He couldn’t Karaoke less

Paul Saitowitz

John Carrillo’s been blown away, bored, impressed, on the verge of

laughter, mildly amused and more. On a three-times-weekly basis, he

bears live witness into the souls of Orange County’s creative

conscience.

There’s the old folk singer who recalls the sounds of yore, the

oblivious guy who just got a guitar and thinks people want to hear

him play power-chord versions of modern rock songs, the girl who

finally worked up the courage to get on stage and sing, the comedian,

the poet -- they’re all here.

As the host of three open-mike nights -- Tuesdays at Alta Coffee

in Newport Beach, Wednesdays at the Sol Grill in Newport Beach and

Thursdays at the Gypsy Den in Santa Ana -- Carrillo provides an

avenue for people to exploit their creative or not-so-creative

talents in public.

The common denominator is that everyone, no matter the skill

level, is welcome.

“Open mikes give people a chance to see what it’s like to be on

stage and perform in front of people,” Carrillo, 36, said.

“It’s an opportunity to prove to themselves that they can do it.

There is a big difference from someone playing guitar in their room

to working up the courage to do it in public.”

In an area known for sterility and lack of culture, the diversity

that spills into open-mike night is eye-opening. It can be more

entertaining than watching an episode of “American Idol,” and there

are usually one or two diamonds in the rough.

Depending upon how many show up, participants are allowed to play

between one and three songs, or if they are performing comedy or

poetry, they each get 10 minutes on stage.

On any Tuesday night at Alta Coffee, you’ll find soul singers

playing keyboards, a woman with no clue openly strumming an

out-of-tune guitar and seemingly making up the lyrics to a

nonmelodious melody, guitar whizzes singing like Dave Matthews and

college types reciting poetry.

“It really is for everyone ... I have people that show up every

night to all three of them and some that come once every few weeks,”

Carrillo said.

A singer-songwriter himself, Carrillo has released two albums,

with another one on the way.

He has been a fixture on the Orange County scene since 1998,

playing at the Coach House and serving as a regular on the Starbucks

Music Program -- his first shows were at open mikes in Los Angeles.

“When I first started, there were like no open mikes down here,

but now they are slowly starting to creep up,” he said.

“I’ve had people drive from L.A. and San Diego, and there have

even been a few from out of state.”

He first started hosting the open mike at the Gypsy Den in Santa

Ana in February last year.

Now it’s common to have upward of 20 people show up. Carrillo

admits that’s partly due to the schlock teen drama, “The O.C.”

“Orange County is like the cool place now,” he said. “The L.A.

scene is very different, much more competitive. Up there, a lot of

people have aspirations to make music a career. In Orange County,

people seem to do it more for fun.”

Think you’ve got the chops to get up on stage? For information on

open-mike nights or seeing Carrillo live, go to

https://www.johncarrillo.com.