chart junkie
I’ll probably check out the new Monday night open mics over at the Living Room in Collingswood, NJ (corner of Haddon and Collings Ave). I’m not sure if it’s just me, but their coffee seems a lot better than it used to be.
This site seems almost ready to go live now.
I’ll probably check out the new Monday night open mics over at the Living Room in Collingswood, NJ (corner of Haddon and Collings Ave). I’m not sure if it’s just me, but their coffee seems a lot better than it used to be.
This site seems almost ready to go live now.
To contact me for booking use the following contact info. I should get back to you as soon as possible. I’m available for bars, coffee houses, outdoor events, opening slots, playing between sets, etc.
Email: bengarvey@comcast.net
To contact me for booking use the following contact info. I should get back to you as soon as possible. I’m available for bars, coffee houses, outdoor events, opening slots, playing between sets, etc.
Email: ben@bengarvey.com
I’m a 27 year old singer-songwriter playing original Acoustic Rock. During extended sets I also cover Beck, Nirvana, Gomez, Johnny Cash, Todd Snyder, John Prine, The Pixies, The Monkees, and The Beatles
Contact Info:
Email: bengarvey@comcast.net
I was born on October 26, 1978 in northern Illinois, but my family moved to the South Jersey area when I was young. When I was 16 I started learning to play the guitar and fell in love with it immediately.
One day I met Jay Earley who soon asked me to do the vocals for his band. With a new singer the band changed its name from Slight Return to Stickfigure. We broke up after only 6 months and 8 gigs, but it was a fun time and I learned a lot about being in a band although I haven’t put any of that knowledge to use.
After I left the band I started gigging regularly at Coffee World in Marlton, NJ. They booked me for a couple of shows in their South Street store as well. When I left to go to college in DC, Coffee World sadly went out of business. Coincidence?
In college I performed at various gigs, campus events, and open mics around DC, but music took a backseat to getting my degree in Computer Science. Now, I’m back in the Philadelphia area and looking to revive my music career. So far the Philadelphia scene has been pretty good. I can usually be found at various open mics and acoustic venues.
From June 2003 – August 2004 I hosted the Wednesday open mic night at the Tree House in Collingswood, NJ. It’s now hosted by the talented Johnny Miles.
I also care about freedom in the Information Age and favor the repeal of laws like the DMCA. I’m a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and advocate the rights of end-users online.
I’m a 27 year old singer-songwriter playing original Acoustic Rock. During extended sets I also cover Beck, Nirvana, Gomez, Johnny Cash, Todd Snyder, John Prine, The Pixies, The Monkees, and The Beatles
Contact Info:
Email: ben@bengarvey.com
I was born on October 26, 1978 in northern Illinois, but my family moved to the South Jersey area when I was young. When I was 16 I started learning to play the guitar and fell in love with it immediately.
One day I met Jay Earley who soon asked me to do the vocals for his band. With a new singer the band changed its name from Slight Return to Stickfigure. We broke up after only 6 months and 8 gigs, but it was a fun time and I learned a lot about being in a band although I haven’t put any of that knowledge to use.
After I left the band I started gigging regularly at Coffee World in Marlton, NJ. They booked me for a couple of shows in their South Street store as well. When I left to go to college in DC, Coffee World sadly went out of business. Coincidence?
In college I performed at various gigs, campus events, and open mics around DC, but music took a backseat to getting my degree in Computer Science. Now, I’m back in the Philadelphia area and looking to revive my music career. So far the Philadelphia scene has been pretty good. I can usually be found at various open mics and acoustic venues.
From June 2003 – August 2004 I hosted the Wednesday open mic night at the Tree House in Collingswood, NJ. It’s now hosted by the talented Johnny Miles.
I also care about freedom in the Information Age and favor the repeal of laws like the DMCA. I’m a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and advocate the rights of end-users online.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the show on Friday. I had a great time and hopefully I’ll be back there again sometime soon. The next morning I felt pretty rough, but that can’t always be avoided. Water and Ibuprofen can only do so much.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the show on Friday. I had a great time and hopefully I’ll be back there again sometime soon. The next morning I felt pretty rough, but that can’t always be avoided. Water and Ibuprofen can only do so much.
Just a reminder to everyone that I will be playing tomorrow night at the Grape Street Pub in Manayunk, PA. The show starts upstairs at 8:00PM and should finish up about 9:45PM. Afterwards, DJ SAT ONE will be spinning records upstairs and some great bands (Kush Mappari, Haywood Trout, and JR and Sharon) will be playing downstairs. Just remember parking in Manayunk on a summer Friday night is challenging. There is a parking lot on main street a few blocks down from Grape Street that will set you back about $7, but that’s probably where I’ll be parking, too. Cover for the night will be around $7 as well. Hope to see you there!
Just a reminder to everyone that I will be playing tomorrow night at the Grape Street Pub in Manayunk, PA. The show starts upstairs at 8:00PM and should finish up about 9:45PM. Afterwards, DJ SAT ONE will be spinning records upstairs and some great bands (Kush Mappari, Haywood Trout, and JR and Sharon) will be playing downstairs. Just remember parking in Manayunk on a summer Friday night is challenging. There is a parking lot on main street a few blocks down from Grape Street that will set you back about $7, but that’s probably where I’ll be parking, too. Cover for the night will be around $7 as well. Hope to see you there!
Last night’s open mic’s at the Living Room and the Caribbean Crab went pretty well. First up was the Living Room in Collingswood which doesn’t have a website, but has a pretty good review on South Jersey News. The rain and graduation ceremonies scared away alot of the people who sign up early for this show, so I was able to land the #3 spot. Shortly after I got there Justin from no way scoob and his new bongo drummer Jimmy came in. They did their great “Stray Cat Strut” cover. When it was my turn to go, I played “The Genius of it All” and the Gomez song, “Get Miles.” The sound on my guitar kept going out during “Genius,” but people seemed to be into “Get Miles.” I think I’ve got a good version of that song nailed down now. There were a few people there from the Point last night which surprised me, because I thought I was the only one who would drive 45 minutes to an hour to play one song. One guy told me that it was unusually dead last night, which amazes me because there were more people there than I have ever seen at any acoustic show much less an open mic.
The Crab had a full 8 piece ska band open up the night called “Smash Fast.” The crowd loved their ska cover of “Hotel California.” Justin and Khristl played The White Stripes’ “Hotel Yorba” again and it sounded awesome. I hope they do a few more collaborations. I played “I Hope I Die on the Moon”, Beck’s “The Cut in Half Blues”, and my new song that starts out “All my dreams are in cartoon / the plants created us to kill the moon…” I don’t have a definite title for the song yet. Do It For Danny came on after me and the skinny guy (I can never remember their names) broke a string on both his guitar and Justin’s. Their drummer was on vacation, so they put their bass player on drums who seemed to be going at half speed. Overall, it was a good night, although my right thumb was killing me when I was done. I need to buy some better pics.
Last night’s open mic’s at the Living Room and the Caribbean Crab went pretty well. First up was the Living Room in Collingswood which doesn’t have a website, but has a pretty good review on South Jersey News. The rain and graduation ceremonies scared away alot of the people who sign up early for this show, so I was able to land the #3 spot. Shortly after I got there Justin from no way scoob and his new bongo drummer Jimmy came in. They did their great “Stray Cat Strut” cover. When it was my turn to go, I played “The Genius of it All” and the Gomez song, “Get Miles.” The sound on my guitar kept going out during “Genius,” but people seemed to be into “Get Miles.” I think I’ve got a good version of that song nailed down now. There were a few people there from the Point last night which surprised me, because I thought I was the only one who would drive 45 minutes to an hour to play one song. One guy told me that it was unusually dead last night, which amazes me because there were more people there than I have ever seen at any acoustic show much less an open mic.
The Crab had a full 8 piece ska band open up the night called “Smash Fast.” The crowd loved their ska cover of “Hotel California.” Justin and Khristl played The White Stripes’ “Hotel Yorba” again and it sounded awesome. I hope they do a few more collaborations. I played “I Hope I Die on the Moon”, Beck’s “The Cut in Half Blues”, and my new song that starts out “All my dreams are in cartoon / the plants created us to kill the moon…” I don’t have a definite title for the song yet. Do It For Danny came on after me and the skinny guy (I can never remember their names) broke a string on both his guitar and Justin’s. Their drummer was on vacation, so they put their bass player on drums who seemed to be going at half speed. Overall, it was a good night, although my right thumb was killing me when I was done. I need to buy some better pics.
Tonight I’ll be appearing at both the Living Room in Collingswood, NJ (corner of Haddon Ave and Collings Ave, 856-833-0060, 8:00PM) and the Caribbean Crab (Route 30 in Oaklyn, near Taco Bell, 10:00PM). These are both open mics, so anyone can come up and play. The Living Room’s list tends to fill up fast, so I’d get there by 7:00PM. I’ll be passing out more of my chicken head flyers to get people to come out for my show this Friday at Grape Street.
Tonight I’ll be appearing at both the Living Room in Collingswood, NJ (corner of Haddon Ave and Collings Ave, 856-833-0060, 8:00PM) and the Caribbean Crab (Route 30 in Oaklyn, near Taco Bell, 10:00PM). These are both open mics, so anyone can come up and play. The Living Room’s list tends to fill up fast, so I’d get there by 7:00PM. I’ll be passing out more of my chicken head flyers to get people to come out for my show this Friday at Grape Street.
Last night was my first time playing at the Point in Bryn Mawr, PA. I had heard a lot of good things about it and its host, Andy Kimbel, and I was glad to see it lived up to my expectations.
Andy plainly states the open mic’s unconventional policies on the sign up and information page: “Andy’s Open Mic at the Point has become the most popular and best Open Mic at least east of the Mississippi with over 30 talented singer songwriters from all over the area, the country and occasionally the world wanting to take the stage each Tuesday night. The program runs from 7:30 to 10:50. Andy Kimbel programs the evening. It is not first come first serve. So, please be prepared to enjoy the night of entertainment and perform sometime between 7:30 and 11:00 PM, regardless of when you arrive. If you sign up on the Internet and do not arrive prior to 8:00, a walk-in performer can take your slot. (unless prior arrangements are made).
All performance slots will include no more than one song. This may change from week to week depending on the amount of confirmed performers. Make sure to click the Open Mic Tips link below for helpful hints. The only exceptions of time and number of songs will be determined by Andy Kimbel in advance. “
I have never seen so many performers in 3 and a half hours in my life and the place was packed. I wasn’t even sure I’d get to go on, but luckily I was brought up on stage towards the end. I can only estimate, but I believe about 35-45 different people took the stage and a number of others never got the chance to go on. Andy promised they could definitely play the following week.
As far as my own performance, I am fairly happy with it. I played “I Hope I Die on the Moon” and some people seemed into it, although in retrospect I should have probably played a more low key song considering the audience. I mainly went to promote my show at the Grape Street Pub on Friday, but with the mostly under 21 crowd at the Point I doubt I’ll get many in from Bryn Mawr. Someone gave me a napkin that said “Good Luck :)”, so that was pretty cool. I’ll definitely come back to the Point’s open mic someday, even though it’s a hike to get there.
Last night was my first time playing at the Point in Bryn Mawr, PA. I had heard a lot of good things about it and its host, Andy Kimbel, and I was glad to see it lived up to my expectations.
Andy plainly states the open mic’s unconventional policies on the sign up and information page: “Andy’s Open Mic at the Point has become the most popular and best Open Mic at least east of the Mississippi with over 30 talented singer songwriters from all over the area, the country and occasionally the world wanting to take the stage each Tuesday night. The program runs from 7:30 to 10:50. Andy Kimbel programs the evening. It is not first come first serve. So, please be prepared to enjoy the night of entertainment and perform sometime between 7:30 and 11:00 PM, regardless of when you arrive. If you sign up on the Internet and do not arrive prior to 8:00, a walk-in performer can take your slot. (unless prior arrangements are made).
All performance slots will include no more than one song. This may change from week to week depending on the amount of confirmed performers. Make sure to click the Open Mic Tips link below for helpful hints. The only exceptions of time and number of songs will be determined by Andy Kimbel in advance. ”
I have never seen so many performers in 3 and a half hours in my life and the place was packed. I wasn’t even sure I’d get to go on, but luckily I was brought up on stage towards the end. I can only estimate, but I believe about 35-45 different people took the stage and a number of others never got the chance to go on. Andy promised they could definitely play the following week.
As far as my own performance, I am fairly happy with it. I played “I Hope I Die on the Moon” and some people seemed into it, although in retrospect I should have probably played a more low key song considering the audience. I mainly went to promote my show at the Grape Street Pub on Friday, but with the mostly under 21 crowd at the Point I doubt I’ll get many in from Bryn Mawr. Someone gave me a napkin that said “Good Luck :)”, so that was pretty cool. I’ll definitely come back to the Point’s open mic someday, even though it’s a hike to get there.
I’d like to announce the opening of bengarvey.com, a site where I can put anything I want without having to go through the arduous approval process at mp3.com. I will still maintain my site there to leverage some of the space and bandwidth considerations, but all the latest announcements, files, reviews will go here from now on. Thanks for checking the new site out and let me know what you think.
I’d like to announce the opening of bengarvey.com, a site where I can put anything I want without having to go through the arduous approval process at mp3.com. I will still maintain my site there to leverage some of the space and bandwidth considerations, but all the latest announcements, files, reviews will go here from now on. Thanks for checking the new site out and let me know what you think.
