Amplify: Under 21 Open Mic
Hartford
Aug. 20, 2024
One of the first events I covered this summer was the Under 21 open mic put on by the Hartford Business Improvement District. As the season winds down, I thought it would be a good idea to stop in for the last open mic of the season and get a glimpse of tomorrow’s stars right now.
As the saying goes, the kids are alright. The open mic kicked off with Radiant Eruption, an exuberant 12-year-old from Southington who has been playing for four years. He began with his original song, “Lingering Words,” which can be found in full on YouTube and soon on other music streaming services. It’s a great song by a young man who told me that he started playing rock music because he loves it.
His skills on the guitar far outpaced his young age too, and his solos were reminiscent of some of the great guitar performances throughout history. Most importantly, it looked like he was having fun, and we could clearly see the spirit of the music moving through him as he performed.
The second song of his set was “Blackbird” by Altered Bridge. I asked him how he’d come to listen to Altered Bridge, a band I was listening to twenty years ago. His dad claimed responsibility; as a lifelong Creed fan he shared the love with his son.
A little later, I was able to witness a first for the Amplify open mic: a full band performed for the gathered crowd. The band was named Maraschino, and consisted of Eva Blume on drums, Kallie Baboolal on bass and vocals and Davy LaMonica on lead guitar and vocals. Despite only playing together for a little over a year, the two leads were very impressive in their ability to harmonize together. Blume kept pace with her drumming, providing the driving tempo for the dynamic trio. They covered “Good Luck Babe” by Chappell Roan, and also performed an original song they wrote.
But the most surprising performance of the evening came later, when it was Ananya’s turn. At just 8 years old, she took the stage with the help of her parents and with her blue ukulele to perform Shakira’s “Try Everything.” I’m not sure that anyone could have gotten me to try an outdoor performance in front of strangers at that age, but Ananya was poised and confident during her performance. The crowd erupted when she finished her song, and it was just the kind of encouragement a budding artist feeds on to push them forward.
Every artist, no matter how successful, needs what the Under 21 open mic provided tonight, which is a friendly environment to get exposure and experience, and develop the courage to put themselves in front of other people who will judge their talents. I’m certain that we’ll be hearing these names in the future, as their already considerable talents have nowhere to go but up.
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