipping Norton was a bit cramped as they were getting large dinner bookings already. We managed to squeeze in, though. Once again the EUB was very useful; easier to find somewhere to stand for playing and I can lean it up against a wall when one of the bass guitarists who turn up wants to sit in. When they do I get a chance to inflict my jazz guitar skills (I use the term 'skill' loosely) on the audience. Though we get bassists and keyboardists turning up there are no other drummers so our regular chap has to work all night. 

 

[TrevorR]

It’s been a bit of a jam-tastic week… Last Thursday was the third Country & Roots Jam near me. After the last one, a couple of guys asked if I fancied pulling together a few songs for this Jam. Nice to be making some local connections as I’ve been out of the local scene for years. We ended up playing the Luke Combs of Fast Car (which is nigh on  identical to the original!), a tune called Jersey Giant and a version of Justin Timberlake’s Mirrors in a country style (thte singer had found an AI version on YouTube and we based it on that). Lots of fun.

 

I also played on a couple of other tunes too - Me & Bobby McGhee and another one I can’t recall now.  Here’s a couple of vids…

 

 

And last night was the last Monday Night Jam of the year over in Woking , so it took on a decidedly Christmassy feel, of course. I got roped in to play on a couple of tunes… Driving Home For Christmas and Fairytale Of NewYork which was good fun, if a wee bit ropey here and there.

 

However, I’d colluded with a few chums to sing a “Christmassy” version of a Black Sabbath tune - “War Pigs (In Blankets)”, if you like!).   I heard it when I downloaded The Barenaked Ladies’ Christmas Album last year and decided that I HAD to do it at this year’s Christmas Jam. So a festive version of  “War Pigs” . See what you think (I’m no lead vocalist…)

 

Edited December 9 by TrevorR

[Stub Mandrel]

Deck the Halls with boughs of Holly fits War Pigs perfectly...

[nekomatic]

A few weeks back we happened into a pub in Didsbury, not that far from us, and found it full of flyers for a forthcoming Jazz Jam - which isn't something you see that often. So on the day of the Jazz Jam I turned up and found an excellent young guitar-led trio going by the name of Fisherman Dice, and… no jammers except me! But they were dead friendly and let me sit in for three tunes, and mentioned that they run a bi-weekly jam over in Chorlton, of which I got the impression that it was well attended, and last night I went along to that and found the same bassist and drummer but a different guitarist and… no jammers except me. But they were dead friendly and let me sit in for three tunes   

 

Anyway the Didsbury one was a new venture by the manager of the pub, which changed hands not long ago, and despite the low attendance he said he was keen to repeat it, and I've let the Fisherman Dice guys know that if he does and they can bring a keyboard next time (which the Didsbury venue has space for but the Chorlton one absolutely doesn't) then I can pretty much guarantee a couple of pianists who go to the other jam I've been going to, and possibly some soloists too. So it would be nice if that could become a thing. But my ulterior motive of finding a drummer who'd be interested in getting together with one of the aforementioned pianists to do some occasional trio stuff is no further forward…

[tauzero]

On 09/12/2025 at 17:16, Stub Mandrel said:

Deck the Halls with boughs of Holly fits War Pigs perfectly...

 

On the subject of "words of one song to the tune of another", last night at the Cavern in Tamworth had the house band (really excellent drummer and guitarist, and me on bass bringing the quality down) backing various singers - one did "Billie Jean" to the tune of "Smells like teen spirit".

[p4ul]

After years of avoiding open mics like the very plague I now go to 3 on a semi regular basis.

 

1. Open mic in a pub - sign up sheets, collabs, solo performers, improv jam session, some times a bit over run with Ukuleles, but other times steel pan, and other odd instrument players arrive to change up the vibes, it is generally great.
2. Afrobeat Jam in a record shop - House band invite players to join them for improv jams, no sign up sheet, no Ukuleles yet. Got to have some chops to keep up with the HB but welcoming and good vibes, musically interesting.
3. Jazz Jam in a pub - House band plays then just leaves, cue desperate musos fighting each other for a spot then proceed to make a collection of independent "jazz" solos dominated by the drum solo, more of a sonic jumble sale than a jam imho, I might go back when I grow a new ego. Disorganisation aside it was ok perhaps I arrived on a full moon.

Edited yesterday at 15:32 by p4ul
naming no names to protect the guilty

[Geek99]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

 

…(really excellent drummer and guitarist, and me on bass bringing the quality down) 

He probably used to play bass but was led astray by the dark side 

Edited yesterday at 16:18 by Geek99

[nekomatic]

2 hours ago, p4ul said:

Afrobeat Jam in a record shop - House band invite players to join them for improv jams, no sign up sheet, no Ukuleles yet. Got to have some chops to keep up with the HB but welcoming and good vibes, musically interesting.

Ooh, nice!

[tauzero]

6 hours ago, Geek99 said:

He probably used to play bass but was led astray by the dark side 

 

As it happens, that's exactly it. James Bartholomew of Jayler who are supporting Deep Purple for their late 2026 tour.

[Geek99]

17 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

As it happens, that's exactly it. James Bartholomew of Jayler who are supporting Deep Purple for their late 2026 tour.

Maybe he will recover if given enough antibiotics

[Stub Mandrel]

Went to the Earl Haig jam on Monday hosted by James Oliver Band. Some interesting new faces, some youngsters (boy drummer & girl bass player) and a band who looked like four brothers and plenty of familiar ones - yook a couple of mates who hadn't been before and were happy just to see what the situation is.

Played some bass for Ken Wood with Mark Kemlo on drums. It was a nice Trace Elliot through Ashdown cab, but the previous bass was active and despite fiddling as I played I wasn't loud enough. Still had fun, first was a long, slow blues, so I based around a nice simple riff I stole from Leo Lyons who no doubt found it somewhere else... next was Crossroads, hard to really channel Jack Bruce (😂) when you're struggling to hear yourself, but folks said it was OK (if quiet).

[knirirr]

Two quite different jams to finish the year:

Sunday's was very busy; we went for 3 hours rather than the usual 2.5 and still couldn't fit everyone in. Lots of horn players, singers etc. A saxophonist commented that he liked my ballad playing on bass. There were some good tunes called.

Wednesday's had various people call in sick at the last minute. We ended up with:

- Horn player good at reading heads from the real book but not confident at soloing.

- Gypsy jazz guitarist good at comping from iReal but not confident at soloing. 

- Drummer who is learning the trumpet and was keen to step away from the drums and play some heads. Not able to do trumpet solos. 

- Me (unamplified DB).

- Er...

- That's it. 

Somehow, we were accosted by pub patrons who said they enjoyed it. There were, out of necessity, more bass solos than I would have liked.

[tauzero]

Christmas open mic at the British Legion in Shirley last night. Because there's generally a full list but it's quite a big list, the number of songs here is almost always limited to two. A few Christmas songs, of course, with Mrs Zero and I doing Spaceman came travelling and Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby. The elderly sax player and his daughter were there - normally another female guitarist/singer and me accompany him but last night it was just me, on My Boy Lollipop and Blanket on the Ground, which TBH didn't sound great. Got to accompany another couple of people including the aforementioned female guitarist/singer on Merry Xmas Everyone and Last Christmas. Everybody brought food and so we got to eat plenty of mince pies, Heroes, and Celebrations.