Juke Box Hero

Being the voluntarily isolated, elitist snob that I am......it’s took a while for me to get on-board with the whole ‘open mic night’ thing.

I think I must have had some bad OMN experiences when I was young. And while I wouldn’t know......I imagine that a bad OMN experience is probably a bit like a bad LSD trip. Once bitten, twice shy.

But over the past couple of years I’ve come to really enjoy and value OMNs - even if I don’t always enjoy every musical occurrence that manifests at them.

Being part of Dunedin’s OM scene has meant that I get to play regularly, and more importantly, has allowed me to meet and get to know other musicians and muso-adjacents.

It’s taught me - or at least, it’s trying to teach me - to leave my ego, my fears and my personal hang ups at the door.

A fool’s errand……but perhaps still a worthy one, nonetheless.

It’s also ensured that at least every couple of weeks, Dunedin music legend Hyram ‘Dr Twang’ Ballard gets to practice his mandolin……and I get to feel like a midget while he does so.