October 2014 - Open Mic - Hop Vine
Hop Vine Open Mic - Seattle, WA (Capital Hill, to be exact: )
So......there we were, Jenepher and I, sitting, rather awkwardly, in a cool, hip pub on capital hill...
Since we'd just enjoyed Thai food and neither one of us drinks, we pulled up a couple of bar stools and ordered some fizzy water...
The place was loud..
At the front was a make shift stage..
People were gathering their equipment and musical paraphernalia, getting set for the open mic session...
As pitchers of beer and funky people filled the pub, our anticipation grew...
Soon, it would be Jenepher up on that little stage, her big voice ready to belt out the Al Green song, she'd been practicing...
She was seventh in line to perform....
Dude with guitar, after dude with guitar approached the stage, sang, played and enjoyed their moments of limelight...
But.....and here's the thing....
For the most part, all the people in the pub, just kept talking and drinking and barely noticed the artists on stage, pouring their hearts out into the microphone...
Mere background noise, it was, mostly a barely discernable tune and vague lyrics....
Until....
Jenepher approached the stage...
The only woman to perform that evening...A rarity in the open mic scene...
Someone clearly different, tall, blond and evidently poised...
Her music began, she grabbed the microphone confidently in her hand....
The energy in the pub shifted palpably the moment her voice filled the air...
As she sang, the people stopped talking, a hoot was heard, and all around, people began to groove...
Oh yeah!,
Blond, blue eyed soul captured the scene....
Her black hat fell off her head, she kept singing, feeling the vibe....
When the time came to continue the words, she reached down grabbed that black hat and put it right back on her head....the hat had soul!
The crowd loved that!
Everywhere, people were tapping and swaying and feeling the music that oozed from the artist on stage...
It was clear, Jenepher owned this time in space...
We all felt it, in the way that soul music should be felt, in your heart, the kind that makes ya just feel free and happy...
The end of her song brought rousing applause...
We all, wanted more! Another song, to keep the feeling going!
But alas, there was just the one song...
But what a song it was!
Love and Happiness.....more than the title of the song, it was the shift that permeated the air at the Hop Vine Pub last night...
And, while I will admit, some dude's tune My Love is Like a Frisbee, was pretty catchy, ( no pun intended ;) ) it was Jenepher and her soulful performance that made the night, and, I think it's safe to say, based on the hoots, nods of approval and shouts as we left the pub last night, that Jenepher, indeed, has only begun to tap her talent and create her own fan base of those who feel the power too...
Well done, my friend....I almost feel famous, just because I was with the star of the evening ...Jenepher White <3
Written by Michelle Berger