Next Month: Steve Harz
Steven Harz
As promised this article will focus on a musician that frequents Open Mics .
When I was asked to co host the after hours jam with Christina Meadows during The Bigger Beast Production of The Shelter From the Storm show held at the Old Church Music Series in Meriden ,CT - it felt like a good fit .
I host many Open mics and believe in them as a place seasoned and just starting out performers can mix in an environment of mutual affection and camaraderie. It was evident that night for anyone that was there . Musicians from the performance came to the jam as well as others not in the performance and played songs together as if they were in someone’s living room just sitting around .
Some of my favorite people I have met at an Open Mics. One of these people is Steve Harz. I met him at The Buttonwood Open Mic which meets every Monday in Middletown. It has rotating hosts but I host the First and Third Monday. Steve is attentive to all the performers and often stays the entire duration of the event. He has a laugh that is deep and comes from his soul. When you listen to his lyrics and voice there is always something unexpected . A well crafted line that makes the listener think . It’s not typical and I believe that’s what sets him a part as a songwriter.
Steven Harz
Steven Harz is an indie folk/rock musician and songwriter. In the past an award-winning poet, Steven now repurposes those words into song lyrics, in an effort to create something with which all listeners can identify, whether they be love and loss, failure and redemption, or ghosts and God. Steven recently released an EP titled, “Rosebud” which is available on all streaming platforms
Depending on the location or depending on what I’m working on, I’ll either try to pick a song that I’m confident in that I know I can perform well and I want the practice, or I’ll play a new song that I’m working on - either a cover or an original - so I can figure out in real time how I want to play it. It takes me 5-10 times playing a song live before I know how I want it to sound. The final, and very important, aspect is meeting other musicians, networking, learning from them, and the friendships and camaraderie.
Open mics:
Every Monday - Buttonwood in Middletown - I like the listening room aspect, as well as the wonderful community
Every Wednesday - Urban Lodge in Manchester - another great community of performers abundance John Prout is a great host.
Every Tuesday or Thursday (depending on the time of year) - Talcott Mountain Collective in Simsbury - stellar talent, great sound system run by host Mike Sasportas.
Every third Thursday - Work Space in Manchester - another listening room setting with host Liz Reed. This was the first open mic I played when I moved here from TN.
Learn More About Steven: