Open mic at Food Valley Brewing is run by a gentleman named Sean, a comedian himself, who produces this room to give himself the opportunity to emcee each week, do new material, and better his skills as a host. Sean started this room in January of 2017, and it is for comedians only. (They offer open mic music on another night.) The format is a familiar one: signup is first come first choice; talent gets seven minutes, light at six minutes; because it’s a bar, there are no language restrictions. The bar itself serves beer and some nonalcoholic drinks. They had bags of chips available, but this place does not serve food. I learned, however, that you may bring in outside food and the bar is okay with that. Plus, there is a nearby place that serves $2 taco Tuesday specials that was recommended to me. The whole room is one giant warehouse practically. Open mic was performed on a wooden stage to one side of the room, but there was another, larger stage that hosts live music. Farthest from the entrance, three pool tables went unused when I arrived. Three video arcade games offered entertainment near the bar. Close to the pool tables an air hockey game could be found. Overall, the room seats about 41. One muted TV played, located oddly elevated on a support beam that faced in a direction away from the bar. Parking is on the street. The signup sheet was out when I arrived at 7:45pm. Out of 13 spots, I took the third one. Sean showed up just before 8pm. I spoke with him a little bit then he excused himself to set up. By 8:30pm there were four signups. Earlier in the evening, the bartender told me on a good night there can be twelve signups. The room started about 8:43pm. There were 12 people in the room, including the bartender and owner, and two of those people were playing pool and not watching the open mic. As far away as the tables were, it did not distract from the stage. Sean opened with ten minutes then brought up the first talent. Of the four comedians, myself and one other comedian made our debut at Food Valley Brewing. The lighting on the stage is not good. It’s an overhead light, which cast shadows on the performer. My suggestion is to back the mic stand up and try to put the light in front of you. During the evening, people came in and out. At its peak we had 14. Save for the couple playing pool, mostly everyone was good about listening. As short as the list was this week, the evening ended at 9:25pm. Guys, this is a good room. I told Sean afterwards how much I appreciated him running the place. It’s the only open mic in the extreme southern hemisphere of Washington, a half hour drive just from Olympia, an hour from Renton, so aspiring comedians who live too far away from Seattle have a place to go. And even the comedians who live in the Tacoma area come to this room on Tuesdays when no other rooms are going on. Anyone who takes time out of their lives for whatever reason they start an open mic, deserve credit. Sean is a good host, and this room should get the support of the comedy community. Yes, it’s a long drive from Seattle, the hub of comedy in Washington, but after you’ve exhausted the other rooms, consider making the drive to do this one. And if you’re a visiting performer, there’s plenty to do in the day to keep you busy till open mic starts.
Open mic at Food Valley Brewing is run by a gentleman named Sean, a comedian himself, who produces this room to give himself the opportunity to emcee each week, do new material, and better his skills as a host. Sean started this room in January of 2017, and it is for comedians only. (They offer open mic music on another night.)
ReplyDeleteThe format is a familiar one: signup is first come first choice; talent gets seven minutes, light at six minutes; because it’s a bar, there are no language restrictions. The bar itself serves beer and some nonalcoholic drinks. They had bags of chips available, but this place does not serve food. I learned, however, that you may bring in outside food and the bar is okay with that. Plus, there is a nearby place that serves $2 taco Tuesday specials that was recommended to me.
The whole room is one giant warehouse practically. Open mic was performed on a wooden stage to one side of the room, but there was another, larger stage that hosts live music. Farthest from the entrance, three pool tables went unused when I arrived. Three video arcade games offered entertainment near the bar. Close to the pool tables an air hockey game could be found. Overall, the room seats about 41. One muted TV played, located oddly elevated on a support beam that faced in a direction away from the bar. Parking is on the street.
The signup sheet was out when I arrived at 7:45pm. Out of 13 spots, I took the third one. Sean showed up just before 8pm. I spoke with him a little bit then he excused himself to set up. By 8:30pm there were four signups. Earlier in the evening, the bartender told me on a good night there can be twelve signups. The room started about 8:43pm. There were 12 people in the room, including the bartender and owner, and two of those people were playing pool and not watching the open mic. As far away as the tables were, it did not distract from the stage. Sean opened with ten minutes then brought up the first talent. Of the four comedians, myself and one other comedian made our debut at Food Valley Brewing.
The lighting on the stage is not good. It’s an overhead light, which cast shadows on the performer. My suggestion is to back the mic stand up and try to put the light in front of you. During the evening, people came in and out. At its peak we had 14. Save for the couple playing pool, mostly everyone was good about listening. As short as the list was this week, the evening ended at 9:25pm.
Guys, this is a good room. I told Sean afterwards how much I appreciated him running the place. It’s the only open mic in the extreme southern hemisphere of Washington, a half hour drive just from Olympia, an hour from Renton, so aspiring comedians who live too far away from Seattle have a place to go. And even the comedians who live in the Tacoma area come to this room on Tuesdays when no other rooms are going on.
Anyone who takes time out of their lives for whatever reason they start an open mic, deserve credit. Sean is a good host, and this room should get the support of the comedy community. Yes, it’s a long drive from Seattle, the hub of comedy in Washington, but after you’ve exhausted the other rooms, consider making the drive to do this one. And if you’re a visiting performer, there’s plenty to do in the day to keep you busy till open mic starts.