I recently took a job running a weekly open-mic down at Javapalooza, the hippest new cafe in town. However, despite my ingeniously clever postering, I have been unable to get very many members of the supposed Wesleyan music/art/performance scene to come by. What’s with that?
I thought that if anywhere had the potential to provide a solid community of musicians, poets, comedians and likeminded individuals, it would be Wesleyan. Oh, this great bastion of greatness! So, what’s the deal? Is Thursday night, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., just a bad time for folks? Or, is the walk down to 330 Main St. too much for our scrawny, over-intellectualized legs? Are we too distracted by our unlimited access to Internet porn to remember what non-virtual entertainment is like? Has the world gone mad?
If anyone’s had the experience of having participated in a really great open-mic (although I’ll be the first to admit they’re few and far between), they know how valuable one can be as a place for artists to share, collaborate, and support one another. It’s my dream to really turn Javapalooza into that sort of venue—we could really take it over and make it a great thing. It’s the perfect place to interact on an artistic level with the Wesleyan and Middletown communities, plus they make some pretty good coffee and a mean Chai latte (…with the soy milk-oh yay!-delicious).
So yeah, this’ll be my last pitch: an opportunity to open this door for Wesleyan students is here and I think we should take it. If you think this sounds like an idea you might be interested i—forming a real, strong, art-scene type deal at a nice, friendly, local caf—please come on by and spread the word. Once again, it’s Javapalooza on Main street, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. We’d love to have YOU come perform for/jam with/laugh at us. See you there.
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