Open Mic, January 19, 2019
The Show Goes On Despite Freezing Weather
The dedicated members of the Performing Arts Association, a division of the Fayetteville-Lincoln County Arts Center hosted the twice monthly performing arts and open mic show despite the freezing weather and threats of snow. Host Robert Foster took over the show for Arts Center president Ron Hackett who was out-of-town on a big band gig. Travis Leimer assisted Foster with the open mic and has been an apprentice host for the past year. Leimer will be hosting his own show soon. This open mic show will be for teenagers and young adults who are not comfortable attending our regular shows because of the older age demographic. Leimer opened the show with an extended set that included original songs and some of his favorite cover songs. He started with Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright." He followed that with two original songs the he titled, "Lost at Sea" and "Burning House." He finished his set with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Eric Clapton's "Tears in Heaven." Foster came next with covers of some of his favorite songs. His mellow voice and fingerpicking guitar style are always a favorite at our shows. His songs included: Chris Stapleton's "Whiskey and You," Bob Seger's "Turn the Page," a pair of songs by John Prine entitled "Souveniers" and "Hello in There," Jamey Johnson's "In Color, and Bart Millard's "I Can Only Imagine." Millard is the lead vocalist for the band Mercy Me. Thunderbyrd Newman, an avant-garde songwriter who frequently performs at our shows, closed out the regular portion of the show with several of his original songs. Those songs included: "Dreamy Smile," "Old Man Time," "Hashtag Me Too," "Free," and "Wildest Imagination." With some time remaining, Leimer kicked off an encore round with "Colder Weather" which is a song performed by the Zac Brown Band. The song was written by lead singer Zac Brown, Coy Bowles (the band's keyboardist and guitarist), Wyatt Durrette, and Levi Lowrey. He finished his set with "Ask Me How I Know," a song recorded by Garth Brooks and written by Mitch Rossell, and a reprise of Leimer's "Lost at Sea." Foster closed the show with two more cover song. He began with "Wooden Ships," a song written by David Crosby, Paul Kantner, and Stephen Stills. Two versions were eventually recorded by Crosby, Stills & Nash and by Jefferson Airplane. He finished with Neil Young's "Old Man." Pictures from the show can be found on the Arts Center's website (FLC-ArtsCenter.com) and on their Facebook (FLCArtsCenter) page. Videos from the shows are also broadcast on FPU's Channel 6. The next show will be Saturday, February 2nd in the gallery of the Arts Center at 7:00pm. The twice monthly performing arts and open mic held on the first and third Saturday of each month is free and open to the public. The Arts Center is a charitable non-profit corporation, so donations are appreciated. Each act is allowed 15 minutes for their performance. Soloists who would like musical accompaniment for their performance, or anyone that would like to participate in an open jam session, please contact Ron Hackett before the show. Questions about the show are also welcome. The email address is openmic@flc-artscenter.com. Located at 303 Main Ave. South in Fayetteville, The Arts Center is a charitable non-profit corporation dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our community by supporting all types of art. Doors open and sign-ups begin at 6:30PM on Saturday, and the show begins at 7:00. For more information, please visit the Art Center website:
Photos
Photos courtesy of Ron Hackett
Travis Leimer
Robert Foster
Thunderbyrd Newman