Open Mic at The Path Cafe: Review by Jessie Branch

On Thursdays, The Path Café of the West Village holds an open mic. A few open mics in NYC are scheduled using a lottery, so a performer may arrive early to sign up but still wind up playing close to last. At The Path, performers sign up as they arrive and thus are guaranteed a good spot if they show up a bit earlier. I decided to play two songs; one original and one blues cover of an old favorite by Janis Joplin (Trouble in Mind). I signed up as number 20 and was told I’d be playing at around 8 PM.

            Before the performances began, my expectations were low. I have been at my fair share of open mics and it is usually a group of individuals relatively new to performing, playing simple songs that are slightly under-practiced. As soon as the first performer went onstage, however, I knew this open mic would be different. Each performer, save a few, had a unique sound and had clearly practiced and/or taken lessons for their instrument. One thing that differentiates people who are talented musically from people who play truly moving music is the clear emotion that goes into the latter. There are so many people who are talented at playing various instruments, who have beautiful voices, and who can cover songs effectively. It is much more rare, and more memorable, to find someone who plays music from their heart without holding back any of their feelings. To do this takes a person who is not afraid of sharing their emotions with strangers, a person who feels things very strongly, and a person who can effectively write these feelings into music.

            One of my favorite performances of the evening was a musician named David Rothschild (davidrothschildmusic.com). David played two original pieces that were simple acoustic guitar matched with lovely vocals. Other musicians seemed to be playing lots of sad four-chord acoustic pieces that, in all honesty, have been done before. One thing that caught me off guard about David was his phrasing and how uniquely he used internal rhyme in his lyrics. His songs were truly heartfelt, original, and absolutely heart-wrenching. Another group that I enjoyed were an unnamed Australian duo. A man played a snare and a tom and had a few symbols, while a woman played piano and sang, or hit a cowbell and sang. Their music was heavily percussive with a very desert inspired feel. The woman’s voice was enchanting, she had excellent control and a great range. It was refreshing to see this minimalist style done so successfully.

            All in all, it was a great evening. The person who runs the open mic actually asked me to come next Sunday and play a full half-hour set! So if you want to come see some great live music, come to The Path Café on Christopher St. Sunday, May 17th from 5-8 PM.