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| Has Beans
on the Yellow Brick Road |
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Saturday Open Mic a goldmine
of talent
What's the Buzz?
By Michael the K
|  Last
time I promised you that I would search out and reveal
your local talent!
I’ll let you in on a little secret, a lot of
top performers first time on stage (so to speak as there
is not always a stage at an open mic event) was at an
open mic. So I began to seek out, open mic listings
in Eureka proper!
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Among the places on the short list was Has Beans, a coffee
and tea emporium on 2nd Street in Old Town. And Old Town just
happens to be my most favorite spot on Eureka. First off there
is the fabulous Carter Mansion. I’ve seen a lot of elegant
Victorian mansions, as I lived in San Francisco for many years,
but the Carter house is my favorite. No picture seems to do
it justice. It gives you the feeling of Harry Potter meets
the Wizard of Oz, as you walk down the brick road to Old Town.
In this case the bricks are red, not yellow!
Well I arrived at Has Beans about 6:30 just in time to see
the line up for the mandatory sign up list! ‘My, my,
what a diverse collection of people on the bill tonight,’
I thought to myself. I also thought, ‘I’ve been
coming here for a few years to have coffee and I didn’t
know they had an open mic here.’ So I purchased an organic
blend and settled in to observe the surroundings.
The atmosphere reminded me a lot of the ‘70s in San
Francisco when a friend Tony De Paul hosted the Holy City
Zoo, a haven for the likes of Robin Williams, Dana Carvey
and others who went on to become stars from being spotted
by producers looking for talent. The older crowd will remember
that Lana Turner was discovered in a soda fountain in Hollywood
by an agent. Open mics too have had their share of overnight
success stories.
On to the bill of fare: What I experienced that night was
amazing. As I stated earlier, a ‘diverse level of talent’
was an understatement. It was the most eclectic blend of acts
since the Bill Graham bills at the Filmore. Man, he had a
way of booking the most unlikely combos. And to top it all
they worked to perfection. Well these acts were in the same
ball park . They went folk to rock to spiritual to old time
music led by a veteran of Slack Jaw presently with Twisted
Geezer, Bob Huck.
 Fidler
Bob runs the place with a velvet glove, making all who come
at home! The act ranged from a lifting spiritual by Martha
Meade, to an 82 year old Pat Hendricksen whose been performing
and playing Dobro (resonator guitar) since the age of 3! Well
2 and a half hours wizzed by, I had another cup of great coffee
and 18 acts came forth to test their skill at the arts. Some
were amazing, some need work, but that’s what this is
about. It’s a place to hone your craft and try out things.
Even the biggest performers still work small venues, when
they can to test new material. And this is one of the most
supportive venues I have ever witnessed! It’s more like
a group of repertory players in their own theater than a public
venue.
The audience being mad up of so many performers join in at
any given moment! There’s even a community sing-along
at the end A word to the wise and aspiring performer: Be here
early to sign up. Those just wishing to be entertained be
there by 7. I highly recommend it to all! |
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Vol.
I No. 6
Friday,
December 2, 2005
From all corners of the
county:
NewStory
A Crisis of Confidence
Doubt cast on security of local elections
Pulp
Mill Approaches Showdown
Monday public hearing at Eureka City Hall may force monitoring
Valley West Critical of
Service Center
Arcata narrows location list to Samoa Boulevard and South
G Street
Feds to Fund Controversial
School Surveillance
Department of justice funds programs that
track students
EPD Critical of Critical
Mass
Chief Douglas defends use of force against
bicyclists, protesters
Brinton, Clickner
Deliver Arcata Upsets
Schwarzenegger-driven state initiatives trounced
In the Know
What's the Buzz?:
Has Beans on the Yellow
Brick Road
Saturday Open Mic a goldmine of talent
Lost Coast Cuisine:
An Oasis for Your Taste Buds
La Chaparrita a hidden treasure on 4th Street
Artistic License:
Bauhaus Exorcizes the Filmore
Halloween night spent with legendary spirits
Artistic License
DV Indeed:
Fighting the Onslaught
Catch, Club join a re-edited Apocalypse
in realm of classics
Film in Focus:
Goblet of Fire Runneth Over
Masterful sorcery in Harry Potter, Volume IV
Opinion
Editorial:
Eco-Hostel Trumps Strip Hotel
Eureka shouldn't pass up long-range success for short-term infusion
of cash
Guest Opinion:
Save Tookie
Life offers something that death never could: Hope
Guest Opinion:
Like Undermining Motherhood and Apple Pie
Why are California Dems in local government embracing eminent domain
abuse?
Perspective on Globalization:
Let’s Talk About Iraq
Republican-Iranian connections renewed
Brick Burner:
The Tempest Cometh
Jack Abramoff’s Bipartisan Sleeze
Media Review:
Lipstick on a Pig
The folly of media reform
Getting Graphic:
Torturing the Torturers
How does official policy reflect personal pecadillos?
Calendar: 12/2-12/9
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