What is an open mic?

An open mic, literally, means there will be a microphone set up and access to it is open to the public. An open mic is a rare opportunity for both veteran and untried performers to get in front of an audience and do whatever it is they do. Not all open mic events actually use a microphone; some are acoustic. Some book in advance. Some open mics are reserved for poetry or musical performances only, others are open to anything (well, almost anything). Most have an MC who organizes the event and introduces the acts. Most open mics limit performers to about 10 to 15 minutes of time onstage. Basic etiquette is to show up early if you want to perform, respect the other acts by listening politely and have your own stuff well-rehearsed and ready to go when it's your turn.

The Bay Area open mic calendar

There are not enough places for local performers to showcase their art in the bay area. This means that the only outlet for some truly excellent and accomplished local artists are open mic events. Amateurs in the bay area are even less likely to get an opportunity to play for an audience; prior to really being able to hone their performance, open mics provide a safe and supportive place to make that first awkward, fumbling attempt. This is the reason for this calendar, to support the bay area's live performance scene.

I run this calendar for my sins, keeping it as up to date as possible, helped along by numerous email from people like you. While I can't attend every open mic personally, I check each one to make sure the info I have is accurate. I do list poetry open mics (I find most will let lyrically-oriented songwriters participate). I tend not to list "jam" nights here, as I feel they don't really fit the idea of an open mic - they're more of a music session and less open to the quintessential "whatever" that an open mic entails. That said, I'm pretty open to a change of mind. Want to be listed on my links page? Send me an email. Run an open mic or know of one I've missed? Let me know. See an open mic that is no longer running on this calendar? Give me the heads-up.

Where you come in

I hope this calendar helps you get out there and play some music, read some verse or do whatever creative thing you want to do. If you know of an open mic I've missed, have been to one of the open mics on the calendar or are just another local musician/poet, I'd love to hear about it. While I try to attend most of these myself, most of these venues have been pointed out to me from folks like yourself. I appreciate feedback and hearing about your open mic experiences, new open mics or ones I've missed, so feel free to drop me a line. Write to sean(at)lightholder(dot)net or use the contact form above.

Jam on, kids.

A brief history

As a musician and web junkie back in the 90's I found there simply wasn't a good open mic site; a site that not only provided information about where and when open mics were, but what exactly to expect from each venue.

I started taking notes at the open mics I attended and, in 1998, launched the bay area open mic calendar at www.lightholder.net. I am not a web designer. It (the first version of this calendar) was not pretty.

In Feb 2005 I was getting more email than ever from people and felt it was time for a tune-up to the site. I taught myself css to improve the calendar's accessability (& appearance)and created the second version (still running . . . for the moment).

Within a few months, open mics seemed to come back into fashion and the calendar grew so fast that I needed to revisit the design again. I spent several months learning more about css and a little about databases as well as thinking about the best way for the calendar to work. In July 2006 this latest version was launched. On the surface it looks much the same, but under the hood - oh baby. I have plans to expand the site in the future to make it more interactive.

Mic or Mike?

While I really don't want to get embroiled in the debate, as the host of an open mic site I should explain why I use "mic" instead of "mike."

For some eloquent and justified reasons to use "mike," see Samuel Bayer's rant on the subject.

So, if an east coast linguist with a PhD has proven that "mike" is superior, why is this bay area musician still hosting an open "mic" page? Primarily because I'm stubborn. I know what a "mic" is. It feels right. It looks right. Even with "open" in front of his name, "mike" to me is still "Mike." Secondly, as Sam Bayer points out, "mic" is the young, troublesome upstart in the language. Mic causes problems ("I mic'd the drums"??). It's pure unwashed, by-your-bootstraps american slang. It's dirty, it's incorrect . . .

. . . ain't it beautiful?

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