YEAR IN REVIEW: 2023 at Songwriters Open Mic Ann Arbor
It’s the 29th year of Songwriters Open Mic, now that the month of February has rolled in. And in Spring, we’ll hit 4 years on Zoom, as a weekly musical event. During 2023, 40+ musicians Zoom-ed in to Songwriters Open Mic from 14 states. Around 40% of the 2023 performers are Michiganders, which reflects our long history there as an in-person event. And if we add the Ohioans and Illini, it’s a little over 50%. The 14 states from the past year are mapped out here in yellow.
A core of 6 or 8 regulars welcomes “irregulars” and first-time visitors. We leave time each week for discussion of songwriting technique, and some music history, and general encouragement. Our sets are 3 songs or 15 minutes, but if more than a dozen performers turn up, we limit our sets to 2 songs or ten minutes.
The first Tuesday evening of the the month is for original songs only; the other Tuesdays are “anything goes” (covers or originals). As always, this year’s original songs covered a wide scope. Love songs. Topical or political observations. Nature settings. Family stories. Exotic travels. Everyday reporting.
The covers were acoustic but all over the place, from The Folk Revival to Sixties Rock and Pop, and on to recent decades of Americana and Indie songwriters. Some of the singer-songwriters whose names frequently came up in 2023 were John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Guy Clark, Jason Isbell, Bob Dylan.
As I recall, it was a bigger-than-usual year for songs played in alternate tunings. And for ukuleles! You never know, on any given Tuesday, what songs you’ll hear and what musical topics will arise.
There is a video archive of hundreds of original songs from the open mic (both the in-person years and the Zoom years). Search YouTube for the channel called “Songwriters Open Mic Ann Arbor.”
The Zoom link for Songwriters Open Mic changes each week. If you want the link, either to perform your set and talk about songs, or to just listen in, write to at jimnovakmusic (at) gmail (dot) com.