Last night, HA!HA! Bar saw the return of DRAW JAM, the simultaneous art and acoustic music competition devised by Paul Promotions in association with Brighton Electric. The success of its first run in 2009 means that this year’s event is set to be even more popular, with between 200 and 300 gathering for the final in May.
The concept is an original take on the standard open mic format : unsigned musicians each get stage time, alongside three blank canvases on which competing artists draw. There are a couple of rules: only use the materials provided (black marker pens), and only draw what you hear. This is a night which appeals to the huge musical and artistic community of Brighton- and to their supporters, who can enjoy £3 cocktails whilst soaking up the duel creativity in the room.
Draw Jam was born of what Paul, it’s creator, says was “necessity”- the necessity for something different in an already jam-packed local industry. The idea itself comes out of the melting pot of contemporary creativity that fuelled the old urban festivals. However, the music scene of Brighton has totally changed in the last ten years. Whereas open mic was once a novelty, you can now attend one on any night of the week. Paul should know- he runs four of them, at different venues across the city. However, the novelty of Draw Jam makes it easy to see why so many have been drawn (no pun intended) to the great atmosphere of HA! HA! this Thursday.
“What I love is when people come in and don’t know what’s going on. They don’t know where to look, there’s so much happening.” – Paul
Apparently, it is the competition aspect which is a real selling point for the event. The winning artist gets three months residency in HA!HA! Bar to hang and sell their work; the musician wins recording time courtesy of Brighton Electric Studios, who have seen the likes of The Maccabees through their doors.
For this first heat, I arrive in time to catch Lizzy’s great acoustic version of ‘Just Dance’ (Lady Gaga), and reggae musician Claude who’s set (including some token Marley) closes the open mic session. The viewing/listening public are then given 15 minutes to take in the completed canvases, and ask the artists anything about their visual interpretation of the music, before the votes are counted.
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