This is one of the tougher reviews to write, due simply to the fact that my experience wasn’t an authentic open mic one. The Hideout Saloon is a bar, serving beer, wine and a couple non-alcoholic drinks. While bags of chips are offered, they do not serve food. I did see someone bring outside food in, and there were no objections. Since open mic starts at 8pm, and the restaurants in Mariposa close at 9, with very limited options thereafter, I suggest coming having already eaten. Street parking is free. The place seats about 25 comfortably. One corner of the bar has one mic (a second one on hand) and a stool. Pretty much wherever you sit, you can see the talent. People coming in do cross the stage, and that happened a couple times while I was performing. Understand, this town is small. Everyone knows everyone. People entering the room while I was performing were greeted by the whole audience who knew them. It did not detract from the show, just reminded me how intimate this crowd was. There is no signup sheet. Brenda, who bar tended, knows everyone and just remembers who came in, and after the current talent on stage is done, asks if so and so is ready to go. Except for myself, all the other talent were musicians and singers; all forms of talent are welcome, however. Musicians did 2 or 3 songs; figure it’s 3 songs or 15 minutes. Comedians or poets get the same amount of time. Also, you may be asked to go up again after everyone else has had their turn. There are no language restrictions. A tip jar is placed at the foot of the stage, and any money collected is split between all the talent who went up. The bar itself is a piece of the history of Mariposa, and it possesses a lot of atmosphere. Also, they have the only free pool table in town, located in another room. When open mic first started at The Hideout, for two and a half years it was a hot spot. The gentleman who ran it left Mariposa, and since then open mic has been on and off, at times discontinued altogether. (They don’t have open mic during the winter months.) That, however, is starting to change, according to Brenda. Another gentleman, Hank, who set up the sound system the night I performed and is a musician himself, may very well step in, and between he and Brenda, keep this a weekly event, even during the winter months. That said, the best thing to do for now is call ahead of time and ask if the week you are going to be in Mariposa is open mic happening? They are open Wednesday thru Sunday from 6pm to midnight or later. They also have a Facebook page you can message. As for my own experience, when I called eight days prior, Brenda explained about the history of their open mic, but in talking to me, proposed if I wanted to come and perform, and she’d treat it like a "special event". Since I knew I had at least 45 minutes of solid material, I said yes. At 8pm Hank started playing his guitar, as people came in on top of the people already there. By 8:20pm I went up, performing to an audience of 13 or 14, and did 50 minutes. It was great. I got applause breaks, people laughed, and I felt very welcomed as an artist and as a person to their fold. After my set, Brenda brings up the next talent, and for almost three hours, we’re all listening to music and having a terrific time. My reluctance in sharing this wonderful evening is, I don’t mean to encourage comedians to call and try to sell themselves as headliners, hoping The Hideout will book them as such, especially if Brenda generates enough electricity to keep this a weekly mic. If anything, come with the intent to do open mic. Fifteen minutes is plenty of stage time, and you may get more after the rest of the talent have had a turn. And by that, I mean another 15 minutes or more. And I understand your zeal to want to perform for an audience as receptive as they were in Mariposa. If you can't imagine the drive for one venue, make it a trip. Enjoy Yosemite during the day and perform in Mariposa and nearby Oakhurst, which has three open mics, at night.
This is one of the tougher reviews to write, due simply to the fact that my experience wasn’t an authentic open mic one.
ReplyDeleteThe Hideout Saloon is a bar, serving beer, wine and a couple non-alcoholic drinks. While bags of chips are offered, they do not serve food. I did see someone bring outside food in, and there were no objections. Since open mic starts at 8pm, and the restaurants in Mariposa close at 9, with very limited options thereafter, I suggest coming having already eaten.
Street parking is free. The place seats about 25 comfortably. One corner of the bar has one mic (a second one on hand) and a stool. Pretty much wherever you sit, you can see the talent. People coming in do cross the stage, and that happened a couple times while I was performing. Understand, this town is small. Everyone knows everyone. People entering the room while I was performing were greeted by the whole audience who knew them. It did not detract from the show, just reminded me how intimate this crowd was.
There is no signup sheet. Brenda, who bar tended, knows everyone and just remembers who came in, and after the current talent on stage is done, asks if so and so is ready to go. Except for myself, all the other talent were musicians and singers; all forms of talent are welcome, however. Musicians did 2 or 3 songs; figure it’s 3 songs or 15 minutes. Comedians or poets get the same amount of time. Also, you may be asked to go up again after everyone else has had their turn. There are no language restrictions. A tip jar is placed at the foot of the stage, and any money collected is split between all the talent who went up.
The bar itself is a piece of the history of Mariposa, and it possesses a lot of atmosphere. Also, they have the only free pool table in town, located in another room.
When open mic first started at The Hideout, for two and a half years it was a hot spot. The gentleman who ran it left Mariposa, and since then open mic has been on and off, at times discontinued altogether. (They don’t have open mic during the winter months.)
That, however, is starting to change, according to Brenda. Another gentleman, Hank, who set up the sound system the night I performed and is a musician himself, may very well step in, and between he and Brenda, keep this a weekly event, even during the winter months. That said, the best thing to do for now is call ahead of time and ask if the week you are going to be in Mariposa is open mic happening? They are open Wednesday thru Sunday from 6pm to midnight or later. They also have a Facebook page you can message.
As for my own experience, when I called eight days prior, Brenda explained about the history of their open mic, but in talking to me, proposed if I wanted to come and perform, and she’d treat it like a "special event". Since I knew I had at least 45 minutes of solid material, I said yes. At 8pm Hank started playing his guitar, as people came in on top of the people already there. By 8:20pm I went up, performing to an audience of 13 or 14, and did 50 minutes. It was great. I got applause breaks, people laughed, and I felt very welcomed as an artist and as a person to their fold. After my set, Brenda brings up the next talent, and for almost three hours, we’re all listening to music and having a terrific time.
My reluctance in sharing this wonderful evening is, I don’t mean to encourage comedians to call and try to sell themselves as headliners, hoping The Hideout will book them as such, especially if Brenda generates enough electricity to keep this a weekly mic. If anything, come with the intent to do open mic. Fifteen minutes is plenty of stage time, and you may get more after the rest of the talent have had a turn. And by that, I mean another 15 minutes or more. And I understand your zeal to want to perform for an audience as receptive as they were in Mariposa. If you can't imagine the drive for one venue, make it a trip. Enjoy Yosemite during the day and perform in Mariposa and nearby Oakhurst, which has three open mics, at night.