The Open Mic Project: Outtakes

The Open Mic Project, photo (c) 2007 Peter Orozco

The Open Mic Project is an ongoing effort to record and preserve the work of esteemed local poets and spoken word artists. To that end, recordings and performances are selected that showcase each performer’s work and style to the best advantage. But in any endeavor, there are inevitably times in which things fail to go according to plan and mistakes are made. One of the most fun things about this project is going back and listening to the bloopers, flubs, dropped lines, and various other unintentional slip ups that have a habit of creeping in despite everyone’s best efforts to avoid them - a phone may ring unexpectedly during a sound check, or a performer may forget the next line, or indulge in a moment of frivolity in the middle of a take that just isn’t coming together. Usually the tapes of these blunders are filed away, never to be seen seen or heard again except for the rare private playback or performance. This page presents a compilation of various Open Mic Project outtakes from 2007 - 2009. All are presented in the spirit of good fun, and as a reminder that even the best of us can fall prey to the occasional slip up or two. Press the play button on the player below to listen.

“Take number three hundred and sixty-seven million, five hundred and forty-nine thousand, two hundred and thirty-eight.”

Featuring Gordon Hilgers, Johnny Olson, Alex P., Shanna Hale, Desmene Statum, Michael Machicek, Max Blair, Joey Cloudy, and Opalina Salas