New Open Mic at the Grange

Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30pm at he Grange

— from Mandy Troxel —

Open Mic this Tuesday

There’s a new open mic in town! The Orcas Island Grange will be hosting a monthly open mic, starting on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30pm. Hosted by Gordon Koenig and Mandy Troxel, the focus of this family-friendly event will be local acoustic music and fabulous audience support and participation. September’s inaugural Open Mic will also feature songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Matt Sircely, who’s joining in to help kick off a season of good music!

Grange Open Mics will be held every third Tuesday of each month. There’s no cover, but a donation jar will be stationed at the door to help cover costs. Performers of all ages will be given a 10 minute slot (and held to it!), and sound will consist of one “gather round” mic, used by solo musicians or groups. Sign up for a slot starting at 7pm.

Open mics are a win-win for both musicians and audiences. New performers use open mics to get acquainted with using a sound system and with singing in front of an audience. Seasoned performers appreciate open mics as a way to try out new songs and stories and to keep their musical cups full. Musicians often back each other up as new groups are spontaneously formed. Audiences get to watch the magic happen!

Special guest Matt Sircely (www.mattsircely.com) is no stranger to Orcas, though currently based in Port Townsend. Sircely has built a large catalog of original songs across a wide breadth of styles, whether songs of history, struggle, hope or reconciliation, a few dark comedies and a growing list of country love songs. Sircely co-produced the most recent recording, No Pressure, from the swing ensemble Hot Club Sandwich, which features a special guest appearance by David Grisman. Sircely’s first recording of original songs was produced by Danny Barnes in 2015, and the two friends released a live recording in 2013. As a mandolinist, Sircely was noted for his work on the cover of Mandolin Magazine in 2010. Two of Matt’s family members live on Orcas Island. His mother, Mary Ann, lives in a house built by his brother, Erik. In addition, another brother, Jason considers Orcas Island the closest thing to a North American home, since he lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

More information is available via Gordo@rockisland.com, anita@rockisland.com, or mandy@mandytroxel.com. Spread the word!