Crossroads’ Open Mike Night – The Heart of the Jam is the Bleeding Heart of the Blues

The sound was raw, the levels off, amplifiers buzzing with what one might have thought was the boost of treble and bass distorting the speakers, but the true cause was the energy behind a improvisational jam; the time taken at the music lovers fancy to pour their soul on stage.  It’s understandable that while fingers slide down the strings, keys or harmonica, the acoustical levels come second to the following note.
The majority of those on stage might be strangers, but, as hands glide down the neck of the guitar and the snare drum hits, looking in the others’ eyes for the direction of the next solo, the band has played with each other for years.
This is the essence of a jam.  It’s not classically eloquent and it’s not about tuning.  It is the energy bouncing from one to another, the direction of the notes guided from one intention to the next.  How does the soul of soul music present itself?  It’s through the soul of a jam, and the bleeding heart of the blues.
It is this sound and these feelings that were behind Steve Atkins and Cameron Morgan’s dream for their restaurant, Crossroads, located beside the train tracks on Southland Drive in Lexington, KY.  Here you can find live music five nights a week, one of which is the open mike session every Sunday night from 7 – 11 P.M.
Atkins and Morgan shared a culinary and musical vision, and they had their eyes set on bringing it to Southland Drive, a location that Morgan said had always been close to his heart, but the road, as is so often the case, was not easy.  Even after deciding on the location -the building formerly occupied by Shooter’s Bar- the time and the expenses of completely remodeling the interior, Atkins and Morgan ran into one big problem – city zoning.
Zoning laws stated that businesses in the area were not allowed to host live music, so Morgan and Atkins pleaded their case to the city council and the local neighborhoods.
Eventually their request was granted, and the music was able to begin.  For the majority of each week music lovers can find a variety of bands at Crossroads; blues, rock, bluegrass, acoustic and electric.  Morgan said that they will continue to search out good band and bring them to town.
“A lot of times bands are travelling from city to city and pass right by this area.  We can offer them a place and an extra night to play.”
The jam is why millions have flocked to the GreatfulDead and Phish for decades, and the energy is no different here, even if the talent is emphasized by variety.  But a jam is not about talent.  It is the sway of the singer, the cringe of the guitarist as his fingers push the string to its tightest, drawing blood and a millimeter away from breaking.  It’s in the drummers smile as he waves the stick through the air to strike the next beat.  The jam is the musical essence of artistic synthesis.  There is no leader; there is no star; there are only people and their bared souls.  It is selflessness in its most eloquent and patience at its most brilliant.  Mistakes are ignored, errors are forgotten, pitch is passed, talent is only in the eye of the performer…and this talent is acknowledged by all.  If it sounds like life, it is.
As the night progresses musicians looking to let loose on stage fill in the signup sheet on a table in front of the right pa speaker.  The page, decorated with drawings, is larger than the table itself and held in place with a half full pint of beer.  Little information is needed and the procedure is painless; just fill in your name and the instrument you wish to play; one can even choose to grab the mike and sing.

The stage here at Crossroads is host to a variety of performers on open mike night.  At times old-school musicians with decades of experience shared the spotlight with newcomers full of youthful exuberance.  The attire ranged from ironed and buttoned collars to tie-die t-shirts, from hats to hoodies.  The common denominator was a love for music.
A house band starts the night off and is in charge of keeping the music rolling through the night.  The more people sign-up the longer breaks the four members get to take, and according to them, that’s exactly what they want.  It isn’t that these four are lazy, Lindsey, the guitarist of the house band, said the night is about encouraging others to participate, it’s about the music, and the longer he sits at a nearby table, the more successful he said the night is.
The spirit of the blues continues through the crowd as they step outside for a smoke break on Crossroads’ front patio.  Sitting on the chained pick-nick tables one can hear the tales of drama and the stories of survival, the classic inspiration for the music the crowd has come to hear.  A train began to roll down the tracks above the bar causing a breeze to sweep across the patio, adding even more support of the authenticity of Crossroads’ aesthetic.
Everybody has a story to tell, especially at an open mike, and here at Crossroads it was no different.  Outside, one woman told a story of witnessing a shooting in downtown Lexington over a decade ago.  After jumping out of her car in an alley to pick up her husband from a gig at a bar, she found herself between two men in a heated argument.  Before she could react, the drummer of her husband’s band grabbed her, moments later a shot was fired and one man hit in the leg.
The police were called, statements taken, and a local news station broadcast her face on the television as a witness to the crime.  Days later, the police having never found the suspect, the woman answered her door to find the suspected shooter standing in front of her, oddly enough asking for permission to come inside.  The woman refused and the suspect left, but her story, as she said, was only one example of the ramifications that come from the pursuit of justice.
Another participator of the open mike told me a story involving a car accident and Randy “Macho Man” Savage, stating that when he got out of the car, “we ran into some bad men, the wrong guys…they used to practice those wrestling moves in their front yard, slamming each other into the ground.”
Back inside the music continued while the instruments remained the same.  Those that wish to participate can bring their own instruments or play those supplied by the band.
Morgan and Atkins continued to roam the restaurant as the crowd drank beer and ate selections from the blues inspired menu – beer cheese, burgoo, fried banana peppers, ribs, sandwiches, even good ole southern cheese grits.

Morgan said he was excited about the way buisness has been going.  The crowds have been increasing and there is a large number of regulars.  “We have a diverse crowd, different than that of the previous business,” he said.  “There’s no drama here.”
There is one other thing that Crossroads doesn’t have that customers might love.  No cover charge.  Unlike most bars and venues that host live music, Morgan said that customers would rarely be charged to listen; only when the band is more expensive than most.  He said that enough customers continue to fill the seats wanting to eat dinner and it wouldn’t be fair to charge them even more for their meals.
The night came to a close and the musicians began packing up.  Another open mike had come to an end, but would begin again in seven days.  Every Sunday Crossroads invites all to come, and according to the band members and Morgan that is exactly what they are doing.
For more information on Crossroads or their music schedule visit their website or their facebook page.