At the end of the night, musicians joined in a circle to play songs as a group. Each group member had a chance to pick a song, and a trumpet player accompanied them. Credit: MALIA COMBA
Cochrane’s Found Bookstore hosts a monthly open mic and jam session inviting local musicians to come and perform.
The event occurs on the first Monday of every month, and various new and continuing musicians come each time.
To accommodate time constraints, only 12 musicians can play during the open mic, and they play on a first-come, first-play basis.
At the end of the open mic session, any musician is welcome to stay and join everyone else for a group jam session.
Musicians who didn’t want to perform in front of the crowd stayed to join the group and have fun.
Rather than paying to see the show, the bookstore had a donation bin where 50 per cent of the proceeds went to Helping Hands. Helping Hands has ten programs, but it mainly focuses on providing food. PHOTO: MALIA COMBAGuests were invited to purchase an alcoholic or hot beverage to enjoy the show. The bartender later performed during the show. PHOTO: MALIA COMBAThis talented trio sets the tone for a fun evening of live music surrounded by stories. The three men organized and hosted the event. PHOTO: MALIA COMBAThe audience cheered after local artist Johnny and the Stray Hearts performed. Johnny Munro performed alone but is usually accompanied by five other band members. PHOTO: MALIA COMBAThe artist Tupaj performed songs he had newly written and had never played in front of an audience. Tupaj has started to release his music on Spotify and Apple Music. PHOTO: MALIA COMBA Sunny, a musician, watched intently as the performance began before she went on stage. She was grooving to the music. PHOTO: MALIA COMBAAfter the open mic finished, the audience gathered and chatted about the performances they had seen, even reconnecting with old friends. PHOTO: MALIA COMBA
