The whole idea was inspired by the kinda wild house parties we used to throw at our first home in Houston.

The girls, still in elementary school, were just getting started with their classic music training. We would open our home around 2 p.m. on a weekend day and I would set up a stage and sound system. The kids would do “open mic” performances for a few hours or so and then the adults would “jam out” using my backline (my amps, PA, drum kit, etc.).

Those were some legendary shindigs… and our house got a proper trashing along the way!

Earlier this year, I approached our best neighborhood dive bar, Emmit’s Place, where many members of our very musical and musician-rich community perform regularly. I asked the owners if they would let me take over one Sunday afternoon a month for an open mic featuring local musicians, including kids from the elementary and middle school music magnet programs (where our kids study as well).

The first one was such a success that it even merited a write-up in the Houston Press (our once weekly rag, now digital only).

This Sunday, from 2-6pm, I’ll be returning to Emmit’s Place in southwest Houston where I will be emceeing the open mic and then performing a set with my band, The Bio Dynamic Band featuring Katie White, during the last hour.

This is a family-friendly event, with comfort food (burgers, fries, nachos) and mocktails for the kids (the kids LOVE the mocktails).

I hope you can join me for an afternoon of great music. Some of our community’s leading adult players (some of the best in Texas, btw) have been known to sit in!

Thanks for supporting local music, local musicians, and local independent businesses!

And btw, happy Italian Liberation Day!