Open mic at Asmara has been going on one year. All genres of talent are welcome, but mostly this room attracts comedians. Signup is first come first choice, and the sheet came out 7:30pm. There are no language restrictions, and talent gets five to 12 minutes, depending on number of talent. On a good night they’ll get 12 signups; on a great night, 16. The room itself seats about 48. A single TV, while on, sat perched at a corner of the bar, furthest from where the single mic had been set up on the floor close to the entrance. The TV being on was a bit distracting, but eventually it was turned off. The gentleman who ran the room that night was Sam. He co-runs it actually, trading weeks with another guy whose name slips my mind. The night I was there, evidently there was some event going on that kept most of the regular comedians from coming. In the end there were only four people in the audience, myself and my friend who is not a comedian included. The second comedian didn’t even show up till 8:06pm. Sam started the room at 8:10. He purposefully started late, hoping some talent would arrive late. No problem. Been there. Actually, I was fine with such a small turnout when I was visiting Vegas for the first time, doing this room. I say that because Sam and I had such a good dialogue about comedy, why we do it, why we run the rooms we do. It’s not often when traveling you have that kind of an exchange. Usually, you show up, signup, maybe talk to the person who runs the room, but even then it’s usually just to learn the rules, then you wait and perform. With the room being as desolate as it was, Sam and I had a good half-hour to peel the onion. The restaurant itself serves Ethiopian food. I am not terribly learned when it comes to Ethiopian cuisine, but I liked what I had. My friend who is more familiar with Ethiopian said it was very good, authentic. They even offer Hookah. Asmara shares parking with other businesses, but those are closed for the evening, so parking is mostly okay. Guys, I gotta say, I recommend this room for the sole reason that Sam was so invested in the room. He opened with an excitement unprecedented for an audience of four, one of whom was absorbed in his material, not even facing the mic. Sam performed like there was a hundred in attendance. I went up after Sam opened with almost ten minutes, and he sat close to the mic and paid attention to the talent, laughed when he heard something funny. He did the same for all the talent. I could just imagine if this had been a good or great night, with 16 or so people supporting each other, feeding off Sam’s exuberance. And since the night I was there some special event was going on, chances are good you’re going to get that audience that I did not.
Open mic at Asmara has been going on one year. All genres of talent are welcome, but mostly this room attracts comedians. Signup is first come first choice, and the sheet came out 7:30pm. There are no language restrictions, and talent gets five to 12 minutes, depending on number of talent. On a good night they’ll get 12 signups; on a great night, 16. The room itself seats about 48. A single TV, while on, sat perched at a corner of the bar, furthest from where the single mic had been set up on the floor close to the entrance. The TV being on was a bit distracting, but eventually it was turned off.
ReplyDeleteThe gentleman who ran the room that night was Sam. He co-runs it actually, trading weeks with another guy whose name slips my mind. The night I was there, evidently there was some event going on that kept most of the regular comedians from coming. In the end there were only four people in the audience, myself and my friend who is not a comedian included. The second comedian didn’t even show up till 8:06pm. Sam started the room at 8:10. He purposefully started late, hoping some talent would arrive late. No problem. Been there.
Actually, I was fine with such a small turnout when I was visiting Vegas for the first time, doing this room. I say that because Sam and I had such a good dialogue about comedy, why we do it, why we run the rooms we do. It’s not often when traveling you have that kind of an exchange. Usually, you show up, signup, maybe talk to the person who runs the room, but even then it’s usually just to learn the rules, then you wait and perform. With the room being as desolate as it was, Sam and I had a good half-hour to peel the onion.
The restaurant itself serves Ethiopian food. I am not terribly learned when it comes to Ethiopian cuisine, but I liked what I had. My friend who is more familiar with Ethiopian said it was very good, authentic. They even offer Hookah. Asmara shares parking with other businesses, but those are closed for the evening, so parking is mostly okay.
Guys, I gotta say, I recommend this room for the sole reason that Sam was so invested in the room. He opened with an excitement unprecedented for an audience of four, one of whom was absorbed in his material, not even facing the mic. Sam performed like there was a hundred in attendance. I went up after Sam opened with almost ten minutes, and he sat close to the mic and paid attention to the talent, laughed when he heard something funny. He did the same for all the talent. I could just imagine if this had been a good or great night, with 16 or so people supporting each other, feeding off Sam’s exuberance. And since the night I was there some special event was going on, chances are good you’re going to get that audience that I did not.
awesome review. thanks
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