Raistlin Delisle

Open Mic, Open Life

ByStacyLeiser

There’smuchtobesaidforopenness:openmind,openheart,beingopentonew ideasandviewpoints…allgoodthings!Butwhataboutanopenmic?Astage,an audience,andamplificationforanyone–anyone–whoshowsuptoperform.Isart bythepeople,withnogatekeeper,nocurationwhatsoever,worthourtime? Ifyou’reaskingClarksville,theanswerisYES!

It began at The Gilroy in 2016 with Rufus Dawkins running the show, then continued in what Raistlin Delisle calls “the Wild West of open mic” at Pier 118, a sketchy bar that filled in the gap between the Gilroy’s closing and Dawn Marie opening Revel House in March 2019. Today, Tap the Mic is touted as the longest running open mic in Clarksville’s history

Every Tuesday, with signups at 7 and acts taking the stage at 8 p.m., Revel House presents Tap the Mic, with music scene magician Cody Parson as host While you might hear a comedian now and then, most of the acts are musicians, a label that covers a shocking range of possibilities You might see one man singing an original ballad a capella or a five-piece rock band jamming with the full energy of a stadium tour, for three songs, to a crowd of 30. It’s highly unusual. It’s all over the place And if you want a sampler platter of some new and developing talent in town, it’s your Tuesday night

Tap the Mic provides a spot for seasoned performers to try out new material, but it tends to attract more who are new to performing, new to a particular instrument, in a newly formed band, or maybe making music outside of their own homes for the first time ever. Then there’s the unusual case of Raistlin Delisle He was there on Day 1, when the Gilroy’s open mic got going in 2016, and here he is, 7 years later, often revisiting the open mic stage that was his long ago entry point into a brand new world

“I picked up a guitar and I was figuring things out What really drew me, when I was first playing, was trying to create my own therapy for myself,” he said

For many musicians, it’s all about the music, to the marrow of their bones. But for Raistlin, music was a new path to the waterfall.

“I have high functioning autism. For a long period of time, trying to handle social situations around me used to be a harder schtick. What I wanted to do with open mic was to get myself more comfortable with things I wasn't originally comfortable with,” Raistlin said “The more I got onstage, the more I had the support of everyone who comes here, young and old.”

The change in Raistlin from then to now is striking, and his open mic experience is an important element in his evolution

“I’m a raw performer by nature. I go up onstage and I talk about my feelings,” Raistlin said “Therapy wise, I feel like I’m able to bleed everything out of my chest so I never have to hold anything inside of myself. I’m not eating myself away. I can just take the energy, expel it, clean it out ”

Dawn Marie worked at the Gilroy in 2016, and has seen Raistlin progress over the years. She remembers his earliest performances vividly

“He didn’t have vocal control, so he just let out this massive, strong voice that was very loud for the room. Everyone would go outside When he was done, they would all come back in,” Dawn said “It’s really crazy to watch him grow It’s my favorite growth of any human who has graced that stage. One of the most insane guitarists I've seen fiddle around The growth is everything ”

Like many performers, Raistlin found it agonizing to get onstage that first time “I remember feeling shivers down my spine,” Raistlin said. “I was nerved the whole time through. I would play one or two songs, stop myself and walk offstage I got nervous, things didn't feel right, the sound was off ” He says he fought that uneasy feeling over time, with repetition, going up on that stage “over and over and over again.”

The challenge abated a bit each time he took the stage

“Over time, I treated it more as a necessity It just feels normal As normal as doing the groceries, doing your laundry: getting onstage,” Raistlin said. “It just became routine. In the best way.” Others have gone from terror to ease on that same stage The crowd does not favor a particular genre, but is generally loving toward all who are brave enough to perform

“People can come here and sharpen their skills. It’s not a boo offstage kinda deal,” Raistlin said. “People can walk outside, mind you, but everyone gets a chance onstage, whether you perform on an instrument, you play on a Gameboy, you do comedy, we try to keep it open to everyone and what they love Open mic has always been a team effort, There are a lot of individuals taking personal strides into doing what is important to them.”

Raistlin is impressed with the hundreds of people who have kept Tap the Mic going strong

“I’ve seen all shapes and sizes come through the door, just to put themselves out there,” Raistlin said “In its way, it's beautiful. The gratitude and appreciation that comes off that stage has held its own throughout the years, which is why it keeps going, big or small ”

The benefits of an open mic are bigger than individual development or audience enjoyment

“It's a showcase. All the artists meet each other. Everyone can collaborate for future plans, gigs that are inside or outside the bar,” Raistlin said “It’s a networking service We all know each other, we all hang with each other ” stacyatville@gmail.com

Clarksville has an amazing well of evolving talent, and if you’re wondering where to find proof, it’s Tuesdays at Revel House for Tap the Mic. At an open mic, you never know what you’re going to get, it’s true, but you just may end your evening with a new favorite musician and one you actually met in person!

StacyLeiser