Westside Bar and Grill.

The Gypsy Den and Westside Bar and Grill (2007 - Present)

During this time more so than ever did I develop a sense of "self" musically. I started to write music that came more naturally to me, instead of being so contrived or what I though would get a good crowd response. It was during this time that began to meld all of my influences together from alternative rock, classic rock, folk, jazz and blues. I began to form a musical identity. Through all this though, my open mic experiences though more subtle than in the past still exerted an influence on my music. 

The latter summer months and the beginning of the Fall 2007 semester, I began to frequent the Monday night open mic at The Gypsy Den in Santa Ana. It's a wonderful little restaurant cafe surrounded by art galleries and other restaurants, and has quite a crowd draw on open mic nights especially. Though it was during this time period I was writing more songs than ever, September of 2007 was the last time I went to open mics on a regular basis for nearly a year. 

Westside Bar and Grill, 2008 (photo by Melissa Kraft)

That would all change in Summer of 2008. A friend of mine named Chuck Berk, the fearless leader of the Orange County blues band Midnight Whiskey contacted me to help him co-host an open mic at Westside Bar and Grill in Costa Mesa. Due to schedule conflicts however, I became the defacto host. I had never done anything like it before, and quite frankly was quite scared of speaking in front of people. But being the host of the "Starving Artist Open Mic " became one of the most rewarding experiences I ever had. It allowed me to break out of my shell and meet tons of great people. Paul Hines, came to the first open mic I ever hosted. He's helped me quite a bit with my song writing, and is quite a good song writer as well. Tim (insert last name here) I actually met at the Ugly Mug some 3 years before, and frequents my open mic too. He is the frontman and chief songwriter of American Culture. They're due to come out with a demo soon, so he tells me. 

Oh yeah, and if any of you are interested, here is the info for my open mic:

The Starving Artist Open Mic, Every Monday at 7:30PM

Westside Bar and Grill

512 W 19th Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

949-646-5615