Esme at Woodruff's Open Mic!

October 11, 2011

     We had our first family trip to Woodruff's this week!  We visited what we believe was the first open mic at Woodruff's in Ypsilanti back in January.  We were at first excited to find such a great place for me to play and for us to hang out and listen to great music every week, but then we found out that Tina was pregnant, and, as just about any pregnant woman can probably tell you, hanging out in a bar while you're pregnant isn't as fun.  So I've been going alone most weeks since then.  After about a month or so, I started writing the Woodruff's Acoustic Open Mic Song (which you will soon hear, if you read on), which was and continues to be well received by the audience, staff, and other musicians.

Is 19 too young for the bar?  (19 days, I mean.)

     This week, we decided to see if it would work out.  "We can always leave if Esme's fussy," we said to ourselves, so we gave it a shot.  And what a great time we had.  Esme was a hit from the time we arrived.  Literally -- Nina, the bartender, saw us coming and opened the side door to let us in.  By the time she had stepped away, there were two other regulars greeting us and asking about Esme.  I can't tell you how joyous it was to be so warmly greeted as a family at a place that Tina had only been to twice before.  I've been playing almost every week as a part of the current incarnation of Bowling Green.  This evening's setlist included the typical open mic fare of three songs.

  We started off with "39 Weeks," the song I hastily wrote and performed three weeks ago, though I still couldn't remember all the words.  Oh well.

  

     From there we launched into a re-pronouned version of "When You Dream" by the Barenaked Ladies.  Amazingly enough, the concept of this song feels like it came out of a conversation Tina and I had in the past ten days.  (Truly, we can see Esme's rapid eye movement and body responses, so we are almost certain she's dreaming, but aren't dreams supposedly the mind's way of processing the days emotions and events?  So what IS she dreaming about?)

     And we ended, as we almost always do, with "The Woodruff's Song."  (In it's current version.  Verses for Jo, Eric, and Erik are in the works...)

     The night was fabulous all around with Esme getting loving from many of our friends, though it was pretty clear that those who held her received at least as much as they gave.  Just look at Sid's face....

Sid sayz, "I believe that Esme is... the child destined to bring balance to the Force!"

     Thanks, Woodruff's, for creating a family-friendly evening of music, love, good spirits, and joy.  If you're ever around Ypsi on a Tuesday night, you gotta stop by and check it out.