Georgetown Saloon Kids open mic night sings success

Written by Kaitlin Bradshaw/ The Redding Pilot
Thursday, 09 February 2012 09:00

The Georgetown Saloon has been hosting open mic night for adults every Tuesday and Thursday evening, but it wasn't until 11-year-old Amber Schaper of Fairfield sat in with Mark Barden's band and sang Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys that Lory Ambrosini, manager of the Georgetown Saloon, decided to start a children's open mic night for performers under the age of 17.

"The kid sat down with her keyboard and started singing and everyone went quiet," said Ms. Ambrosini. "Now she'll bring in up to 70 kids to come in and jam. Some sound better than the adults."

Amber hosts the Shining Stars event along with Mr. Barden, who provides drums and amps for guitar and bass.

"It has just been a great experience. It started back in October and has been growing ever since," said Mr. Barden. "The turnout has been great; standing room only. Overall, just a positive experience for kids to come and play or sing in front of a live audience."

The children's open mic night is held once a month on a Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m.

"The event is booked in advance and fills up fast," said Ms. Ambrosini. "It's caught fire."

Ms. Ambrosini is a musician herself and understands it can be hard to find places to perform at a young age, she said.

"When I was growing up, age 16, 17, I couldn't go to bars and play with adults, but here it allows them to," she said. "It's a cool, eclectic place that holds the spirit of music and rock. The best local talent has played here."

The regular open mic nights are held Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 8:30 p.m. and end when the bar closes. The performers must sign up by 5 p.m. by phone or in person or by email, Ms. Ambrosini said.

To further support the artists in the Georgetown community, Ms. Ambrosini plans on hosting an event the third Wednesday of every month, she said.

"We want to showcase local painters and their art. We'll hang their work on the wall for two to three weeks so people can come in and see it and purchase it right off the wall if they want," she said.

Ms. Ambrosini and saloon owner Nancy Silverman use social media to get the word out that they are still open, said Ms. Ambrosini.

"We have a Facebook page, Twitter, MySpace so people can stay in the loop. We are here," she said.

The next Shining Star night is Sunday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m. A full calendar of events is on the saloon website, Georgetownsaloon.com.