This is actually in memoriam of what used to be my favorite open mic.
There was a time when, every sunday evening, I would be down at The Bison.
This open mic had the best sound around and some of the best performers
to boot. After the departure of engineer
Saul Grabia in 1999, Chris, the new sound engineer, brought the open mic to
a whole new level: he carried in his own system and tweaked it to perfection
for every performer. The glass walls lent a shimmery, larger-than-life quality
to the local performers (never mind the night Chris came in late and, in his
haste, rolled a table against the storefront window; the 40-foot tall glass wall
shattered and the open mic was cancelled for the evening. No permanent harm
done, a new glass wall was in place just 2 days later) and the bar served what
remains my favorite pale ale on earth: Bison pale ale. Performers like Randy
Todd never failed to amaze and inspire, and Bison's Telegraph Ave address
guaranteed there would be some interesting things to experience (everything from
a harp guitar to a didgeridoo to - I shit you not - a home-made electric bagpipe.)
Kim and I got our start at the Bison, trying out new material and honing our
mutual performance. My friends always knew where to find me on a sunday
night . . .
Alas, those times are over. The Bison, in order to capitalize on the success of
their unique hard iced tea beverage (7% alchohol - whee!), has changed the name
of their brewhouse on the corner of Parker and Telegraph to "The Dragonfly
Teahouse." The teahouse was unveiled tuesday, Sept 25, 2002. Gone is the jukebox,
the Ms. Pac Man tabletop video game, the foosball table upstairs, and many of
the paintings and sculptures of local artists that used to adorn the walls. The
dreadlocked, midriff-baring waittresses I remember have been replaced with
clean-cut, white aproned staff who whisk around the paper laterns delivering
food with an obtrusively asian motif (my taco came served on a sushi
tray). Most tragically, the open mic (and all live music, for that matter) can
no longer be seen at my beloved Bison. Ah well, the pale ale still kicks ass.
Bison Brewing continues to brew their beer in Gilroy, but the pub on the corner
of Telegraph and Parker closed its doors forever on
March 1, 2003.