Well, maybe not secret. The Gypsy Joynt of Great Barrington, Massachusetts has been featured in lists of top small live music venues worldwide by some pretty notable publications. The sleepy Berkshire streets hardly seem the place to house a live music institution in Western Mass, but the second you walk into the Gypsy Joynt you know you’ve found yourself in the right place. The walls are a bohemian scatter shot with posters, scarves, stickers, and any other manner of decoration one can possibly imagine. I found myself stumbling in on a Wednesday night for their weekly open mic.
Coming from the PACKED open mics of New York City I expected a quiet low pressure spot to sit, relax, listen, and maybe play. While it was certainly relaxing the talent in the room was absolutely astounding! Honestly people you need to see/hear it to believe it. I saw around 10 acts ranging from acoustic reggae to old singer/songwriter cover, even some electro R&B found its way in there, and all of it made perfect sense. I am lucky enough to have roots in Western Massachusetts and coming up to visit the Gypsy Joynt open mic made me want to come right back to stay. Screw the music in NYC the Berkshires have my new favorite music venue ever.
They’re info/amazing menu can all be found on their website here. Open mic starts at 7:30 but sign up begins at 7 so don’t show up too late. I guarantee you won’t regret stopping in.
-Ryan Schmitz
