Shakey Eggs

Through my affiliation with Latin Percussion, I have been introduced to an amazing way to create audience participation, the 'Shakey Egg.'

This is all you need to do...

• Purchase a bag of LP Shakey Eggs
• Hand them out to musicians and audience members at your open mic
• Tell folks that they are welcome to keep the eggs if they make a small donation to you so that you can buy more eggs to share
• Encourage people to use the eggs as performers play
• Show them how to use them

This one-thing can transform a 'lack-luster' open mic into a fun, interactive event that people will tell their friends about.

Note: If you are a member of the OpenMic.US 'Host Club - Gold,' you can receive deep discounts on purchases of 'Shakey Eggs.' You can even get them custom-printed with your logo, etc.

For more info. on 'Host Club - Gold,' visit this site or drop me an email.

Performers Are Your Guests

As the word 'host' suggests, while running an open mic, you should treat your performers as if they were guests in your home.

When they first arrive, make sure that you greet them. Smile and make them welcome. Ask how they heard about your event, and direct them to the signup sheet.

If someone is new, introduce them to other players. If a person feels welcome, they will leave with a warm feeling, and hopefully, they will return to play again.

Always introduce the person to the audience on the mic prior to their performance. Even if you think that everyone knows who they are, it is a critical part of the 'ceremony of performance.'

Upon completion of their set, ask the audience to show their appreciation for a 'job well done.' Again, it may not seem important to you, but it means world to the player.

Make a point to personally approach and congratulate each performer on their set. Invite them back and watch your open mic blossom.


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PA Placement

When I play out as a solo performer, or with my band, I always put the PA head directly behind me. This gives me access to make adjustments during the gig.

When I started hosting open mics, I did the same thing.

Every time I needed to adjust the sound, I had to go on stage behind the artist. This is a pain to do and it's disruptive to the performer/audience.

One day, a friend of mine suggested putting the PA head off to the side of the stage. Genius!

My friends, this is THE way to do it.

It makes adjusting your levels a little tougher, but the rest of the night runs like silk.


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Open Mic Hosting

I've been hosting live-music open mics since 1997.

When running an open mic, I try to put myself in the shoes of the participating musicians.

When I first started hosting, I thought about my personal experiences with other's open mics. I made of list of things that I liked, and things that I didn't like. I ran my open mic according the the list and sought feedback from the musicians.

At one point, my company, Open Mic Entertainment, operated 30 open mics per week in five cities.

This blog is designed to help you 'fine-tune' your hosting skills.

I hope you find it informative.

Craver is the founder of the OpenMic.US Network.


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