By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Staff
In the open air against the red barn at Adams Farm, local musicians gathered for a good old fashioned open mic event. Organized by Rudy Barajas, the curator of music at Adams Farm, he has been working on expanding the amount of musical performances that happen on the property, including open mics like this one.
Between young talent giving performing a chance and local established groups playing their material, there was a variety of performances to keep the afternoon interesting. Some people stopped by to enjoy the music before walking the property, some came to cheer on their friends and family, others brought lunch to simply enjoy the music.
First up was the trio Rudy is a part of, along with his friends Steve and Jen. They told us a little about their group before performing, Rudy writes a lot of the songs, Steve puts them to music, and Jen comes in with the voice and harmonies to make something special. Their performance captured the feel of classic blues with their song “Blues Redux” because everyone gets the blues and it keeps coming back, and “She Drives Me Crazy” about the experience of being married. The influence of their lives makes their music unique and memorable.
Next up was Bob Lowe, a local man who brought out the country songs with a cowboy hat and everything. Despite knowing Rudy for years, this was his first open mic. He played covers for us with guitar in hand, notably his cover of The Red Clay Stray’s “Wondering Why,” giving it a rougher feel than the original song but no less impressive.
After that was local woman Mary Ellen who performed an original piece she wrote after watching a documentary. It followed the story of a hermit at Gully Lake and was very compelling to hear a story like that set to music. She ended with a tearjerker for the whole crowd, a cover of Lori McKenna’s “When You’re My Age.”
Fiona Campbell was up next, which was extra special for this crowd because Rudy had been hosting open mics for ten years and known Fiona since she was a little girl, and “watched her grow into someone completely fabulous.” She performed two original songs, “All The Girls I Could Have Been” and “Forgotten From The Start” and was a standout of the event. She had so much passion in her voice and playing for the songs she made.
Another younger performer was Max Demayo, who lives a few minutes from the farm and goes hiking there, He heard about the open mic and never played before, but gave it a great performance. With two original songs “Sparks” which he wrote just last week, and “Back to You” held a quiet indie feel that had the crowd nodding along.
Last up was Sean Noonan, an Irish man who has lived here for over thirty years. He stunned the crowd with using the harmonica and singing in the same song, and had them in quiet pensiveness with his original song “Lookin Down On Me.” It centered around a friend of his who passed away, and it made everyone emotional to hear with the care in his voice.
Overall the event was a huge success, celebrating local musicians and encouraging those who had never performed before. Keep your eyes out for more events at Adams Farm, and for these local artists who have talent hidden right under our noses.
