Open Mic Monday on Zoom is still going
With the return of live music, most music Zoom sessions are closing down, but Open Mic Monday on Zoom is continuing as a permanent feature of the Island’s music calendar.
It is hosted from the Isle of Wight by Steve Love, pictured above with his latest CD all ready for launch. Steve’s Open Mic zoom welcomes all kinds of music, poetry and other performance, as well as watchers. Most of the participants are from the Island, but there are some from the North Island and around the world. Steve has decided to keep it going because he has noticed that a number of the participants like music but for medical or domestic reasons can’t go out to pub events, with or without a lockdown – while others (like himself) just have to have their extra fix of music every week.
The format will be familiar to Isolation Row and folk club participants – the host ‘goes round the room’ to give everyone a song/spot, then goes round again if there is time or if not draws names from a hat.
Open Mic Monday takes place every Monday from 8pm till 10.15pm on Zoom , Anyone is welcome, either regularly or as a drop-in, or bring-a-friend, to perform or watch. The links are all on the folkonwight Events page.
Zooming into the past
There have been 61 Isolation Row zoom sessions, run by John Hacker or, very occasionally, by John Bentley. These have now come to and end, but the Monday Open Mic zoom is continuing, see above. John Hacker’s contribution to the lockdown folk music scene has been immense. Apart from the regular committment of the zooms, he produced three days’ worth of festival and several Quay Folk Clubs too. What a star!
Just a few
Some folk clubs have been able to restart whereas others are still waiting. The problem is space, of course. Those with suitable outdoor areas or a good sized indoor room are now up and running. All eyes are fixed on June 21st! Meanwhile, the morris sides are getting organized again. Men of Wight met in (almost) secret to dance in the May. Bloodstone Border Morris are about to resume their practice nights and Moonshine assembled outdoors for a dance and catch -up, see below.
folkonwight 