Open mics are a time honored tradition for musicians, stand ups, poets, story tellers, and performance artists alike. There may be no better city for them in the world than NYC. There is something about the historic Greenwich Village tradition meeting the modern grittiness and well, craziness of today’s New York that creates a unique and creative landscape for those brave enough to take the stage. So, if you are an artist in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, OR you found yourself in the city and have an itch to perform here are a few spots that will be more than happy to give you some stage time.
The stage itself
The Sidewalk Cafe- Located on Avenue A in the East Village, The Sidewalk is one of the city’s most storied open mic’s. Some of the best talent that I have seen play a small stage has been right here in the bar’s always packed back room. Get there at 7:30 on a Monday for the lottery time slot sign up and pray to whatever God or Gods you choose to get a spot before the 20’s because this night will stretch right into Tuesday morning and beyond, trust me I know from experience.
View of the Candy Store
Pete’s Candy Store– Located in Hipsterville, ahem sorry about that, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Pete’s is a wildly unique Sunday night experience. Filled with artists who are both excited to get on stage and to hear the other talent that flocks to the Candy Store, it promises to be a great way to wrap up a weekend. Sign up is at 4:30 and there is often professional live music after so be prepared for a long night of good music.
Good good let the folk flow through you
Postcrypt Coffeehouse– Located on the Columbia University campus, Postcrypt may be the folksiest open mic in the area. Well, actually calling it an open mic at all would’t be correct because there are no microphones. Nope, because amplification is just too much sometimes, the real name for this show would be an open STAGE. That’s right no mics, no amps, probably as little volume as possible. It is a three hour show starting at 8:30 on Friday nights during the academic year, make sure you get there early enough to get a slot and a seat close enough to the stage so you can actually hear.
The Village Underground- Finally, an open mic that is actually in Greenwich Village. The Underground has a reputation for grabbing some pretty spectacular talent. Couple that with the fact that you’re sitting in an area hugely rich in music history and you can have your little folk music geek freak out to a beautiful live music soundtrack. The open mic takes place on Sunday night’s and has a $15 cover, but don’t let that scare you away because some pretty big names have been known to show up. Who knows, this may be the place where you get discovered.
The Parkside Lounge– Rounding out the list is the Parkside Lounge in the East Village. This 7:00 Monday night open mic is another great choice for anyone looking for a stage to get up and play on. Any conceivable genre of performance is welcomed on this stage so don’t be shy.
There you have it, five open mics in New York City just waiting for you to blow their doors off. If anyone has another open mic they suggest or a story from one please comment below we’d love to read them!
-Ryan Schmitz
