#neatplace

[lazyfish73]

Sculture sul lungolago ❤️ * * * #senonviaggioschiatto #arizonasontheroad #instatravel #travelgram #slovenia #Bled #ifeelslovenia #sculpture #Sculture #woman #wooden #womafigure #statue #statua #wood #wings #ali #donna ##wanderlust #neatplace #niceplace #tourism #travelling #art #arte (presso Restavracija Camping Bled) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2d_UBRFv0b/?igshid=hri79p59nofy

[familyadventuresinnewyorkstate]

🚙𝙀𝙓𝙋𝙇𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙉𝙀𝙒 𝙔𝙊𝙍𝙆 If you find yourselves in the northern Adirondack region near Lake Champlain, you owe it to yourself to take some time to explore this incredible free sculpture garden. Learn more about visiting here: https://familyadventuresinnewyorkstate.com/stone-ledge-sculpture-garden-plattsburgh-ny/ #sculpture #sculpturegarden #adk #adkmountains #adirondacks #explorenewyork #neatplaces #hiddengem #art #artinnature #roadtrip #summer #summertime #summerdays https://www.instagram.com/p/CfZt8ziO7dl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[wdun-pt]

Haunted History Tour #HauntedHistoryTour #Haunted #History #Tour #johnstown #johnstownpennsylvania #johnstownpa #floodcity #johnstownflood #pennsylvania #pa #westernpa #westernpennsylvania #community #cool #neat #awesome #different #creepy #creepyplaces #neatplaces

[peter-spades]

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Neat place #absintheplace #absinthe #absintheritual #frenchritual #nightout #greenfairy #smokeygreendrink #dropbydrop #neatplace (at Absinthe House) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo6bU9XBmge/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i5h8n63hlcwo

[acmeandco]

Welcome to the world @anchoragechch in Christchurch 💙🌿🙌🏼 📷 @neatplaces #acmecups #specialtycoffee #acmeforlife (at Christchurch City, Christchurch)

[elev8150]

#beardog Named Hunter. . . . #mountainresort #beardogs #skiresort #outbackcamping #neatplaces #guarddogs #guarddogsonduty (at American Flag BaseCamp) https://www.instagram.com/p/Brbw5A1n_tu/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vmj1ii7jm0my

[mat3ad]

Jazz it up 🎙🎶🎷🎺🎵🎤 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #nz🇳🇿 #newzealand #christchurch #chch #nzmustdo #neatplaces #coolbar #newzealandguide #newzealandvacations #purenz #destinationnz #nzmustdo #welltravelled #travelblogger #exploremore #louisarmstrong #wonderful_places #music #jazz #jazzitup #history #beer #bar #rebuilding #newcity #cityscape (at Fat Eddie's)

[tumbleon]

open mic at the darkroom #1

There used to seem like such a wide breach at the darkroom between watching a band and taking the stage.

There was only exception was when Brian hosted karaoke parties every now and then.

Brian Feary as his karaoke, quiz-night hosting alter ego Dr. Love in 2015. 

“I threw up before the first time I played,” Brian volunteered. 

I gasped. “Really?”

Last year when our band vowed to play in public by the end of the year, we needed somewhere to build up our confidence. The darkroom stage was one small step – a small box, really. It was nothing. Yet it felt like crossing a huge divide. The prerequisite for getting on the stage was a half-hour set of original material, and knowing a band well enough to be invited to open for them. If neither of those applied, you were in the audience.

Still from RDU footage of the Dunedin band The Violet Ohs at the darkroom in Christchurch, New Zealand, 2015. 

We weren’t at that level yet, so we looked instead in the back pages of the Christchurch Mail for Open Mic listings.

The Christchurch Mail, January 2017. Orange circles aren’t open mics, but Anita and her band Devilish Mary and the Holy Rollers are really cool. The Ruby Suns are good, too. 

Only certain bars had open mics. The Fitz, a sports bar on the fringe of the four avenues, had one where men in their 40s in leather jackets played Pink Floyd immaculately while another dozen people milled near the pool tables on the other side of the bar. When we took the stage, the few groups of people stopped what they were doing and watched curiously. After our 12-minute set, we toasted our complimentary pints of lager, high on the fumes of playing. Martin crowed about how the men in leather jackets were probably record executives who would tempt the band to break up, like villains. But it was all right. Nothing could break up the band. We would emerge unscathed, triumphant.  

Geof smiled. “Martin has the right attitude about all of this.”

There is a similar feel at The Rockpool on Sunday nights, also known as Mickey Finn’s. Three-song, 15 minute sets. 

The Rockpool in Christchurch, New Zealand, date unknown.

Some Open Mic nights required booking in advance, like Tuesdays at the Carlton. There was a nice spontaneity in the chalkboard at Jane’s Bar on Wednesdays. Come along, get up on stage. There the audience was warm and wonderful as you played, but individuals could be dicks. Before we played, two men in high-vis cornered our table and asked us to spread our legs.  

Stuff like that never happened at the darkroom. 

Too much loveliness in the darkroom, a twinkling bar in the middle of the post-apocalyptic industrial wasteland that is the eastern region of the four avenues in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photo from neatplaces,co.nz, c. 2011-2012

We never felt cornered into leering conversations we wished would go away. Perhaps that’s because attending a gig there requires an intention. Sometimes there was barely anyone there, sitting in the shadows, and it felt like you owned the place.

While this often is what makes the darkroom special, when our band had a booking in August and was no longer going to be in town to fill it, it felt like maybe we should worry. 

“What if we did an open mic night?” Ray asked. “Do you think Marcus would mind?”

Marcus loved the idea. He had been experimenting with comedy as a different way of bringing people to the darkroom earlier in the night. That was another nice thing about open mics. Sign-ups were early in the evening; they tended to wind down by 10. It destroyed the cycle where people don’t show up early because they don’t want to wait around for the band to start playing, and that bands don’t start to play until people arrive.

“I’ve never done an open mic night before,” Marcus admitted. 

“Usually performers get a free drink after playing,” I said. “Is it all right if I advertise that?”

“That’s fair,” Marcus agreed. “Though maybe next time I should make it buy one, get one free. At least that way I’ll make some money.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that,” I assured him. “I’ve been to a few open mic nights. The free drink comes after they play, and everyone drinks beforehand.”

Mary threw together a poster. 

A graphic designer would cry. But it got the message across.

Marcus changed the listing on the darkroom’s website to an open mic on Monday. We created a facebook page. The gig had about five days’ notice. 

“I hope people come,” Mary said. 

Our bassist Ray was with her sister in Sydney. “It would mean a lot to me if you were there with us,” I assured her girlfriend Amy. Once when we were half an hour late to Jane’s Bar, the owner had already cajoled Amy into being the first performer of the night. Amy hadn’t prepared a thing, but picked up the owner’s guitar anyway, and charmed the crowd effortlessly. 

That night, I got back from Peter’s inquest right before we were due at the darkroom. Mary and I arrived a few minutes before the night started at seven. Amy was already there with 10 of her classmates, drinking. 

“They have been here for 20 minutes,” Marcus said. 

More people arrived in groups of two and three. We parked ourselves by the door and explained how it worked to those who came in with instruments. The chalkboard was eight names deep half an hour in half past seven. I shrugged to Mary. “We might as well get this thing started.” 

All we needed was for Marcus to turn on the sound. I squeezed my way to the bar. 

“I’m kinda busy!” Marcus laughed as Abi manoeuvered around him with a pizza. “Give me five minutes?”

The Darkroom in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“No rush,” I smiled. “Whenever you are ready to get started, so are we.”

Mary and I called ourselves the ice breakers, thanked everyone for coming, and flashed off a quick three songs. The verses of Flowers stumbled a bit. Our timing did not match. “Our job is to set the bar low for you guys.” We gestured at our ankles. “Down there. Really comfortable.” 

“I’m glad that’s over,” I said after we finished. 

“That might have been your guys’ best set yet,” Geof said. “You were charming. Your voices didn’t quaver. Peter was powerful. You were there.”

Another two or three people arrived every five minutes. 

By eight thirty, it seemed like every space in the darkroom had a guitar or someone sitting somewhere. “Mary,” I called to her through the sea of people. “Imagine if all of the guitars in this room were in a photo!” 

It had grown so much bigger than Amy’s friends. 

Maybe people have been waiting for something like this, I thought as I looked around the room. An intermediary step to getting on stage. One where you didn’t have to know the right bands to get onto the bill. Even if you could only nail one cover, you could get onstage and practice. 

It’s a pretty sweet deal. Fifteen minutes of commitment, and you and your friends all get a free pint and some happy fumes.

Still, NASDA occupied the heart of the room. Someone from the performing arts school cycled on stage about one every three sets to reset the bar with something across three octaves or featuring three-part harmonies. Amy tried out a new stand-up routine about her summer stripping and killed it. Two NASDA kids borrowed my guitar.

“Ooh, it’s out of tune,” one said, stopping a few notes into her third song.

“It’s the G,” I called out to the stage. 

“The G.” The sea of NASDA kids in front of her crooned the note. She fixed the string.

The NASDA kids tended to go by their first names. An Irish guy performed alone as Admiral Drowsy. One girl who came along with her guitar had been playing in bands around Christchurch since she was 12. Celia was born in Korea and grew up in Christchurch from the age of four. She lived in Auckland now, though. “I like it up there,” she said. She played under the name Tank Top. Her last gig was at the Audio Foundation.

I lit up. “I love that place! So underground.”

“It is underground.” She laughed. “Literally.”

Some of the people who played were longtime friends. Two girls hopped on stage with guitars and voices like liquid honey. Their harmonies blended beautifully.

“That was great!” I crowed to them as they packed. “Do you write your own stuff?” 

“We haven’t had much time yet,” one of the girls said. “My friend just moved back from Queenstown!”

Others had only played together for a matter of weeks. One boy brought his rock band that played all of their own songs. The dynamics were wide and sweeping. 

“They are great,” Geof conceded. 

I thanked him for playing afterwards. He said the band had been together seven weeks. 

“You wrote those songs seven weeks ago?” I asked. 

“Yeah.” He beamed.

Some acts got on stage together after meeting minutes before.

“I have a cajon drum,” one guy said at nine. “If anyone needs a drummer.”

“Celia is up next,” I mused. She was to my left. “Hey Celia, would you like a drummer?”

“That could work,” she said. I stepped back. “Maybe my last two songs,” she told him. “They are the most... melodic.”

He watched her carefully during the first song and joined in. “Texture,” he said after he played. “That’s all that was needed.”

“How long have you been playing together?” I crooned to the stage after their first song ended. 

“Three minutes?” the drummer replied. 

She was only in town for the weekend for her mother's birthday, so it dissolved again in an instant. 

At half past ten, all but half a dozen people vanished, like magic. A few minutes later, our flatmate Brian strode in. 

“You missed it,” I told him. He had agreed to help us host. “Didn’t matter. We didn’t need your street cred.” 

Abi laughed. 

“Thank you for putting this on,” Celia said. She had found out about it the day before. 

A few people said that. 

"So many people were asking if we are going to do this again," Mary told Marcus. 

"Already there," Marcus replied. He suggested a monthly thing. 

“First Thursday is kinda taken. Third Thursday?” I asked.

“Whenever,” Marcus said.

"Can we... keep hosting it?" I asked tentatively. 

"Of course!" he cried.

“Do you have any music online?” the drummer asked Celia. 

She had one song on Bandcamp, she said. “But it’s not very good,” she quickly added. “I might take it down.”

“Don’t do that!” we cried. “Not before we hear it!” Mary got her number. 

“How are we going to find him again?” I wondered of the drummer as he left.

“He’s Lyttelton. A local,” Mary said. “He’ll find us.”

[lazyfish73]

E qualche foto verso sera... * * * #senonviaggioschiatto #arizonasontheroad #instatravel #travelgram #slovenia #Bled #ifeelslovenia #mysire #bynight #evening #darklake #lago #meandmysire #khalandkhaleesi #wanderlust #neatplace #niceplace #tourism #travelling https://www.instagram.com/p/B2d8lc-lnIH/?igshid=6evtkc2d475d

[familyadventuresinnewyorkstate]

This National Natural Landmark is one of the coolest places to explore. The unique habitats changes as you proceed into the preserve. Explore more here... https://familyadventuresinnewyorkstate.com/zurich-bog-arcadia-new-york/. #familyadventures #familyadventuresinnewyork #familyadventuresinnewyorkstate #newyorkstateofadventure #zurichbog #nationalnaturallandmark #bog #wetlands #wetlandconservation #newyork #familytime #familyfun #hikingadventures #hikingwithkids #hikingwithdogs #neatplaces #uniquedestinations #wildnewyork #wildlife #natureslovers #nature #natureseekers #wildanimals #bestofnewyork (at Zurich Bog) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEtssoFjSTP/?igshid=1jdvygygu1f7l

[neatplaces-blog]

Gow Langsford Gallery, 26 Lorne Street #Auckland #neatplace w/ @gowlangsfordgallery

[ncvaprime]

ff + KYLE RAYNER

[Send me "ff+" and a character name and my character will react to finding and reading a graphic and sex-filled fanfiction of themselves and that character.]

Now that was interesting. And will constructs were apparently a handy thing to have.

[thwipsandquips]

   My spider-sense tells me that you have a thing for the color green.

[elev8150]

Our new #beardog pupies. These dogs will guard us from unwanted #bear and #mountainlion guest at the basecamp. . . . #mountainresort #beardogs #skiresort #outbackcamping #neatplaces #guarddogs #guarddogsonduty (at American Flag BaseCamp) https://www.instagram.com/p/Brbwv4JnX8H/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kv5bs0jlq4w9

[gargleteeth]

neatplace replied to your post:Ѡ

[sms- batgirl iv] little bit yeah

     sms [ lantern 2.0 ] :   nice.       sms [ lantern 2.0 ] :   it's kinda cute. it looks like it's hiding. 

[lazyfish73]

Bellissima giornata ieri a Bled, oltre a essere graziati dal tempo atmosferico, sono contenta di essere venuta qui a metà settembre, mi dicono che in piena stagione(estate) è stipato di turisti... * * * #senonviaggioschiatto #arizonasontheroad #instatravel #travelgram #slovenia #Bled #ifeelslovenia #mysire #isola #barca #bosco #lago #meandmysire #khalandkhaleesi #wanderlust #neatplace #niceplace #tourism #travelling (presso Lago di Bled) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2d7_KGl_Gr/?igshid=13zez41kzpt5u