Dream Ship Landing
Abilene Welcomes “The OpenMic” ABILENE- Inside: Know Thyself Books at 2425 South 7thstreet in Abilene on any given Saturday night you may just find the greatestparty that no ones’ ever heard of . . .yet. After months of small gatheringsand get-togethers, promotional bar-b-q’s and little talent shows, themanagement and owner/facilitator arrived at aname for their on-the-rise venue: “TheOpen Mic”. Every Saturday night thedoors open about 9:00pm and aspiring talents of all sorts wait for their turnto get on stage and rock the house. Thesetting simulates a club/coffee shop atmosphere, with unique hand-made originalbeverages made with both class and swagger alike. Growing inpopularity, the talent forum/comedy-club/coffee-shop screams WELCOME, and ifone were to venture inside they would find an arrangement of people andexpressions equally diverse, a composition so beautifully different the entireestablishment, while in operation and at maximum capacity, is a masterpiece initself. {{more}} The marquee eventfor the venue is Saturday’s Open Mic Night, a glorified talent show thatprovides a platform for the modern-day dreamer.The stage caters to the brilliant poet, the gifted guitarist, the iconiccover-singer and the above average, average, and delightfully belowaverage-“joes” that just want to get up and let loose in front of a crowd. Always entertaining, the true perfection liesin the whirl-away changes of pace and flavor of the performances in addition tothe ever-inconsistent and drifting mood of the crowd. At one moment, the audience is fully immersedin a genuine heartfelt original song or poem that the individual on stage isperforming, at times so compelling to bring the entire assembly to a silenthypnotic state. Then the next act willget on stage, do something completely outrageous and the crowd is in completehysterics. Regardless of what goes on duringthe show, the stagnant and ever-lingering theme is what keeps everyone comingback and new faces showing up. Thebenevolent atmosphere encourages a group that normally would not gel to enjoythe night as one supporting unit drifting throughout the strobe- lit room allin the pursuit of laughter, entertainment and fellowship. Ambassadors of ‘The Open-Mic’will exclaim that Saturday’s show serves as a launching pad for local talent toaccelerate the dream chase as they are provided the concert-setting thatsimulates a live performance. Managementtakes the utmost pride in the contention that one day a mainstream talent,television show, or mix-tape series will have spawned from their brainchild. Much more than a karaoke contest; Saturday’sopen- mic night is an expressionist’s of any sort’s jackpot and the shop itselfis a late night solution for a gym-rat or after-hour employee seeking a coffeeor smoothie, free Wi-Fi and a place to relax and meet new people as themid-city setting is comfort for any character.Indeed what began with a risky idea, some increasing community supportand the fuel from the visionary, has turned into quite the vessel of lostambitions and new potentials. All Aboard.
