Brad Spurgeon's Blog

PARIS – The Café Oz open mic in Paris at the Café Oz bar near the Blanche metro started off a little slow a few months ago. But the bar, the location and Brislee Adams’ MCing job and sound system and methods, have made this the latest open mic in Paris to be a “must attend.”

In fact, I’ve just gone for the third week in a row. Tuesday night I came close to deciding to go to one or another of the other Tuesday-night open mics in Paris, but my experiences at the two previous editions of the Café Oz made me feel like I would be most assured of getting the kind of night I wanted if I attended it. I was right.

In fact, I had even gone with the intention of possibly doing two or three open mics in the same night…but the Café Oz was just too much fun. IE, cool and interesting people and musicians, plus the cool ambience of the barmen and women, and one thing I think I habitually forget to point out: The Café Oz open mic is one of those where they really think of the well-being of each musician who plays a set: You get a free drink after you play!

I had a great time with my set, too, by the way, playing “Year of the Cat” and having a harmonica player and an accordion player play along. Then I did my new song, “Chanson d’Amour,” followed by a bit of risk taking by playing a song I have only sung I think once before in an open mic, that never-ending Bob Dylan song that starts: “When you’re lost in the rain in Jurez….” The fact that it’s the same lilting chords from beginning to end was not overly boring this time thanks again to the accordion and harmonic….

There were some of the same faces as the week before, but there were also some discoveries. I’ll be back!!

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