Janie - I don't know where you are, but I don't think you should give up on open mics, not yet at least. Victory Music, a non-profit acoustic musician's association in the Seattle/Tacoma area of Washington State runs several open mics in the area. As the term implies, they are open to anyone. One of the most satisfying things is to see people improve through this experience, from very scared amateurs to become very professional level performers. This is the way to do it.

We are a very friendly and encouraging group of musicians, and our open mics are characterized by having good listening audiences. In addition, the contacts with other musicians can be very helpful in developing performance skills and later in getting gigs.

Oh yes, we have had our share of truely awful performers, but they don't usually stay around, even though we try to treat everyone well. We have a good community of people who are very encouraging and helpful.

So give it a try.

Cheers, S. in Seattle