Concert Review: Eddie Owen Presents Open Mic Shootout I at the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth
Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, Georgia is a verifiable institution amongst the Atlanta music scene. The storied venue has helped launch the careers of some of music’s biggest acts including John Mayer, Sugarland and the Indigo Girls. The man largely responsible for its success and its namesake , Eddie Owen, was fired by new owner Alex Cooley back in May because he was putting a little too much energy into his passion project — the Red Clay Theatre in Duluth. For those coming into the Red Clay Theatre expecting Eddie’s Attic, this isn’t a bar. There are no tables to try to organize your party around and no one is gnawing down on a chicken wrap next to you. There is beer though, and the venue layout is more like a traditional theatre. This will serve as a welcomed upgrade for all of those latecomers who were forced to stand all night during sold out shows at the Attic.
One of the most renowned traditions at Eddie’s Attic has been the Open Mic Monday nights, where rough upstarts share the stage with rising musicians. It can be painful at times to witness, sort of like American Idol digging through the initial auditions, but every once in a while the sparkle of a diamond will catch the corner of your eye. Twice a year, they gather up all of these weekly Open Mic winners and have a musical throw down to see who will be crowned the winner of the Open Mic Shootout. It is a single elimination competition with randomly assigned brackets, March Madness-style. Random makes it inherently fair, but chance could pit two musicians against one another who, under normal circumstances, would have met in the finals. The winner goes home $1000 richer, while the runner-up pockets $500. Not a bad night’s work.
Eddie decided to take the weekly Open Mic tradition with him to his new venture and Friday night was the inaugural Open Mic Shootout at Eddie Owen Presents. The crop of contestants included winners of past Open Mic Shootouts at Eddie’s Attic — Mike Willis and Daniel Lee. At first, you may think it unfair that these previous winners of the cross town contest would be allowed to stack their musical chops against the newcomers, but ol’ Daniel Lee got shown the door in the first round. Nothing is guaranteed at the Shootout. You have to earn it.
As the artists took the stage during the first round it was clear everyone possessed talent, but for some it was a shred and for others it just oozed out of them. There were unfortunate pairings right off the bat like finalist Clay Evans going toe-to-toe against soul-singer Kyshona. I personally thought Kyshona’s rich voice took Evans down, but the judges said otherwise. At the least, this should have been a final four matchup, but some years you get Duke matched up with Indiana in the first round.
Most of the artists hailed from Atlanta or Nashville, though some did make the trip from reaches like Virginia (Water Within) and Key West (Rob Ernest). The singer-songwriter makeup was steeped heavily in folk with a taste of country and soul mixed in for good measure. Trying to reconcile the bluesy Zac Martin against the acoustic stylings of Rob Ernest proved interesting, but that is one of the quirks of the Shootout. You just don’t know when they step on the stage what’s in these artist’s bag of musical tricks.
As the rounds progressed and the 21 artists were slowly whittled down to the semi-finalists, the talent became quite apparent. The final four included Baltimore’s Amy Andrews, Dahlonega’s brother/sister duo Alyson & Phil Rogers, Nashville’s Clay Evans and longtime Decatur fan favorite Mike Willis. Amy Andrews brought her beautiful voice to the fight, and I personally thought she bested Mr. Evans, but the judges nixed that idea. Alyson Rogers brought every pipe in her big voice against Mike Willis’ polished execution, yet it was ultimately in vain. That left us with members of the Cumberland Collective going head-to-head against one another. Evans unwound an extremely catchy song from his guitar strings. As the notes slipped from the chords, it looked like Willis was going to be going home a little lighter in the wallet than originally expected. Then Mike Willis did what he does best, pulling out all of the stops. He shifted down a gear and strummed a quiet love song he wrote for his wife. It was delicate and heartfelt as his voice brushed over the strings. In that moment you knew this was never really a competition. Mike Willis is a polished professional patiently waiting on his break, and it showed in every facet Friday night.
In all, the first Shootout at Eddie’s new home was everything I expected it to be. It was a evening packed with great music, played by musicians who have yet to be jaded by the industry. The hope and promise were on full display as these young singer-songwriters served up their finest dishes to see what the discerning listening public thought. The judging was a bit questionable at times (ahem … Kyshona and Amy Andrews), but for the most part they got it right when it mattered most. Also I’d love to see the event organizers try to bracket the performers based on perceived talent level. I realize it is probably a task of Herculean proportions that no one would dare take on, but some artists got their walking papers much too early. It was a great evening to be at the Red Clay Theatre, and I suggest everyone who loves music in the Atlanta area to give Eddie’s new joint a shot. He is devoted to the core to the music, and it shows.
If you want to catch the Open Mic Shootout finalists at the Red Clay Theatre in the coming weeks, be sure to mark Saturday, December 8 on your calendar. Mike Willis and Clay Evans will be performing as part of the Cumberland Collective. As an added bonus, every dollar raised from the event goes to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A night of great music while raising money for a great cause — what more can you ask for?
Open Mic Shootout Contestants
Ben Brinker, Alyson & Phil Rogers, Brian Dolzani, Hannah Thomas, Adam Sams, The Ways and Means, Zac Martin, Rob Ernest, Corbett Walsh & Ryan Cherry, Mike Willis, Noah Collins, Brandon Reeves, Amy Andrews, Daniel Lee, Chasing Lovely, Dylan Kight, Kyshona, Clay Evans, Water Within, Alex Hall, Dylan Sneed
