The cold weather in Paris finally had its effect on the open mics, as the Highlander open mic was very thin when I arrived. That, on the other hand, was just fabulous! There were enough musicians and spectators to make it nice and warm and comfortable. There were some good, interesting, fun and new musicians, and I was able to arrive late and still go on. And then I STILL had the time to drop in at the Cavern, just up the street, in order to give myself another punishment.
The Cavern, on the other hand, did not suffer quite as much by the cold, but there were fewer than last time I went a couple of weeks ago. It was wonderful to see Maddie Speed there trying out the live karaoke thing after visiting so many open mics lately with her guitar. And SHE did a great job. I, unfortunately, seem to be a glutton for punishment. Last time, as I noted on this blog, I made a horrible mess of “What’s Up!”, getting the key entirely wrong and delivering a lifeless rendition of one of my best songs I do with my guitar all by myself.
So last night, Guillaume, the genial bass player and leader of the band at the Cavern’s vocal jam open mic, saw me and asked if I wanted to sing. I had not enough courage to make that fact known myself, but when invited, I leapt at the opportunity. This time, I worked very carefully and closely with the guitarist in advance and we got the key right. And so… I found myself entirely and totally confounded by the tempo…. and made a massive, horrendous mess of it for the second time in a row.
I am going to have to find some little Chinese restaurant somewhere and practice at a karaoke until I feel comfortable singing songs in their orginal tempo and rhythm.