That's the textbook scenario for a blues jam, when bars set aside a night for beginning blues guitarists and singers to take the stage and satisfy their urge to perform for a crowd. If you're good, you're gold. If not, don't come back, but try your luck elsewhere. In reality, though, there's a lot more to these weekly jams. Fans attending jam sessions feel freer to jeer if they're not pleased with the performance.
Blues jams are an old tradition, but there's a reason they've been around so long.
Though only 22, Maciolek has been a familiar face on the local blues circuit for almost three years. One recent evening, he was among the featured guests at the regular Sunday night blues jam at Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse Ltd. in New Berlin. Typically, neophytes play anywhere from one to a few songs, depending on how they do. The goal is to bring in crowds who've come to see their friends perform live for the first time, but also turn them on to more established players and make for a good night of music overall, so they come back again the next week. While most of those taking part in blues jams are in their 20s, sometimes the performing bug bites earlier.