Vegas: Ceedro's open mic night

There are few things so universally despised and feared as public speaking or performance, which makes it an especially daring and reckless endeavor for those who seek out things like open mic nights to expose themselves and their preferred form of expression to the world, whether it be through music, comedy, or daredevil acrobatics. Our good friend Ceedro eagerly pursues these opportunities to get out there and perform with an enthusiasm that might borderline on questionable if it weren't for his sheer, infectious love of music and humor. At the last open mic night we attended with the good fellow, he won top billing and was invited to be the headline performer for the next weeks, much to no surprise of ours (because, duh, Ceedro is awesome)! It's not easy to get up on a stage in front of a bunch of strange people and perform, making yourself and the things you care about vulnerable to arm-chair critics. I can't say that I have the courage, as I've never gotten up in front of an open mic night myself, but Antho has and we both absolutely respect the sheer cajones it takes to do such. It's with this appreciation and the desire to always support our friends that Antho strove out, camera in hand, hoping to capture the endeavor for posterity's sake. Last time we attended this open mic, located at the Center for Science and Wonder in the world infamous city of sin, fabulous Lost Wages (aka Las Vegas), we got photos of the venue and random performers, hoping to maybe share them along the line, somehow, some way. It was evident upon secondary visitation, however, that the cast of performers was rotating pretty regularly as it was a fairly newly established open mic night. By the time of this post going live it may have become more solidified and predictable, but perhaps not. Art is not the sort of arena where you can really get particular about things, not when it comes to locking down performers or artists. As an artist myself I've got to admit that us artsy types aren't exactly renowned for our reliability, but I digress. 

When it comes to our friends, we strive to be consistent in supporting their hopes and dreams. I think that's important. Antho snagged these photos, and I'm sharing them. We hope you enjoy!

Vegas: Open Mic Night at the Center for Science and Wonder

Happy labor day guys!

Welcome one, welcome all, to the Center for Science and Wonder! Excellent name, isn't it? The venue itself is pretty small, primarily intended for small movie showings and open mic nights from my estimation and limited experience with the center's space. We were there, with our good friend Ceedro, to check out an open mic night. Ceedro was going to be performing, playing his ukelele for the crowd! Several other local artists and comedians joined the festivities, and though the open mic itself is pretty new it's been growing rapidly each week! Antho has gone back since and commented that it, indeed, had gotten more crowded since our visit the week prior. Being an open mic, it was full of the requisite awkward humor and self-deprecating jokes, moments of stage fright, and the venting of more than a couple frustrations. If the name "Center for Science and Wonder" doesn't make you curious, or at least a little ponderous, the center is geared towards the skeptic and atheist community of Las Vegas, providing a place for them to gather and discuss their ideas and philosophies without fear of interjection by offended religious folk, or consternation. There's a lot of hostility out there towards people who don't share the belief systems a lot of people are raised with, and that's very threatening to some people on a basic level- if you don't believe in the same moral guidebook, then how do they know you have morals?! Gasp, shock, horror. For most people who learn agnostic or atheist, the need for a guidebook on how to not be a terrible person is in and of itself a rather horrifying thing, so the offense goes both ways at least. Another place you can see this sort of contemptuous disdain for people with opposing viewpoints is any political rally or debate online. Same fervor tends to apply in those instances. It's a bit silly, to let our ideas become so divisive that we can't peacefully communicate and exchange those ideas, but the passion with which people cling to their beliefs is deep and often very meaningful to the individuals, whether it's their belief in an omnipotent god watching their every move with an itchy finger to send them on a one-way trip to hell, or the absence of any such singular entity. Whatever floats your boat or sinks your submarine, I say, as long as you're not hurting anyone else.