2013年1月18日金曜日

2013年1月18日金曜日 -

Thomas - Open Mic Night Osaka

Thomas rocking the night in downtown Osaka
Twice a month, I host open-mics in some bars in central Osaka. Open-mic means an `open microphone` so anyone can get up on stage and show off their talents. When lots of people show up, my job is to coordinate the different musicians and talents that come to perform. When only a few people come my job is to entertain the customers by playing guitar and singing.

While the open-mics do sometimes get a wide variety of talents, on the whole, most people that perform are musicians or singers. It’s great to watch Japanese and foreigners performing each other’s music together. It’s a real feeling of comradery.


My tastes in music are pretty broad. I like Blues, Rock, Heavy Metal, Jazz, Funk, Reggae, and even Classical. It all depends on what kind of mood I’m in to decide what I want to play. I also enjoy learning Japanese tunes. I’ve learned to play “Country Roads” in Japanese and enjoy listening to Eigo Kawashima. Learning songs is a great way of learning Japanese because you don’t get bored!

Open-mics are also something that I like to look for in other countries when I travel. Last time I went to Italy I found an excellent open-mic in an Irish pub in Rome. The Italian host was welcoming and easygoing as well as a great musician! It’s so easy to make friends when you’re making music together. In the future, I’d love to travel to as many countries as I can making music with people from all over the world!



If you’re in Osaka, feel free to stop by and play a few tunes or just come down for a listen.
Happy jamming!


show off =　見せつける
show up =　現れる・来る
coordinate =　調整する
on the whole =　全体的に
comradery =　仲間意識・友情
tastes = 好み
broad =　幅広い
depends on = ～による
tunes (Songs) =　曲
welcoming =　歓迎する
easygoing =　おおらかな・気楽な
stop by = 立ち寄る
come down (visit) = 訪問する
jamming =　即興演奏