Let me start off by saying, open mic is not held inside Augie's but in the alley next to it. The gentleman who runs it, Shalfi, sets up equipment he brought in his car, and brings out chairs from the coffee house. He's been doing this open mic a year and a half, and I gotta say, I was impressed. Parking is on the street. The coffee house doesn't serve alcohol or even food. Just coffee and tea. Talent gets 3 songs or 13 minutes. There are two mics and the venue goes till 9pm. Keep the material PG. There were 16 people in attendance by the time I went up, which was early. While signup is supposed to be 6:30, the host did not show up till 6:45. And while it's supposed to start at 7pm, things didn't get going till 7:25. But then, Shalfi is prepping "the room" from scratch. It takes time. Signup is first-come-first-choice. Regulars are mostly musicians and poets. They get a comedian maybe once a month. Shalfi himself plays the guitar; he opened with a couple songs. Then another musician went up and then me. It was still light enough for the audience to see me. I ended up doing my set sitting down, made it more intimate. I think I connected better with the audience that way, being in an alley. I asked Shalfi what he did when it got dark. There was a light to one corner that backlit the artist, but nothing to spotlight the talent once dusk became twilight. Shalfi said that has never been a problem, so I shrugged it off. I had a second venue to do. I stayed to support a few of the musicians, but then I had to leave. Of course, I supported the room by making a purchase. Hot chocolate can really hit the spot. Guys, I gotta say how much respect I have for Shalfi, doing what he does. "If you can't find the right room, make it yourself." He does. With permission and help from Augie's. Shalfi told me they can get audiences as big as 30 to 40 peeps. I believe that. People were showing up as I was leaving. I'm not concerned Shalfi's venue will collapse. Augie's definitely has regulars. I just wish more comedians realized what a find this place is. And Shalfi, for all he puts into making it a good room, deserves the support.
Let me start off by saying, open mic is not held inside Augie's but in the alley next to it. The gentleman who runs it, Shalfi, sets up equipment he brought in his car, and brings out chairs from the coffee house. He's been doing this open mic a year and a half, and I gotta say, I was impressed.
ReplyDeleteParking is on the street. The coffee house doesn't serve alcohol or even food. Just coffee and tea. Talent gets 3 songs or 13 minutes. There are two mics and the venue goes till 9pm. Keep the material PG. There were 16 people in attendance by the time I went up, which was early.
While signup is supposed to be 6:30, the host did not show up till 6:45. And while it's supposed to start at 7pm, things didn't get going till 7:25. But then, Shalfi is prepping "the room" from scratch. It takes time. Signup is first-come-first-choice.
Regulars are mostly musicians and poets. They get a comedian maybe once a month. Shalfi himself plays the guitar; he opened with a couple songs. Then another musician went up and then me. It was still light enough for the audience to see me. I ended up doing my set sitting down, made it more intimate. I think I connected better with the audience that way, being in an alley. I asked Shalfi what he did when it got dark. There was a light to one corner that backlit the artist, but nothing to spotlight the talent once dusk became twilight. Shalfi said that has never been a problem, so I shrugged it off. I had a second venue to do. I stayed to support a few of the musicians, but then I had to leave. Of course, I supported the room by making a purchase. Hot chocolate can really hit the spot.
Guys, I gotta say how much respect I have for Shalfi, doing what he does. "If you can't find the right room, make it yourself." He does. With permission and help from Augie's. Shalfi told me they can get audiences as big as 30 to 40 peeps. I believe that. People were showing up as I was leaving. I'm not concerned Shalfi's venue will collapse. Augie's definitely has regulars. I just wish more comedians realized what a find this place is. And Shalfi, for all he puts into making it a good room, deserves the support.