The night I did open mic at Barmaggedon, they were doing a special taping for a comedian later in the evening, so open mic was altered to accommodate the taping. The gentleman who runs and normally hosts the open mic, which has been going on for two years, is Jeremiah, who was not present for open mic but came to open for the taped performer. The guy who did host the open mic -- I don’t remember ever being given his name -- could have passed for the reincarnation of one of ZZ Top but in better shape. The signup sheet comes out 9pm, and the show starts 9:30 to maybe 9:45. Tonight it started just after 9:30. Signup is first-come-first-choice. I was told by another comedian who has done the room before that talent gets about 10 minutes. There are no language restrictions. The stage is a large platform, but nice, with a banner in the back that reads Barmaggedon with an atomic blast and the Terminator without the flesh on either end. While on stage talent can see a monitor that counts down your stage time. We got 7 minutes. The evening usually allows for 20 spots for comedy or music. Barmaggedon is a full bar, but serves no food, save for a variety of bagged chips. Feeling wild, I bought a Cheetos. They have 3 TV’s, including a projector TV, which were silenced when open mic started. Rows of chairs and couches were already set up facing the stage. Counting the seats at the bar as well, there were about 34 available seats. Two pool tables, one air hockey table, a fuzzball table and a row of video games adorned the remaining space in this speakeasy that you discover after descending the stairs. The evening opened with the host doing some time, then he brought up a two-man team doing drums and guitar. I had signed up for the second spot, and I went up next. The audience was a mix of talent and people just interested in the show. As the evening progressed more and more people came down to see the show. When they are not taping a special, open mic goes till everyone’s gone up. There were about 18 people in the audience when the show started. Two guys were playing pool while the music played, but discontinued and the lights over the pool tables turned off when the comedy started. The audience was very respectful. A couple people at the bar didn’t seem to be interested in open mic, their backs turned to the show, but mostly people were attentive and laughed when they heard something funny. Barmaggedon is the go-to place for comedy in Tulare, and the room is well set up, a theater quality to it. Plus, they had a nice sound system. If you’re passing through central California via the 99, it may be worth your while to drop in and do a set. While the bar itself offers a number of fun distractions, when the show starts, the people there find the fun in comedy.
The night I did open mic at Barmaggedon, they were doing a special taping for a comedian later in the evening, so open mic was altered to accommodate the taping.
ReplyDeleteThe gentleman who runs and normally hosts the open mic, which has been going on for two years, is Jeremiah, who was not present for open mic but came to open for the taped performer. The guy who did host the open mic -- I don’t remember ever being given his name -- could have passed for the reincarnation of one of ZZ Top but in better shape.
The signup sheet comes out 9pm, and the show starts 9:30 to maybe 9:45. Tonight it started just after 9:30. Signup is first-come-first-choice. I was told by another comedian who has done the room before that talent gets about 10 minutes. There are no language restrictions. The stage is a large platform, but nice, with a banner in the back that reads Barmaggedon with an atomic blast and the Terminator without the flesh on either end. While on stage talent can see a monitor that counts down your stage time. We got 7 minutes. The evening usually allows for 20 spots for comedy or music.
Barmaggedon is a full bar, but serves no food, save for a variety of bagged chips. Feeling wild, I bought a Cheetos. They have 3 TV’s, including a projector TV, which were silenced when open mic started. Rows of chairs and couches were already set up facing the stage. Counting the seats at the bar as well, there were about 34 available seats. Two pool tables, one air hockey table, a fuzzball table and a row of video games adorned the remaining space in this speakeasy that you discover after descending the stairs.
The evening opened with the host doing some time, then he brought up a two-man team doing drums and guitar. I had signed up for the second spot, and I went up next. The audience was a mix of talent and people just interested in the show. As the evening progressed more and more people came down to see the show. When they are not taping a special, open mic goes till everyone’s gone up. There were about 18 people in the audience when the show started. Two guys were playing pool while the music played, but discontinued and the lights over the pool tables turned off when the comedy started.
The audience was very respectful. A couple people at the bar didn’t seem to be interested in open mic, their backs turned to the show, but mostly people were attentive and laughed when they heard something funny. Barmaggedon is the go-to place for comedy in Tulare, and the room is well set up, a theater quality to it. Plus, they had a nice sound system.
If you’re passing through central California via the 99, it may be worth your while to drop in and do a set. While the bar itself offers a number of fun distractions, when the show starts, the people there find the fun in comedy.