Monday, July 20, 1998
Amateurs get their 15 minutes at event
WESTWOOD: Singers, comics get experience from open mike show
By Dasol Kim
Daily Bruin Contributor
Amateur musician Rich Sheldon never imagined he'd find himself strumming his guitar in front of screaming hordes of college students when he first started playing at the age of 12.
Westwood Brewing Company's weekly Open Mike Night gives him that chance.
Previously, Sheldon's musical talents went untapped, except for those quiet times when his only audience was the wallpaper in his room. However, because of recent live performances, a career in music does not seem beyond his reach now.
Sheldon, like many other amateur musicians, has decided to take the route that other legendary musical artists such as Jerry Garcia and Bob Dylan have taken - playing at small open microphone events.
But in Westwood, the Open Mike Night is no small event.
"We get around 100 people here during the school year," said Mark Duncan, organizer and founder of the event.
Open Mike Night, with musical and poetic acts on Tuesday nights and stand-up comedy on Wednesdays, has gained a huge following with both UCLA students and other Westwood residents ever since it debuted nearly a year ago.
"It's huge," Duncan said, "I think it's the only place in Westwood where any amateur can just get up on stage and perform."
"It's something Westwood didn't have before," he added.
Initially, only one night was open to amateurs to showcase their musical and comic talents.
After a while, though, the increasing popularity of the event forced organizers to split it up into two separate nights with one specifically for comedians.
On most nights, Ordell Cordova, the master of ceremonies, opens the show off with a rap and keeps on going until he runs out of things to say.
"I think I need something to drink," he said jokingly, as he walked off stage, short of breath after completing a lengthy opening rap.
Cordova's job is to introduce each guest as they seat themselves on the stools in the middle of the temporary, makeshift stage in the upper Westwood Room.
"Each person is given 15 minutes," Duncan said, outlining the format of the show. "They can play as many songs as they can within that time."
During the show, audience members can frequently be found walking in and out the room.
A couch and a jar of burning incense sticks in front of the stage create a relaxed atmosphere where audience members are free to rap aloud rhythmically on the tables and talk with the performers during the program.
Sheldon, a self-proclaimed Deadhead, took most of his influence from the late Jerry Garcia and Jim Morrison, blending soul and rhythm into his unique style.
Like many other artists who perform on Tuesday nights, Sheldon gives the audience a sound that is rarely ever heard in mainstream music.
"Performing at coffee shops is probably the best time for artists because they're not tainted by money," Sheldon said.
"I'm kind of jaded with the record industry. Every song that comes out of the radio doesn't have any heart or soul," he said. "It's disappointing."
However, there are others who do not mind mainstream music.
Jill and Liz, an acoustic guitar-playing duo from Chicago, played popular songs from 10,000 Maniacs and Indigo Girls before playing a piece from their own song collection.
"We just started playing a couple of months ago," they explained to the audience as they tuned their guitars before performing.
Some students say that the diversity in experience and style have always characterized coffee shops on open microphone nights.
Sheldon said that because of the relaxed atmosphere, amateurs have the luxury of making mistakes.
The Open Mike Night runs from 10 p.m. until 1 a.m. on Tuesdays, and Laffapallooza, the comedy show, from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Wednesdays. Interested performers must sign up one hour before starting time.
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Amateur musicians such as King Swami G take advantage of the Westwood Brewing Company's weekly Open Mike Night