Knitting Karma

Yes folks, that crazy guy wearing the hawaiian shirt and sporting an afro is my husband. Tristan decided to play open-mic night at the Karma Coffee house on the corner of Cahuenga and Selma in Hollywood (in the shopping center with the chinese place--Big Wangs, I kid you not). We got there around 7pm so Tristan could sign up and get a spot--they go fast! There are lots of big comfy couches and leather chairs. I found one by a great table light and pulled out my knitting (what? You didn't think I would spend 3 1/2 hours in coffeehouse without knitting, 11 days before Christmas did you? No, I didn't think so).

I've been to open-mic nights before. Usually there is one or two (or 6--really bad memory) really obnoxious poetry readings from some chic's hello kitty journal, hoping to be the next Jewel. But this was totally different. The performers were so amazing. Really unique, original music sung by people with fantastic voices. Lots of just guys and guitars and a few girls with guitars as well. Oh, and they have a house bongo player too!

There was a performer, Extreme Janine, who changed the lyrics of songs by Al Green, Crystal Waters and Tom Jones to words about loving women and being a lesbian--very funny and upbeat. There was also a guy who called himself the "Minstrels of Decency" and who was (supposedly) a right-wing fundamentalist nutcase but you could see he was just actually making fun of those people!

Then there were several guys with amazing soulful voices who sang wonderfully original heartfelt songs. One guy sang a song he wrote for his Grandfather's 80th birthday called 20th Century Man--I got a bit teary-eyed, really, it was lovely. A friend of a friend performed, Benjamin, and he did a song called Ballad 90, I think, written by a friend of his that gave me chills, 3 times!

Tristan's stuff is a bit different. Well, have you heard of Weird Al? Tristan likes to spoof famous songs--Eric Clapton's classic, Tears in Heaven, becomes "Working at 7-11." He also played an original song he wrote about finals week in college which is very funny. Oh, and he got to be on internet radio. The people who sign up for the 9-10pm slots are broadcast on Internet radio (link on their website, if you ever want to listen). People were yelling, encore, encore when he finished--they didn't yell that for anyone else! I'm so proud!

They have open-mic every Wednesday from 7:30pm-11pm. We might just make this a regular thing--after we get back from visiting my folks in PA for Christmas. Next time, though, I'm gonna drink less coffee. I was nervous for Tristan and that combined with the bazillion cups of coffee I had yesterday made me so shaky that I was having trouble holding on to my cable needle in addition to the two I was knitting with. Oy! Next time I'll stick to herbal tea. But seriously, check it out. It was like a free concert. It's just up Cahuenga from Amoeba Records. Oh, and I knitted about 8 inches of a sweater vest. Success all around.