< 36F AUGUST 1996 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD Local venues open doors for new acts Looking for a gig? Well, check out the scene Musicians can cut their teeth during open mike nights at The Bottleneck, 737 N.H. - Open mikes help artistic wannabes break into the local scene. BY JL WATSON JOURNAL-WORLD WRITER She doesn't bungee jump, tame lions or sky dive, but Lynn Abrams is a risk taker nonetheless. Abrams is the booking agent for the Full Moon Cafe, 803 Mass., where music, poetry and dance are part of the menu five nights a week. She is responsible for bringing tried and true acts to the Full Moon stage while leaving room for new acts who want to break into the local scene. "That's the really nice thing about Lawrence. It's a great town for original music." — singer Anthony Case Open mike nights allow "If someone comes to an open mike, then I get a chance to hear them," she said. "It gives them a chance to show what they've got. Then I can book them on the calendar." any budding Bob Dylan to get up on stage and perform. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. Bar owners don't pay open mike performers, customers get to hear several acts and participants get to meet like-minded individuals. Singer Anthony Case and his band, Justin Case, are, well, a case in point. They got together a year ago just to play for fun. Their first public performance was at an open mike night at The Bottleneck, 737 N.H. "At The Bottleneck, you just sign up," Case said. "That's the really nice thing about Lawrence. It's a great town for original music." Case has been in other bands, but it took him four years from the time he moved to Lawrence until he played in front of an audience. "I used to go to the Jazzhaus and think, 'I could never play here,'" he said. "You just kind of have to go out there and do it." Justin Case is an example of a band that started out playing at open mike nights and proved popular enough to get regular bookings. "Getting regular nights depends on how good of a following you have," Case said. "When we first started, we didn't care because we were just doing it for fun." Case said the Full Moon gigs led to bookings on the stage at the Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Mass., which doesn't have open mike nights. McNeely is known for drawing local fans to see national touring acts, but also caters to local needs. "My first advice to anyone who thinks they're ready to start playing onstage is to practice another four months," he said. "All a band has to do is sell themselves to me. Then I'll try to sell them to the community." Having a good CD and publicity photo doesn't hurt, either. Fans are more likely to spend money for a band they've seen and know will Jazzhaus owner Rick put on a good show, McNeely said. "I try to make every musical show an event," he said. "I didn't get in this business just to have a bar.It's all about the energy." That energy carries over into other performance art as well. Comedy acts, poets and performance artists have all found a corner on local stages to strut their stuff. Poet Matt Fowler first took the stage in the 1980s and now acts as host for poetry jams at the Full Moon Cafe. "There are some people in their 50s getting up there for the first time," he said. "And there are some teenagers getting up for the first time. That's the most fun for me." "Poetry is making a comeback nationally," he said. But there's a need for more William Burroughs lives in town and Allen Ginsberg comes to see him. People should pay more attention to that." Like Case, Fowler encourages anyone who wants to perform to just get up and do it. Fowler's parting advice to poets taking the mike: "You can feel passionate about something but it doesn't have to be anger." WHICH WAY IS THE STAGE? The Bottleneck: 737 N.H.,live music every night.Open mike on Mondays. Bubba Zuels:1117 Mass.,live music. Dos Hombres: 815 N.H.,live music in the garden on Thursdays throughout the summer. Full Moon Cafe:803 Mass., music, belly dancing, poetry and performance art Tuesdays through Saturdays. The Granada: 1020 Mass., live music every Free State Brewing Co.: 636 Mass., live music every Thursday and Friday night beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. Jazzhaus:926 1/2 Mass., live music Wednesdays through Saturdays. Java Break:17 E. Seventh, comedy every Monday and live music throughout the month. Rick's Neighborhood Bar & Grill:623 Vt., live music on Saturdays. Replay Lounge: 946 Mass., live music, dates vary. Rudy's Plzeria:704 1/2 Mass., music every weekend. Teller's: 746 Mass. music every Monday and Thursday.