Wow…just wow. There are really no words for what I just witnessed. Part sociology experiment, part sad state of a man whose life has completely careened off the rails. Charlie Sheen at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta was a train wreck in every sense of the word. I had heard the tales of mass exodus [...]

Last night, the bi-annual performance of the Open Mic Shootout took place at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur, GA. Eddie’s Attic, one of the premiere music venues in the Southeast, holds an Open Mic contest every Monday night, weeding through some 20 hopeful contestants. Some have promise, some are rough, some are downright awful — think American Idol’s city tour. Regardless, it takes a lot of courage to hop up on that stage and show the world what you have to offer. The weekly winners advance on to this bi-annual Open Mic Shootout where 23 up-and-coming artists battle it out for the $1000 prize and the notoriety that comes along with being a winner of the Shootout. Past winners include John Mayer and Jennifer Nettles (Sugarland), and the Attic has also helped launch the careers of the Indigo Girls and Shawn Mullins. To prove yourself on that stage won’t guarantee you fame, but it will prove you possess the talent to compete with the big boys.

In the time since Continuum was released, John Mayer has been better known for the hot ass he’s sporting on his arm at any given moment more so than the music he’s generating. Seriously, its like he’s in some sort of insane competition with Derek Jeter and Justin Timberlake to see who can bag the most tail off the Maxim Hot 100 List — Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jennifer Aniston. I mean come on this is getting a bit ridiculous being the real life Barney Stinson. They aren’t baseball cards man. It seems he did find some time outside his serial bed hopping to put together a new album called “Battle Studies.” Its a bit of a departure album from anything we’ve seen from him in the past, but that seems to be a theme he’s comfortable with. Dare I say this could be classified as Mayer’s Adult Contemporary album. As strange as it sounds, it works — most of the time.

While I’ve grown up and the glass isn’t quite so half empty anymore, I still expect Depeche Mode to put out quality like they did in Violator, but in holding these artists up to the mirror of themselves, they fail to reflect the best artists they can be. Thankfully certain new artists have stepped up to fill the gaping void. Tori you can sit down now because Regina Spektor is here and can make the piano do those naughty things that you once made your signature. Regina’s latest album Far continues to fulfill the promise she introduced us to on 2006′s Begin to Hope.