On the first Tuesday of each month, you can do it at Little Havana nightspot Hoy Como Ayer, where for the past year blues and jazz singer Wendy Pedersen (below) has hosted Chick Singer Night. Backed up by a quartet or quintet of professional musicians, four female vocalists each get a 30- to 40-minute moment under the spotlight. No one is paid except the back-up band, which gets a share of the eight dollar cover charge. While the chicks perform, audience members -- which may include a talent scout or two -- can munch moderately priced tapas and sip refreshing mojitos.
Chicago was the first city to regularly feature this evening devoted to gal crooners. "It's not a competition," says Lori Maier, chief chick, who dreamed up the event about fourteen years ago. "This is strictly a showcase." Now clubs in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Nashville have embraced the idea. Occasionally performers from around the country step onstage in Miami for a guest shot.
South Florida vocalists can get their turn at the mike by submitting a tape and bio to Pedersen, who must like their style. "They have to get their songs across with feeling," she says. And they have to bring charts along for the band, which can play just about anything. In fact Pedersen wants to make the evenings more musically diverse and would love some Haitian and Brazilian artists to join in.
Whatever the type of music, Chick Singer Night offers audiences the exciting possibility of hearing future stars first. Pedersen, who works as a back-up singer, probably wouldn't mind being discovered herself, but for now she's quite content. "I don't know how I got into this," she notes, "but I couldn't have chosen a better place to be."
