This past Thursday (April 26th) was the first In So Many Words open mic night presented by Brandywine, the instrumental portion of KidSyc@Brandywine made up of Daniel Butler on guitar, Charles Hodge on bass, Lane Gardner on keys, and Derrick Larry on drums. KidSyc (Lloyd Harold) hosted.

My former student Eva Sadler belted out the national anthem, and a diverse group of rappers took to the stage afterward. Before the first break, KidSyc joined the rest of the band for a couple of songs. I left pretty early, before things got really rolling, but I’d say the first open mic Thursday was a big success. It’s not billed as a hip hop night and Brandywine is a wonderful, versatile combo of really talented musicians, but there will probably be more hip hop than not.

On Friday night, Charles and Derrick hastily put together a band — Good Time Charlie and the Brothers — to open for Boom Chick at Live Wire Music Hall. It turned into a rollicking funk and soul set with Live Wire’s Andrew Robertson joining on congas and a couple of audience members singing. I could easily imagine that project taking on a life of its own.

A few pics from In So Many Words at Taco Abajo: