On Monday night I decided to explore a section of Charleston’s nightlife that I had no clue of its existence until the week before. So, I ventured to through the cold February night to make my way to the East Bay Meeting House for their Monday Night Poetry and Open Mic Night. This past Monday featured Marcus Amaker, who I just knew as the editor of the Preview section of the Post and Courier, and as I quickly found out from the other attendees, is one of the best spoken word-poets in Charleston, if not South Carolina.
I arrived roughly fifteen minutes prior to the 8:03pm start time that Marcus informed me of and it gave me enough time to explore my new surroundings and see if I could speak briefly to Marcus and thank him for putting the Stone Groove event on the very first inside page of a recent Preview magazine. It was no trouble finding him. After all, he was one of three people with dreadlocks but he was at the door greeting everyone who entered. He even was cool enough to chat with me briefly and even remembered my first name with no trouble. Which if any artist who deals with the press will tell you, it’s kind of a rarity. I left Marcus to meet and greet with others and for myself to search for any sort of seat. However, the place was packed and I ended up leaning against a wall that was closest to the front bar.
Marcus introduced his accompanying band, who after the show, I talked with a few members, and found out they were just a rag tag collective that the poet called out of the blue to perform with him. Marcus took the mic, and the place fell silent as he thanked everyone for coming out and explained how comfortable he was on the mic. Everyone’s attention turned towards the speaker. The poet began to flow over the boom bip rhythm of the drummer’s kick and snare hits. The poetry was a mixture of prose and rhythmic stanzas that worked harmoniously with the mild saxophone, droning keys, and every so often, the slight leads and chords strummed by his guitarist.
The musical aspect of the poetry performance just added to what were already great lines. Marcus’s poetry consisted of several topics that every person young and old could relate to. Basically, the topics were, Love, Sex, and Break Up. He did not use crazy, off the wall metaphors that some poets use and most listeners can’t follow. However, he did paint very colorful imagery using the words that he selected. It was refreshingly easy to follow and understand, while letting your head nod to the rhythm.
After Marcus was done with his set, the crowd was very supportive and tentative of the others during the open mic night and you will definitely find me hanging out on Monday’s at the East Bay Meeting House. Maybe I’ll open my rhyme book once again and get the courage to jump on the mic one time.
For more information on Marcus Amaker, or to check out his music go to http://www.marcusamaker.com/
