And so Finally Back to Graz – but Dammit, Someone Said, “Out Damned Spot!”

And so the European soccer tournament destroyed another open mic. Or did it? Not really sure. I know that the only open mic that I know the existence of in Graz, Austria, was closed for the summer when I arrived at its venue on Thursday, my first day of four in Graz. I’ve blamed it on the soccer. But when I think about it, dropping by to The Spot, where the open mic takes place, I found not a single client, and not a single television showing anything at all – or I’m so immune to the soccer that I didn’t notice. Whatever may be the case, my four days in Graz, Austria were devoted to playing my guitar in my hotel room – when not eating, dry, aged beef.

Do I like Graz? In a way I love Graz. But have I ever seen a second-biggest city in a country to be so devoid of live music? No, never.

I walked the streets from dried, aged beef restaurant to dried, aged beef restaurant in search of the slightest evidence of live music, from Thursday to Sunday night. And never did I ever find the least bit of evidence that live music exists in the second biggest city in Austria.

Aside from the complete lack of live music, though, I love the city of Graz, with its historic, museum-like old town, which is considered one of the most beautiful in Europe. And I love the surrounding mountains, the long flowing highways and the pretty good weather I had, compared to the Paris rain….

But when I arrived at The Spot to find that the news I had already on Facebook was true, that there was no more open mic for the rest of the summer, I was pretty disheartened. After all, the open mic of The Spot is an absolutely fabulous open mic…. Hopefully I’ll get another chance in some future year….

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