November 7th, 2023. The SPARK w Mari Volta

We do this every Tuesday. Signup before 7. I start at 7. 7112 Willow Avenue in Takoma Park, MD. robsopenmics.ilyaimy.com for more information. Tonight we were joined by featured artist Mari Volta.

Mari came out to my Catonsville open mic a couple of months ago and kind of blew my mind. He was an easy going, quietly smiling, be-dreaded guy who came in a little ways into the night with a beaten guitar and an understated demeanour. He was just quietly lurking until he hit the stage and then threw down with an immense voice, a spectacular falsetto, and… that smile.

Talking to him for a while, it turns out he’s just traveling, playing open mics and making his way up and down the coast. I told him to let me know when he might be passing through Maryland again and at the very least I’ve got something he can do on a Tuesday… and so he did. And I did. And lo and behold, he played this Tuesday. And he was awesome.

Beyond Mari, the whole evening was pretty Loverly. A pretty full list, a decently full house (that unfortunately filtered out right after the halfway point – at least they stayed for the feature). Dave Eisner had another sound gig and didn’t make it till slot 11 or so – and Juels Bland did a great job as sound and camera assistant – and t’was a fine night.