MMC15 - Part 1

This weekend, I've had the pleasure of attending the Millennium Music Conference (MMC). It's the first music conference that I've been able to attend. Over the next few days, I'll be writing on my experiences - some of what I've learned, contacts I've made, etc.

Today's post is on my showcase spot in the festival and an open mic I played.

Pint's

So I played this small venue in downtown Harrisburg, Pint's bar and grill. Now this is the first bar that I've played. Those that know me know that I don't frequent bars. Really, the only time I've been in bars has been to play pool. Being to all of maybe 4 or 5 bars ever, I had no clue what to expect...

I'll paint a picture for you to give an idea of what my first impression was: small, dimly lit, smoky, questionable side of town, etc. When I walked in, semi-clean cut appearance, I stood out. Since it was smoky, I tried to keep my gear out of it as much as possible, so for a while I just listened to some of the other acts. However, when I did bring in all of my gear, again, I was the anomaly of the group. Obviously, once I started playing that was enforced again.

So, far this seems super awkward and weird for me. However, I did have a few friends drop by. I can't name them on here, but it was great getting to experience such a different culture with some familiar faces. We likened it to being abroad immersed in a foreign culture. It was a good look into a different part of our community and really interesting to do some people watching and whatnot.

As is with a music conference, the main point of this all was to network. I met some great artists and had some good discussions. My music went over well with most of the people in the bar as well as the musicians. Never having played in a bar, this was a major concern. However, with a completely new style being shown to them, the bar goers were actually intrigued to the point of standing up to watch. This is always a great thing to have happen.

Ultimately, the only part that I really didn't like was the smoke. So, if I can find some non-smoking bars, I'd love to play some more.

PA Musicians Magazine Open Mic


Today, I went over to the Radisson, where the main MMC events were held. Throughout the day, in addition to the speakers, there was an open mic. Since I was there closer to when everything started, I was asked to start off the open mic set. Strangely enough, this was the first open mic that I've ever played. Since I was the first one up for the day and was breaking the ice for things, I got about 5 songs in before someone else went up. From that brief exposure, I was able to meet some more people and to hear some more good music. I'll definitely be looking to play some more open mic's when I am able. There is also supposed to be a short write-up on each performer in the open mic in their March issue. It'll be nice to finally get some press and I'll definitely get a link up when that happens.


The performing side of things is just one facade of a music conference. Tomorrow I'll hopefully have some time to start exploring some of the speakers and what I've learned from them. First, I'll start with just the notes that I took, and then, perhaps at a later date, I'll start to talk about how I want to implement new things that I have learned.