THE BEST way to shake off any stage fright and improve as a musician is through open mics. These are the sentiments shared by Jon-Claude Stirling, one of the pioneering musicians spearheading Warnadoone Ski Boat Club’s monthly open mic.

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Every month brings with it new acts, all itching to experience the thrill of performing on stage. This time around was no different, with new band, C-Thru, delivering an impressive debut performance, and two-piece, Raymond Baker and Jill Murraybrown shaking off the rust and bringing an air of experience to the stage, much to the delight of the audience.

Jon-Claude’s band mate, Shane Strachan, manned the mixing station and adapted to each band’s needs and to the on-the-fly for sets that included unconventional instruments such as banjos and flutes.

“Growing up as an aspiring musician, there were numerous platforms to showcase and finetune our skills. These seemed to have dwindled, so we decided to provide a platform here in Toti, where there is an abundance of talent lying dormant. We have been overwhelmed with the amount of future musicians and the calibre of music has been nothing short of exciting,” said Strachan.

The pair hope to branch out to other venues to host a similar platform to inspire musicians and expose them to fresh audiences.

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