Thursday night's first Open Mic night at Cafe Aroma displayed a wide range of talent, both locals and visitors. Hosted by Guys in Hawaiian Shirts, a.k.a. Smokey Dymny and Richard Desmarais, the July 17 show played to a full house on a warm summer evening.
The show opened with host Smokey doing a set of his entertaining politically-tinged songs, including crowd favorite, "Axis of Evil". Co-host Richard Desmarais, wife Barbara, and Matt Hodgson reunited for the Milton Road Trio's first gig in months, playing a set of their jazzy tunes, the aural equivalent of a fine apertif hitting your taste buds on a beautiful night.
The Island Crew followed, playing a set of cover tunes from Blue Rodeo, Jewel, and seasonal fave, Mungo Jerry's "In The Summertime." This trio, Cori and Warren Mearns from Mill Bay and Mike Mearns from Gibson's Landing brought their campfire singing to the cafe, sounding great for the packed house, including family from the local community. Cori saw the sign-up sheet when visiting the cafe previously in the week and put the Island Crew on the bill, a treat for all in attendance.
Along with most of the performers, a large part of the crowd vied for the title of Loudest Shirt. The Hawaiian Theme exhibited by the co-hosts was a fun hit with the audience. Some ladies looked lovely in tropically-inspired fashions on a fittingly warm summer's eve.
After the break, Art Vipond played a set of original tunes, enhanced by Matt Hodgson's sultry sax playing. Perhaps the best surprise of the evening, my first experience with Art's music left me wanting more. His songs were a treat for this music fan. Ashley Lind, our transplanted Brit, was next on the bill, cracking the crowd up with some great humorous poetry. His trio of sometimes bawdy verse had people laughing and ooowing. I really liked "Are You The Business?", a 70s era bit of nonsense from a British comedian. Ashley's delivery and fun with playing to the crowd delivered the comic peak for the night. Rod Burns followed, sharing a couple of First Nations tales about Owl and the Blood Sucking Monster, whose remnants annoy us so on summer evenings outdoors.
To cap off a brilliant evening of fun, Smokey Dymny was back onstage, helped by the rhythms of Steve Moore's drumming. As Smokey's guitar strings stopped humming and Steve's drumbeats finished echoing into the night, a satisfied crowd left having witnessed a successful Open Mic event, the first of several planned for the summer at Cafe Aroma. The next Opn Mic night is tentatively scheduled for July 31. Other cultural events at Aroma include Quadrastock, an outdoor show and fair Sunday, August 10 in the afternoon. Watch the Gumboot for more details.