Hi all...got a querie for you.

Where have all the open mic folks gone? Almost all of the open mics around town seem to be a sparsely attended this year. This is David from the Movie Bar and we recently received a well-deserved WTF review from someone wondering why at our open mic you could hear crickets chirping instead of would-be musicians giving it the ol' college try. From what I hear, its like that at all the other places too. There are a bunch of semi-pros around playing these things, but that's not why open mics exist. Last year our place was RAGING with folks clamoring to get to the mic. Spoken word, clarinet, hand drums, and bagpipes for cryin' out loud, all jammed together with the usual acoustic guitar playin' troubadours in awesome cacophonous harmony. We, the regular gigging musicians, MISS YOU! We play all the time. We want new blood, dangit! So, come on down to any of our places (although, I'm biased in thinking 1895 is the best of the bunch) and strum a few chords with your friends for free beer. You'll find nothing but accommodating atmospheres at any of the spots. Open mics in KM have been some of the most lively fun culture-laden events I've experienced. So come down and contribute, folks. We miss you!

Open mikes in Kunming should be Unesco cultural heritage goddammit!

That's open "mic", Willem...ha ha ha...

YAAA!

Eh? Free beer?

Recently I attended the Laba and Camel bar open mic. At laba i was the only foreigner that attended and at camel there was only one other. It was good to see some chinese people playing. It was also good to see people taking the time to play with people at a lower level than theirs. The music scene will not grow in Kunming unless people are more willing to do this.