On Friday, January 30, I was invited to the Sounds of Hope Open Mic night in Northwest D.C. The place was The Potter’s House on Columbia Road.
It turned out to be a night full of food, fun and fellowship from supporters and artists alike. It was an experience I will never forget
Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Mary Shapiro, the organizer of the event. Mary grew up in a musical household; her mother played guitar. Mary believes in music that makes a difference.
“It’s so important to be heard,” said Mary, who has completed a children’s CD entitled Little Friends of Peace and is now working on her second production – a solo debut album entitled “The Time is Now.”
The title gives you a good idea of her approach to life. She is always taking on new challenges. When she first started renting the cafe space back in the 1990’s she and several other guitarists started the D.C. Folk Guitar Workshop, a monthly class where they taught anyone who wanted to learn. The open mic nights followed in 2002 and have been going on ever since.
The idea was to provide a community service. Using locals artists to entertain and bring in the crowds, the proceeds from the tip jar go to Sopa a Las Dos (which in Spanish means Soup at 2:00), also a program of the Potter’s House that serves as a sort of day center for anyone who wants to come in and enjoy a bowl of soup, or a cup of coffee.
I sat down to listen to the first pair of artists. Their names were Paul and Ricky and they started out playing together in a high school jug and washboard band. After years apart they got back together on this night, they were playing their guitars at the Potter’s House.
I was next and I read a poem I called “Powerless” and another unnamed poem that I wrote in Job Corps. An array of artists followed, with a wide range of talents and stories to tell followed me. Many had been honing their skills since childhood.
There was Sam, who started out with a rock cover band – a band he explained, dead seriously, that plays other people’s songs to cover up not having any originals of their own. Now 20 years later, he considers himself a gospel performer.
Next up was Rachel, an elegant young woman, a published poet who chose to read some poems written by others. During the break I met Lindsay, another elegant young woman, a jazz singer from New Jersey.
Someone who impressed me a lot was John This poet’s performance sets a new bar for poets such as myself. He has been attending religious and cultural events at Potter’s House since 1962- years before Mary started her café there.
The Potter’s House considers him an old friend. John recited some humorous poems from memory. John learned these old English poems by hearing other people perform them and listening to recordings.
I also saw a man with a strange drum. It was a wooden drum and the man’s name was Wallace. He is a poetic musician. Wallace contributes his talent to what is in his heart. It’s one of those things you’ve heard and it begins pulling on you.
After a lot of running around, I caught up with Will. He was hard to catch. Will has been in music since the age of six, starting with the piano.
Will got his first guitar in the seventh grade, and has a desire to teach music in the District of Columbia. At a table full of books I met Gary. He said he is part of the famous Cash family of country music fame. Gary has been playing county for about 40 years. He even has his own country music label.
It’s no secret that the District has an enormous wealth of talent. I was honored to grace the stage with so many artists. I almost cried when I listened to Candy, a violist and regular and a good friend of Mary Shapiro, who has been playing almost since birth.
She says the drive in her heart for music comes back to life at the Potter’s House. I enjoyed my first time attending the “Sounds of Hope” Open Mic, and, since these events are held on the last Friday of every month, I look forward to returning.
Reggie has been a vendor almost a year and loves to write and read poetry.
