15 Minutes of Fame
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Monday nights at the Jazzhaus By Kevin Kampwirth. Jayplay writer
photo: Abby Tillery
Walking down the sidewalk not knowing any better, you'd probably miss it all together. The doorway - a four-foot wide passage crammed between two other establishments provides little, if any, clue as to what lies behind the door. The address has a fraction in it for God's sake.
One night out of every week it's not as easy to miss. If you're within a twoblock radius of this doorway, you'll undoubtedly hear music spilling out to the streets and sidewalks. Follow the sounds to 926 1/2 Massachusetts St. and you'll find the Jazzhaus.
It'll be Monday, also known as Open Jam Night.
For dozens of Lawrence-area musicians whose musical talents would otherwise go unnoticed, Monday nights at the Jazzhaus are a release. Anyone is welcome — guitarists, drummers, bassists or singers. Scott Welch, Overland Park freshman and guitarist, says he wouldn't miss open-mic night
for any reason. "I'm sick as hell right now and have an 8 a.m. class tomorrow, but I'm here," Welch says.
The draw for Welch, like many others, is that there's a house band to play with called The Spanktones. Just bring your instrument, or voice, and you're in the band — if just for one night. Although open-mic night tends to attract mostly guitarists and drummers, there are those rare few who show up just to sing. Summer Jasper, Lawrence resident, is one of them. As she sits at a table in front of the stage, waiting for her turn to perform, she can't help but be nervous. "I'm scared shitless right now," Jasper says. "But it's worth it. It's the rush of the stage."
Several other bars in Lawrence offer open-mic nights, The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., and the Bella Lounge, 925 Iowa St., are just a couple. But the Jazzhaus' open-mic night seems to be the most popular. It also offers an acoustic open-mic night on Wednesday. Welch says the fact that there are always people in the bar is a big contributor to the crowd. He says that places like The Bottleneck don't really draw in crowds for open-mic night because of its large size, whereas the Jazzhaus offers a more intimate setting and has a good following.
Monday nights at the Jazzhaus can almost be considered a sub-culture. The same people show up to perform every Monday with a few new additions every now and then. "It's addicting," says Brian Sifton Lawrence resident, a drummer who frequents the Monday open-mic. "Everybody knows each other and supports each other." Michael Hamm, guitarist for The Spanktones and Lawrence resident, agrees. He says that since there are so many musicians in Lawrence, Monday nights at the Jazzhaus gives those people who aren't in bands a chance to be part of the music culture.
For most of the open-mic regulators, it's still about one thing: the chance to express themselves while doing what they love.
A long flight of stairs takes you to the actual bar. A woman sits by the door and checks I.D.s and asks for $2. "Cover, to pay the house band," she explains. There's a list on the bar next to the entrance. It has time slots printed on it in 20-minute intervals. The first few slots are empty, the later ones fill up faster. The bar is dimly-lit. Candles on every table provide the main source of light. You order a drink, sit down at the bar and look around. The nervous faces are apparent. Some have a guitar case next to them. Some, drumsticks.
After the house band plays a few songs, a man steps up to the microphone. "Scott Welch, could we get Scott Welch up here?" A kid wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a baseball cap eagerly makes his way towards the stage, electric guitar in hand. He plugs in and confers with the band. He faces the crowd and begins to riff out the intro to Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe." Two minutes later, doing his best Hendrix impersonation mid-solo, he brings the guitar up to his face and begins to play with his teeth. The crowd erupts.
Actually, he's sick as hell and has class at eight in the morning. Up on stage though, eyes shut tight, that's the last thing on his mind.
— Kevin Kampwirth can be reached at kkampwirth@kansan.com.
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Jayplay 3.4.04