
A member of the London branch of the Ontario Master Gardeners, but a philosopher at heart, local artist Jef-something, who is known to sing with guitars and banjos and stray cats, began learning guitar in May 2000 while looking for a new form of poetic expression. (He also began with a Scorpio-esque stubborn intent to learn a world-altering new song). He learned music while busking on the streets of London, Toronto, and Montreal, and his influences range from Billie Holiday to Radiohead to Dave Matthews and just about everyone and everywhere and everything between.
Jef-something says of his music: “Guitar, well, music in general, is my kung fu, for lack of a better comparison. I've been told it's jazzy-freestyle-rock-fusion with a hefty side dish of Celtic-sounding bluesy folk.” He describes Roy McDonald as “the grandfather of this city” and promises to “bring all I have and leave it upon the stage, dripping with emotion.” With two such lively artists performing, this open mic looks to be a truly one-of-a-kind event.
The Interview with Roy McDonald
THE EVENT
WHERE: The Mykonos Restaurant at 572 Adelaide St. North, London, Ontario. The restaurant has a large, covered terrace just behind the main restaurant, which comfortably holds 60 poetry lovers. Mediterranean food and drinks are available. Except for the coldest months, the terrace is open to the parking lot behind. Overflow parking is available across the side street and in the large lot one block north, in front of Trad’s Furniture.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 1st, 2014
THE FEATURED POET: Roy McDonald will open the poetry portion of the event at 7:00, followed by a Q&A.
OPEN MIC: Following the featured poet, 15 open mic poets will read for about 1.5 hours, ending about 9:00 pm. Each poet has five minutes (which is about two good pages of poetry, but it should be timed at home). Sign up on the reader`s list, which is on the book table at the back. It's first come, first served.
RAFFLE PRIZES: Anyone who donates to London Open Mic Poetry Night receives a ticket for a raffle prize, three of which will be picked after the intermission. The prizes consist of poetry books donated by Brick Books and The Ontario Poetry Society. Donations are our only source of income. We still haven't paid off our initial debt!