An A List of seasoned open mic performers kicked off the first edition of the weekly Acoustic Open Mic at Thursday night.
While those performing were invited to do so, the operative word for next week’s program is “open.”
“We wanted to have a degree of control over last night’s program so we could see what works and what we need to improve upon,” said Jeanine DiMenna, Page One’s co-owner and executive chef. “The evening went smoothly, the players were wonderful, the audience attentive and respectful. We look forward to making this a must each week among singer/songwriters and musicians throughout the local area and beyond. Next week is definitely open, with a first-come/first served sign-up sheet, so we encourage those who would like to perform to come join us.”
DiMenna also created a special five dollar bar menu with a range of selections from salads to burgers and chicken dishes, plus an array of desserts. The special menu will be available each Thursday.
While the emphasis of the open mic was upon acoustic performances, the variations on the genre included a wide array of talent: the deeply introspective story songs on John Taylor, the ‘60s folk-influenced work of Suzanne Ernst, the wry humor offerings of Mark Virgilio, the travel-influenced music and lyrics of Josh Joffen, the roots rock of Jim Treutlein, a range from reggae to rock of Joe Perricone, the rock ‘n roll of Guy Pezzullo and the insightful ballads of Steve Robinson.
Fred Bredfry journeyed from Riverhead to add his special touch of deeply poetic lyrics and lilting melodies. Doug Kwartler, formerly of Floral Park, was in-town from his new home in the Boston area to bring his songs and musicianship to the evening.
Kwartler, Perricone and Pezzullo – all accomplished lead guitarists – also added their special touches to the work of other performers.
The weekly open mic is being co-sponsored by Glen Cove Patch and the .
Stay tuned to Patch for video footage from the event.
