Open mic at Old Nick’s has been going on for a year, run by a gentleman named Chris, but before him, another person used to run the mic. All genres of talent are welcome, though typically, they attract only musicians. The room goes from 6 to 8pm. Talent gets three songs or 15 minutes. However, if the signups are overwhelming, comedians may be asked to do only ten. There are no language restrictions, but if you see children in the audience, use discretion. As informal as the room is, you may end up not performing in the order where you signed up. Chris asked me if I would go up third, whether I took that spot or not. He told me they are not used to comedians at the room. The business has its own parking lot. Inside, the room seats about 53, all of whom can see the large stage just fine. The stage is well lit, and the backdrop is a silver cloth. There are no distractions like TVs turned on. They had none in the room. Old Nick’s is a full bar but they also offer comfort food like British bangers in gravy, corned beef, and burgers. Beers run $7 a pint. Typically, the room draws six to eight musicians a week. The night I was there, however, it was unusually full. We had 11 signups by 5:45pm, so Chris decided to start the room early (5:48pm) to accommodate all the signups. Surprisingly, not only did we have two comedians that night, but also one poet. Everyone else was a musician. We had 11 people in the room, including the bartender, when Chris brought up the first talent. On stage is a mic, stand and stool. When it was my turn, I played to 14 people. Attendance got better as the evening went on: 18 people by 6:50pm. Attendance stayed at 18 till 7:25pm, then started to thin. Thirteen people at 7:45pm. Guys, this is a good room to do. Why the local comedians in Eugene don’t come here, I can’t figure out. Fifteen minutes of stage time is great. Chris is very good about assisting the comics. When he approached me about going up, I asked if we could hold off till more people showed up, and so I got to go up third instead of earlier. I do recommend taking even a later spot if possible, since the room filled more as the evening went on. And playing to a room of non-comics is better than a room full of comedians. You want to try material out on a general audience, not just your comedic friends.
Open mic at Old Nick’s has been going on for a year, run by a gentleman named Chris, but before him, another person used to run the mic. All genres of talent are welcome, though typically, they attract only musicians. The room goes from 6 to 8pm. Talent gets three songs or 15 minutes. However, if the signups are overwhelming, comedians may be asked to do only ten. There are no language restrictions, but if you see children in the audience, use discretion. As informal as the room is, you may end up not performing in the order where you signed up. Chris asked me if I would go up third, whether I took that spot or not. He told me they are not used to comedians at the room.
ReplyDeleteThe business has its own parking lot. Inside, the room seats about 53, all of whom can see the large stage just fine. The stage is well lit, and the backdrop is a silver cloth. There are no distractions like TVs turned on. They had none in the room. Old Nick’s is a full bar but they also offer comfort food like British bangers in gravy, corned beef, and burgers. Beers run $7 a pint.
Typically, the room draws six to eight musicians a week. The night I was there, however, it was unusually full. We had 11 signups by 5:45pm, so Chris decided to start the room early (5:48pm) to accommodate all the signups. Surprisingly, not only did we have two comedians that night, but also one poet. Everyone else was a musician. We had 11 people in the room, including the bartender, when Chris brought up the first talent. On stage is a mic, stand and stool. When it was my turn, I played to 14 people. Attendance got better as the evening went on: 18 people by 6:50pm. Attendance stayed at 18 till 7:25pm, then started to thin. Thirteen people at 7:45pm.
Guys, this is a good room to do. Why the local comedians in Eugene don’t come here, I can’t figure out. Fifteen minutes of stage time is great. Chris is very good about assisting the comics. When he approached me about going up, I asked if we could hold off till more people showed up, and so I got to go up third instead of earlier. I do recommend taking even a later spot if possible, since the room filled more as the evening went on. And playing to a room of non-comics is better than a room full of comedians. You want to try material out on a general audience, not just your comedic friends.