From May 1995 until August 1996 I was living in Springfield, Missouri, and spending an awful lot of time at the Magic Bean coffee shop. I soon graduated from playing open-mic nights to more or less owning the Wednesday night slot for the next year. If someone else was booked, I opened — if not, it was all me. Some nights there was a crowd, some nights not so much: one night I played for a total of 13 people, but only 6 or 7 were there at any one time.
Though somehow we never got around to doing a ‘real show’ together — that is, a show we actually planned in advance — the Chachis were my favorite fellow open-mic regulars, and I always enjoyed playing with them. They got a nice article in the paper during the 1996 State Fair. Somewhere along the line they recorded a live set at the Magic Bean, and my set too the same night… wonder if anyone still has a copy of that.
When I memorialized the Magic Bean Scene in “Time For One More,” the Chachis were the only other performers I mentioned in a positive light. Although I did change their genders. Sorry about that, guys. (And hey, if you’re out there, drop me a line sometime.)
One night at the Bean, local music regular Allen Ross showed up to see who this ‘other Ross’ was, whose name he’d seen in the paper. He dug my set and invited me to play the open-mic he hosted at the Outland on Tuesdays. Allen did a lot of humor stuff too, and always gave me a longer time slot than anyone else on open-mic nights. Those nights gave me my first exposure to Bar Crowds. Big fun.
And then there was that time a bunch of us at the Bean had to drag that drunk guy off to the police substation on campus.
Good times.
| When | Where | Comments |
| June 8, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| June 15, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| June 27, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Lucas Wolf |
| July 27, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| August 2, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| August 17, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| August 23, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Lucas Wolf & Brian Dodds |
| August 29, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| August 31, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| September 7, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| September 14, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| September 21, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| September 28, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| October 1, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| October 5, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| October 11, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| October 28, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| November 1, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Kevin and Aaron |
| November 8, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Venutian Plain |
| November 15, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Venutian Plain |
| December 26, 1995 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| December 27, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| December 29, 1995 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with The Balls |
| January 3, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Angie & Oran |
| January 9, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| January 16, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| January 17, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Angie & Oran |
| January 23, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| January 31, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Angie, Oran & Trevor, and The Chachis |
| February 8, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| February 13, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| February 14, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| February 16, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Fullers Earth |
| February 21, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| February 22, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| February 27, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| February 28, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| March 1, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Fugue |
| March 6, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| March 13, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| March 17, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
BeanStock with Barefoot Revolution, Slaphappy, The Chachis, Colin Wilson, & Barbie Holocaust |
| March 28, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with The Chachis |
| April 2, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| April 3, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| April 6, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| April 10, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| April 13, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Prima-Facie, Fullers Earth, and The Chachis |
| April 16, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| April 24, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
with Venutian Plain & Secret Service |
| May 5, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| May 20, 1996 | The Bar Next Door Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| June 3, 1996 | The Bar Next Door Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| June 18, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
open-mic |
| July 24, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
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| August 5, 1996 | The Bar Next Door Springfield, MO |
‘farewell tour’ pt. 1 open-mic |
| August 6, 1996 | The Outland Springfield, MO |
‘farewell tour’ pt. 2 open-mic |
| August 7, 1996 | The Magic Bean Springfield, MO |
‘farewell tour’ pt. 3 really don’t remember who I opened for |
