Planet Chaos Theory

(An exerpt of this interview was published in Thursday, November 2,2006 issue of The Current. I highly recommend this amazing article by Greg Locke, I think that local media has been giving His Danness a free ride and Greg clouds the matter with a few facts.)

I miss Spur tokens. I also miss Danny Keating when he hosts Planet Chaos every Sunday night at The Spur. The former due to nostalgia (which is reportedly the way of the future), the latter because it’s a school night for me. Planet Chaos has been on the go since November, 2002. I asked Danny a few questions about this Open Mic that is definitely not the Folk Club.

1. How long has it been going on?

missed a few weeks but it has been pretty steady since november 2002

2. How is it different from the other million open mics in the city?

an open mic is only as good as its performers... we have regulars that show up and bring solid sets of original music as well as finely chosen covers..staying away from the standard open mic fare the other open mics at the spur can boast this as well...

3. Some times you record them. Why and are they available?

i like to document things. archive them...i don't do it nearly as much as i would like to. i have released one cd of an open mic night at planet chaos i felt weirdabout releasing other peoples performances so i just included my set its more a live cd than an open mic cd. im in the process of rereleasing some of my cds (all r very limited runs) the live at planet chaos cd came with a release i did called "the boy who shouts" which will be available real soon maybe by the time this is printed..will be at freds..open mics and available dannykeating@hotmail.com www.myspace.com/dankeating www.myspace.com/theoriginofthesoundband search for live clips of me at open mic on youtube..search dank eating"

4. Have you ever thought about broadcasttng them live on the interweb?

i have though about doing live casts however i do not have the technology at my fingertips as of now...if anyone has the knowledge and tools to do this please contact me that wouldd be great

5. Do you where special clothes when you perform

i dress up like barney the dinosaur sometimes (uhmm no)

6. When i came to one you were reading lyrics from a song. Do you always work out new stuff?"

if i have new material i find its a good way to allow the song to get its stage legs..people are more forgiving in this kind of environment than say ashow with cover..i'd prefer if everyone who played brought the same mentality and this is often the case..some gems have debuted at planetchaos..over the years.

7. How do you keep drunken assholes away?

i tell my friends to stay at home...just kidding..drunken idiots are just looking for attention most of the time..when you have musicians up there giving a great performance and debuting material a drunk is less likely to stick around to make a fool of him/herself ..that and i have a rather loud voice if i want to..and when i see them stumbling round ready to make themselves comfy the guitar volume goes up and the veins in my neck swell with scream

8. Why do you do it

i do it because i like it...we dont get huge crowds there isnt great deals of money involved.. the people who come out sing along and they play interesting music..its a good form of practice..and its a great way to meet and interact with different musicans..impromptu jams are fairly regular abeit for better or worse of the over all night it adds an element of improv that i really enjoy.

9. How do you keep people from playing Neil Young all night? Are there rules?

there are no rules...and i have no control over what someone plays....I have had some Dick-tators of open mic hosts bash what i do and even remove the guitar from my hand cause i wouldnt play american pie or something..so i dont mind..however someone wants to express themselves..its ok with me...im just some guy with a guitar afterall..i happen to like neil young

10. Poets and other writer types always complain that there are no venues for people to read their work. Is Planet Chaos open to that sort of thing?

planet chaos is an open mic...that , means the mic is open..generally its an audience decision what happens what doesnt..we will try anything...if it drives out performers or audience members then its obviously not a good mix....but i wont say anything...the artist will be able to figure out for themselves if they should continue in following weeks..bring on the poets..we have had them in the past we have had magicians, clowns tapdancing guitar players, metal/punk/rock/traditional/folk/hiphop/pop bands play so its open to just about anything. sometimes we have full band set ups available for people other times its stripped down and intimate one guitar and mics..people are more than welcome to bring there own gear and set it up.

The last time I went, I was treated to the whistle blowing stadium anthems of the alt-jock rockers Sports. It was awesome. You should go to Planet Chaos.

(Sports on the water photo courtesy of Rachel Jean Harding)

planet chaos sundays the spur

patrick canning open mic tuesdays the spur

dan galway open mic wednesdays the spur