Some area open mic nights

Tuesdays, 7 p.m., Irish Twins Pub, 743 Main St., Lewiston

Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m., Holly’s Own Deli, 84 Court St., Auburn

Thursdays, 8 p.m. The Crazy 8, 187 Main St., Norway

Second Friday of each month, 7:15 p.m., First Universalist Church, 169 Pleasant St., Auburn

Third Friday of each month, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Auburn Public Library, 49 Spring St., Auburn

LEWISTON — Standing beneath a row of Coors banners in a corner of the Irish Twins Pub, Jeff Kilton held his acoustic guitar against his chest and began strumming.

He tensed as he faced the folks at the bar. He’d never sang the classic song for anyone before. He heaved a silent sigh, leaned forward and sang into the microphone:

“Giant steps are what you take/Walking on the moon.”

Kilton managed the song well, echoing Sting’s tenor and spartan arrangement on the Police classic. When he finished three minutes later, he smiled and thanked the audience for their applause.

So goes open mic night.

“It’s nerve wracking,” said Kilton, a middle-aged guy from Mechanic Falls who spent parts of the last two decades in bands. “I’m trying to do the solo thing. This is good practice.”

The toughest part is performing a song for the first time, making the transition to the stage from playing at home with a songbook.

“You hope that if you make a mistake, the audience will forgive you,” he said. “Of course, I’m doing this for free.”

So is every open mic performer. Most weeknights, they can be found in a variety of venues in Lewiston-Auburn: in a bar, a library, church or restaurant.

Some are experienced musicians looking for escape from the bar band monotony of cover songs. Some are newbies trying to build demand for their work, using their short sets as tryouts for paying gigs. And some are just doing it for their own pleasure.

Sublime and safe

Psychotherapist George Normand hosts Wednesday nights’ open mic at Holly’s Own Deli in Auburn out of pure love for the music.

“This is what I do for my own mental health,” he said.

During the 1960s, he had spent nights performing Dylan-heavy sets at coffeehouses around Manchester, N.H. He rediscovered the guitar a decade back and began performing a couple of years ago.

The purity of a singer and an acoustic guitar can be sublime, he said.

“We’ve got some great regulars,” said Normand, who often spends his whole night off stage. “I don’t like to go up unless I have to.”

He’d rather watch and listen.

Among the regulars is Renald Lefebvre, a singer-songwriter with a rock ‘n’ roll tenor. He plays regularly at local bars, but the quiet, musician-heavy crowd at Holly’s gives him something the paying gigs don’t, he said.

“Here, we get to play our own material,” said Lefebvre, who works days as a kiln operator at a local brickyard. “The pressure’s off. You don’t have to knock ’em dead.”

It’s also a safe place to experiment.

“What’s the rule?” he asked Normand.

“Be kind,” the host said. “Nobody hurts anybody’s feelings.”

Breeding performers

The sense of empathy seems a part of every open mic night, from the bar atmosphere at the Irish Twins Pub in Lewiston to the First Unitarian Church in Auburn.

“For the people on stage, there’s a sense of being wrapped in a community,” said Toby Haber, a singer who has hosted the church’s monthly open mic night for nearly four years. “People really listen to you.”

That attitude has led to lots of diversity on the church stage. Besides the typical singers, guitarists and poets, they’ve hosted rappers, belly dancers, dog tricks and something called a singing bowl (a humming Asian instrument that resembles a large mortar and pestle).

It has also nurtured talent. One favorite: a young man named Drew Heinonen.

“We’ve really seen him grow,” Haber said. “There’s something very charismatic about him.” She finds herself humming his music after he’s left the stage.

Other young people have begun to perform at the church since the Auburn Public Library began its teen open mics two years ago. The library’s monthly events sometimes draw as many as 70 people, said Sally Holt, the reference and teen librarian who premiered the teen version about two years ago.

“They just want to be up there on the stage and perform,” she said.

More pleasure than pressure

Brian Patricks of Lewiston knows the view from the stage well.

The veteran of several cover bands, including Highway 61, he attends open mic nights for the sheer sense of play.

“It’s better than sitting at home and watching TV,” he said, sipping a beer before strapping on his guitar at the Irish Twins Pub. A few minutes minutes later, he was rolling through his own Memphis-style blues tune.

At his side, buddy Tom Gurney blew his harmonica. Drummer Dave Gagne played the drums. Musician Mike Krapovicky, this night’s host, joined him on bass. None of the men knew Patricks’ song, but they played anyway. Gurney even added backing vocals.

It’s the kind of jam that’s rare when a paycheck awaits the end of the night.

The four men smiled as they played, worrying little about a stray fill note or a too-long solo.

They just played on.

“When you’re not paid there’s no pressure,” Patricks said.

[email protected]

LEWISTON — Standing beneath a row of Coors banners in a corner of the Irish Twins Pub, Jeff Kilton held his acoustic guitar against his chest and began strumming.

He tensed as he faced the folks at the bar. He’d never sang the classic song for anyone before. He heaved a silent sigh, leaned forward and sang into the microphone:

“Giant steps are what you take/Walking on the moon.”

Kilton managed the song well, echoing Sting’s tenor and spartan arrangement on the Police classic. When he finished three minutes later, he smiled and thanked the audience for their applause.

So goes open mic night.

“It’s nerve wracking,” said Kilton, a middle-aged guy from Mechanic Falls who spent parts of the last two decades in bands. “I’m trying to do the solo thing. This is good practice.”

The toughest part is performing a song for the first time, making the transition to the stage from playing at home with a songbook.

“You hope that if you make a mistake, the audience will forgive you,” he said. “Of course, I’m doing this for free.”

So is every open mic performer. Most weeknights, they can be found in a variety of venues in Lewiston-Auburn: in a bar, a library, church or restaurant.

Some are experienced musicians looking for escape from the bar band monotony of cover songs. Some are newbies trying to build demand for their work, using their short sets as tryouts for paying gigs. And some are just doing it for their own pleasure.

Sublime and safe

Psychotherapist George Normand hosts Wednesday nights’ open mic at Holly’s Own Deli in Auburn out of pure love for the music.

“This is what I do for my own mental health,” he said.

During the 1960s, he had spent nights performing Dylan-heavy sets at coffeehouses around Manchester, N.H. He rediscovered the guitar a decade back and began performing a couple of years ago.

The purity of a singer and an acoustic guitar can be sublime, he said.

“We’ve got some great regulars,” said Normand, who often spends his whole night off stage. “I don’t like to go up unless I have to.”

He’d rather watch and listen.

Among the regulars is Renald Lefebvre, a singer-songwriter with a rock ‘n’ roll tenor. He plays regularly at local bars, but the quiet, musician-heavy crowd at Holly’s gives him something the paying gigs don’t, he said.

“Here, we get to play our own material,” said Lefebvre, who works days as a kiln operator at a local brickyard. “The pressure’s off. You don’t have to knock ’em dead.”

It’s also a safe place to experiment.

“What’s the rule?” he asked Normand.

“Be kind,” the host said. “Nobody hurts anybody’s feelings.”

Breeding performers

The sense of empathy seems a part of every open mic night, from the bar atmosphere at the Irish Twins Pub in Lewiston to the First Unitarian Church in Auburn.

“For the people on stage, there’s a sense of being wrapped in a community,” said Toby Haber, a singer who has hosted the church’s monthly open mic night for nearly four years. “People really listen to you.”

That attitude has led to lots of diversity on the church stage. Besides the typical singers, guitarists and poets, they’ve hosted rappers, belly dancers, dog tricks and something called a singing bowl (a humming Asian instrument that resembles a large mortar and pestle).

It has also nurtured talent. One favorite: a young man named Drew Heinonen.

“We’ve really seen him grow,” Haber said. “There’s something very charismatic about him.” She finds herself humming his music after he’s left the stage.

Other young people have begun to perform at the church since the Auburn Public Library began its teen open mics two years ago. The library’s monthly events sometimes draw as many as 70 people, said Sally Holt, the reference and teen librarian who premiered the teen version about two years ago.

“They just want to be up there on the stage and perform,” she said.

More pleasure than pressure

Brian Patricks of Lewiston knows the view from the stage well.

The veteran of several cover bands, including Highway 61, he attends open mic nights for the sheer sense of play.

“It’s better than sitting at home and watching TV,” he said, sipping a beer before strapping on his guitar at the Irish Twins Pub. A few minutes minutes later, he was rolling through his own Memphis-style blues tune.

At his side, buddy Tom Gurney blew his harmonica. Drummer Dave Gagne played the drums. Musician Mike Krapovicky, this night’s host, joined him on bass. None of the men knew Patricks’ song, but they played anyway. Gurney even added backing vocals.

It’s the kind of jam that’s rare when a paycheck awaits the end of the night.

The four men smiled as they played, worrying little about a stray fill note or a too-long solo.

They just played on.

“When you’re not paid there’s no pressure,” Patricks said.

[email protected]