Amateurs get their 15 minutes at event

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