Shaken Up: Scotty's Musician Mashups

Wednesday, Mar. 6

"It's to see what will happen. To get people out of their comfort zone," describes Marlene Flick when talking about the new Scotty's Martini Lounge series dubbed "Musician Mashups." The idea is simple but intriguing. Take two seemingly disparate local performers and see what they decide to do. It's a low-pressure microcosm of the "Barrage Band" and "Purple Jam" concepts that Erie has played around with over the years. "You don't know. The different influences? Let's see what they do together. Between people of different genres or even people who have never worked together," Flick muses that the results will be welcomely unexpected. The mashups will take place from 9 to 11 p.m., with a traditional open mic/jam taking place afterward — a long-running Wednesday Scotty's tradition.

The first of these partnerships will be between acclaimed local emcee (and Reader contributor) Charles Brown and vocalist Taylor Herbstritt, frontwoman of local bands Taylor Made and the Mixx. "The thing with Erie, is that we have so much talent, and so much undiscovered talent," Herbstritt exclaimed. "Everybody has their own voice and their own unique way that they play, and it's very interesting to put two people together who have never worked together before."

Future team-ups include Monica Lewis and David Steele, and Johnny Major and Doug Peck. — Nick Warren

9 p.m. // Scotty's Martini Lounge, 301 German St. // 21 + // free // facebook.com/Scottys.Martini