Open mic at Marc 49 is run by a gentleman named Adam. He has been diligently hosting open mic for over a year, although the venue has been going on for five. The venue takes place outside, and while it was cold, they have heating lamps set up, so it’s not that bad. On rainy days they put a tarp up, so weather is not a factor whether the venue is going on that week or not. While the room happens the second and fourth Monday, I actually performed the third Monday of the month, because the host had canceled the second week and hosted on the third week to make up for it. While most of the time the open mic happens on those specified weeks, it’s best to call the business and check with them when open mic happens. Adam is very good about keeping Marc 49 abreast of any changes. Marc 49 is a full bar, but they also serve food like salads, sliders, crab cakes and snacks like deviled eggs and cheese. But they don’t offer complete dinners. I indulged on the crab cakes, and I recommend them if you’re doing this room. Parking is on the street, but there is also a shared lot a half a block away. I won’t kid you, parking can be a pill. Give yourself time to find a spot. There is no stage, but none is necessary. Adam, a musician himself, sets up the single mic in the center of the quad, surrounded by tables. The place seats over 30. All genres of talent are welcome. There are no language restrictions. Talent gets three songs or 15 minutes, but if the night does not have a lot of talent lined up, you may go up a second time. There is no signup sheet. As informal as this room is, just let Adam know you want to perform and he remembers when you approached him and puts you up accordingly. This is definitely a seasonal venue. In the summer, attendance is much higher. On a good night there’ll be 20 peeps in the audience and about eight talent performing. Normally, the room goes from 7pm to 10pm, but it has at times gone longer, as late as 12am, so feel free to call, even if you’re going to be late. Chances are very good you’ll still get stage time. Mostly they get musicians performing, but frequently they’ll have poets, spoken word artists and sometimes a comedian. The evening started late the night I was there, about 7:35pm. There were six people total: the host, three talent (myself and two musicians) and a couple sitting in the farthest corner under a lamp. Adam opened with the two other musicians and they jammed for three songs. There were nine people in the room by the time I went up. When I left at 8:40pm – I had another room to review – there were 12 people in the room. Guys, I had a very positive experience. Adam is a terrific host. The audience was very receiving of my material, laughed a lot more than I thought, given the size of the audience. But I do recommend coming when the weather is warmer, not just because it’s more pleasant to sit outside but because the attendance will be higher. Oakland has a number of open mics, and this should be on your list to do, especially because there is a second venue you can do later that same night.
Open mic at Marc 49 is run by a gentleman named Adam. He has been diligently hosting open mic for over a year, although the venue has been going on for five. The venue takes place outside, and while it was cold, they have heating lamps set up, so it’s not that bad. On rainy days they put a tarp up, so weather is not a factor whether the venue is going on that week or not. While the room happens the second and fourth Monday, I actually performed the third Monday of the month, because the host had canceled the second week and hosted on the third week to make up for it. While most of the time the open mic happens on those specified weeks, it’s best to call the business and check with them when open mic happens. Adam is very good about keeping Marc 49 abreast of any changes.
ReplyDeleteMarc 49 is a full bar, but they also serve food like salads, sliders, crab cakes and snacks like deviled eggs and cheese. But they don’t offer complete dinners. I indulged on the crab cakes, and I recommend them if you’re doing this room. Parking is on the street, but there is also a shared lot a half a block away. I won’t kid you, parking can be a pill. Give yourself time to find a spot.
There is no stage, but none is necessary. Adam, a musician himself, sets up the single mic in the center of the quad, surrounded by tables. The place seats over 30. All genres of talent are welcome. There are no language restrictions. Talent gets three songs or 15 minutes, but if the night does not have a lot of talent lined up, you may go up a second time. There is no signup sheet. As informal as this room is, just let Adam know you want to perform and he remembers when you approached him and puts you up accordingly.
This is definitely a seasonal venue. In the summer, attendance is much higher. On a good night there’ll be 20 peeps in the audience and about eight talent performing. Normally, the room goes from 7pm to 10pm, but it has at times gone longer, as late as 12am, so feel free to call, even if you’re going to be late. Chances are very good you’ll still get stage time. Mostly they get musicians performing, but frequently they’ll have poets, spoken word artists and sometimes a comedian.
The evening started late the night I was there, about 7:35pm. There were six people total: the host, three talent (myself and two musicians) and a couple sitting in the farthest corner under a lamp. Adam opened with the two other musicians and they jammed for three songs. There were nine people in the room by the time I went up. When I left at 8:40pm – I had another room to review – there were 12 people in the room.
Guys, I had a very positive experience. Adam is a terrific host. The audience was very receiving of my material, laughed a lot more than I thought, given the size of the audience. But I do recommend coming when the weather is warmer, not just because it’s more pleasant to sit outside but because the attendance will be higher. Oakland has a number of open mics, and this should be on your list to do, especially because there is a second venue you can do later that same night.