Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Sunday Mic at Tribal Cafe

Write your review in the comments

42 comments:

  1. Since the new guys are running it, its easily the best open mic in LA hands down. Not only do the give you 7 minutes for free w/ free parking, they really go all the way out to make it awesome. Really. Number 1, they do a raffle to give stuff away at the end of the show. Usually good stuff like dvds and sometimes crazy stuff like watermelons and pineapples (no joke, I won a whole pineapple). Number 2, if you want they record you in hi-def and send you the footage for free. This show iz absolutely nuts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tonight there were about 24 people. The atmosphere was relaxed and upbeat. The host was intensely enthusiastic.

    They offer to record your set in high definition on DVD for 5 bucks when you return the following week.

    A good spot for beginners to test out material.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They raffle away Pineapples, but this mic is BANANAS!
    Working Mic. Check.
    Enthusiastic host. Check. (Too enthusiastic? Definitely not. Too enthusiastic? No way. Too enthusiastic? Okay, maybe a little, but I thought it was great.)
    Hi Def DVD for 5 dollars. Check. Check.
    Great guys running a fair show... let me see...Check.

    The comics ranged from really good, to really new. The crowd, almost all comics, were attentive, responsive, and holy shit, did I mention they actually would stay and watch... after their set? A community that supports each other... What a novel idea. I hope no one reads this review. Wouldnt mind keeping this place to only the people who know about it. If you're new, or just want a nice place to perform your polished 7 minutes before Letterman, give this place a look.

    Pineapples... Amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Performed at the open mic just tonight!

    Run by some great guys and the venue is small, but offers a nice cafe environment and some great food.

    I cannot recommend it highly enough for those just starting out, but more seasoned or experienced comics might be wanting a little bit more in the audience department.

    The comics that came out did support each other to some extent, but it's really the guys that run the show that make you feel welcome. (A few comics bailed after their sets, so expect that.)

    Bottom line: Free parking, good food, great hosts, and a great reason to come out and support live comedy/performance!

    ReplyDelete
  5. 4/4 stars. The hosts are great, the comics are funny, the audience laughs and there's an air of goodwill about the whole thing. If you're shopping for somewhere to perform for the first time, it's here.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This show proves that the host single-handedly sets the tone of a show. Unique is friendly and supportive of everyone and that's how the show is. If you try to mean mug, talk, text, or sleep during someone's set, he will call you out and have you apologizing. It's funny to see the same bitter comics mean mug at other spots but be nice here.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This Open-Mic has a good mix and great energy. The host really knows what he's doing and is welcoming to all performers. It starts late enough to do multiple sets around town. It's a Goodin!! www.darrelevans.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Really with the name? Too soon, guys.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This open mic is run by Chris Gay and Alex Reed and the production crew at www.tsunamedy.com. They are the nicest, most positive guys and that translates into their show. They warm up the audience with turning cell phones and laptops OFF. If they catch you texting you will get on but not be invited back. I really LIKE that rule. They clearly love hosting the show for comics, musicians, and poets and their positivity gives the show a continuous supportive energy until the end of the night. You can sign up when you get there, but to get on the list in advance you have to shoot them an email at USLopenmic@gmail.com before 7pm the day of the show. This is one of my top 3 favorite open mics. They pack them in and its a fun show to be a part of. - Brett Gilbert

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi.
    I'm interested in doing some comedy there. What's the rule on profanity? Is everything fair game or should I clean up my material before heading there? Thank you to anyone that takes their time to reply!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great open mic. did it last night. I feel like I need to sit thru the entire mic and that can get exhausting, but the crowd is big, the hosts are as good as it gets, the mic is great, they giveaway prizes, they dont force a cover, free parking, audience pays attention. It's got all the qualities that someone would want at an open mic. Watching 2 hours of comedy can be difficult though.

    ReplyDelete
  12. very fun night...crowd & other comics are supportive...the food is REALLY REALLY good...i took my vegan friend & she even ate something that she loved...the comics we're good & the hosts we're funny...very good room to try out new jokes...good location...hot chicks.......make sure u email first to get on the list for sure

    ReplyDelete
  13. For any aspiring Comedians in LA...This is where you should be on Sunday night! Chris Gay and Alex Reed have done a great job in providing a relaxed, friendly, and open atmosphere for people trying to break into the Comedic industry. I'm not a Comedian but I do admire the talent that take the risk to put themselves out there! With venues like Tsunamedy...What's your excuse?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Awesome place to rock out your material! Comics aren't bitter & rude talking over sets like some other open mics. Always a good time there.

    ReplyDelete
  15. One of the best open mics in LA. Most of the crowd stays until the end. You actually get a response so you find out what works and what doesn't. No matter what, you feel supported so you're comfortable trying out that new material you're not sure about. And the guys who run it are great. This is the place to be on Sunday nights.

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is my favorite open mic, and I always look forward to it. The hosts are super-supportive, energetic, and they make you feel comfortable, so this creates a communal and friendly atmosphere, which a perfect cap to the weekend. It's a perfect place to work out new material. I like to start working a bit here, then take it to other mics later in the week.

    Alex and Chris fuckin' rock. For reals.

    ReplyDelete
  17. 10 outta 10. Seriously, hosts Chris “Unique” Gay and Alex “LA” Reed are dope as hell. very supportive room. mostly comics but get this - most stay till the end! Great place for trying out new material. Great food. Plenty of street parking. Email the day of to get on the list, make sure its before 2pm though. Chris will send you a confirmation email. great great mic.

    -Fernando

    ReplyDelete
  18. This truly is the best open mic. No exaggerations. No lies. Warm room. Great hosts. Door prizes. You can try your new crap out and don't have to deal with comic cliques and assholes. They force friendly, but it's worth it. Emailing to sign up is the only negative...but, since it costs the low low price of free, that's a fair trade off. Just set your iPhone alarm to remind you to email then come out. You won't be disappointed...it's nothing short of awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This place is a must for anyone serious about going to a good open mic! If you plan on going, email ahead or you might not get a spot. Tsunamedy is the best! Did I mention that they raffle off food at the end? I won an apple last week! Very supportive crowd of comics, regular folks, and the hosts are awesome! Bring your friends and appetites cuz they got great food! They have a burrito or chimichanga thing thats as big as a dinner plate and FREAKIN delicious!!!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Just did an open mic there. It was a "dead" night so people had a lot working against them. Like a comedian told me "Best way to test out your material is with a dead crowd". A few high points but overall friendly atmosphere, comics were supportive, and you get tipped in fruit...literally.

    ReplyDelete
  21. i love this mic. the guys who run it put so much energy and work into it, and the room is always warm and attentive.
    -jake w.

    ReplyDelete
  22. This is the crappiest, hackiest open mic in all of LA. They give you MAYBE three minutes, the few people in the audience are too busy texting to listen, and they make you buy something and the food is garbage and way overpriced. Fuck this open mic.

    Just kidding, this open mic is about as good as it gets. The guys who run it run the room right. It's probably the most supportive open mic you can find. Everyone's there to have a good time and laugh without any of that weird bitterness you might find at other places. And what other open mic are you going to do on a Sunday night at 9?

    ReplyDelete
  23. I went for the first time this past Sunday. It's a great open mic. The audience,though mostly comics was very attentive and stayed long after their sets. The hosts "Unique" and "LA" are full of energy and kept the crowd up.I will definitely be back.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This place nails it. Plenty of other mics have a system like this: the room has a big pillar in the middle, the bartender in the back hates the shows and gets in loud conversations, a host slogs through his slowest material and will bump you for anyone who's been on a podcast, comics walk out en masse during newcomers' sets and smoke at the door. Not here. Unique runs a tight list, LA is a crazy supportive hypeman, and there is a higher ratio of enthusiastic, welcoming comics to bitter also-rans than any other mic in town. To cap it off, it's FREE, they give away fruit, and most people stay to the end.

    One thing that needs to be corrected is the email-ahead time. The place has since gotten popular enough that if you email on the afternoon of the show you probably won't make it up unless you show up early and make it on the waitlist. They start accepting emails at 12AM Thursday before the show, and people go up in the order they email. If you want to go up early, be sure you get to them (uslopenmic@gmail.com) on Thursday.

    ReplyDelete
  25. It says it's for "musicians, poets and comedians" --seems like most of the posts are from comedians--is this more of the scene or are there musicians too?

    ReplyDelete
  26. To answer November 11, it's mostly comedians. Echoing the comments above, this is one of the most positive open-mic vibes around. No intimidation, no cliques, I haven't personally witnessed any list bumping either. Is such a supportive place what you always need as a comic? No. Is it a great room to do when you've been depressed for weeks and the last thing you want to do is deliver heart-felt material to a room full of cynics? Truly.

    ReplyDelete
  27. This is a very positive mic. Super fun. The hosts are nice. It's popular now, so be sure to send your email before Sunday or you might not be able to secure a spot. The only downside about this mic is that the hosts have said numerous times that they encourage everyone to "elevate" their laughs in order to keep the energy up. This is the worst thing you can do in comedy. I love mics with positive energy, but there is a difference between positive energy and forcing laughter. It doesn't help any comic to get fake laughs. Most comics who go here don't fake laugh, but some do and one of the hosts Alex definitely does. This is not needed to keep the energy high. A positive atmosphere, which the hosts are able to create with out "elevated" laughs, is sufficient.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love coming here. The hosts have created a really positive atmosphere without indimidation or list bumping. People stay till the end here, and there's a reason. It's cause these guys have created an amazing space to work.
    -Dee

    ReplyDelete
  29. Great experience- emailed the host the day of the show and got a reply and stage time! highly recommend!

    ReplyDelete
  30. This is my favorite open mic! It's well-organized, and the crowd is friendly. They give prizes at the end, so there's a decent-sized crowd if you're near the end of the list.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great space for comics and artists alike to get some great stage time. Great warm receptive room who are very supportive and kind. It baffles me that this place exist. I encourage all artists to check this place out. You will not be disappointed! I love the host and the producer Chris Gay! He's awesome and he is talented!!! Please support the cafe too! The room wouldn't be available without the allowance of their space, buy a drink for like $5 it's worth it. Food is great too!!! Come come come!!!!
    xoxoxoxo
    Bobo:)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Did this room for the first time last night - a very good experience - I like to get out of the "two-drink minimum" club open mics just for variety, and this place is definitely different. Supportive and positive environment, a good range of talent. I might not recommend it for total newbies to stand-up, but it is a great room to work on material, and the comics actually stay after their sets to watch everyone else work!

    ReplyDelete
  33. First time here at this Echo Park open mic... and I heartily recommend it. The producers have created a really positive atmosphere for a comedy open mic. Amazing that you can say that in the same sentence!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Absolutely great room. Attentive, supportive comics -- many of whom stay until the end, so even if you get a late spot in the lineup, you'll still have an audience.

    Great place for working out new bits, but even better for working the room. Audience is a rare combination of respectful and responsive. This is the place to go if you want practice engaging with your audience. It's kind of hard NOT to engage with this crowd. :)

    It's all due to the fun vibe maintained by ringmasters Chris and Alex. They establish it from the start and then spend just about every second in their chairs watching the comics. And get this: Last night was my first night, and Chris slotted me #7 without ever having met me. I simply emailed him asking for a slot. If only all open mics were like this.

    And at risk of sounding like an infomercial,... BUT WAIT -- THERE'S MORE!

    The posts above are true: You can TOTALLY win a pineapple at the end of the night! Or a coconut! Or whatever else ends up in the raffle! As Chris said, "Who says comedy doesn't pay?"

    ReplyDelete
  35. I got there fifteen minutes late, and was chastised for being late by Unique. I asked him if I was going to keep my spot or go up near the end, but he seemed intent upon proving to me that he emailed me about the time I had to be there. Which was true, I wasn’t arguing that. I simply wanted to know if I was going to keep my spot or have to go on at the end. He then told me I’m not going to get on at all because he felt like I was giving him “attitude”. I felt I was treated very rudely. I don’t agree with they way they run the mic, but that’s beside the point. There is no need to treat people poorly just because they arrive late. Tsunamedy is not the only open mic in the city. Unique and L.A. also spend fifteen minutes at the beginning explaining how their open mic works which includes encouraging the audience to laugh at things even if they aren’t funny. They see this as supportive behavior. I heard many of the comedians waiting to go on complaining that the hosts take themselves too seriously and treated everyone like they were in school. Also, one of my friends stopped coming because Unique and L.A. treated her poorly after the mic by talking down to her and insulting her. I won’t be coming back to this mic. Tribal CafĂ© has an open mic every night many of which are run much better than Tsunamedy.

    ReplyDelete
  36. The review above was written by Jonathan Rowell.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Chris Gay (Unique)and I are going through some tough times right now. We've been dating for about a year now, but have been on a break for a few weeks. He's been acting so spiteful towards me lately. But I know how much I really mean to him. And he knows deep down that he's still my precious little bottom boy. I want my pookie back!

    Jonathan Rowell (Chris Gay's Boyfriend)

    ReplyDelete
  38. I went to Tribal Cafe after it was recommended to me by Joe Dungan and he was spot on as far as his description of the room was concerned. I got lost due to some crazy directions courtesy of Mapquest and pulled over to call them to say that I would not be able to make it on time only to discover that I was on the street they are located on - go figure. I got there and they were helpful with directing me to a safe place to park. The hosts do a great job of warming up the audience and establishing the rules ... of which they aren't many and they are all common sense rules. Don't jabber away while someone is performing, don't use your cell phone, computer or IPad while another act is on stage and make certain you get tested to see if you have contracted an STD. I'm sorry - that last rule is what you are supposed to do if you have sex with Madonna . The host and the room have great energy, which is essential when you are mostly playing for other performers and after attending an Open Mic that was a disaster and a waste of gasoline (aka Dangerfields 3 ) this was a pleasure to attend. They had a raffle at the end (its free - you write your name on a slip of paper) and they gave away a pineapple, a coconut, some gummy candy and a collectible Simpsons plate that retails for $20.oo

    ReplyDelete
  39. I posted here 3 weeks ago but my post seems to have disappeared. The host, Unique, is very warm and welcoming and the crowd of mostly other comics is unusually supportive. Funky and fun place, I even had a good quesadilla. This is an excellent place to try out new material. Thumbs up.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Intimate room where all the comics are really supportive. The host is warm, welcoming & encourages crowd support and a lively atmosphere. Had a great time, will be back and I encourage other people to check it out if they haven't already.

    - Kris

    ReplyDelete
  41. I believe the host are no longer doing this open mic. . but comics still show up.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Unique and LA aren't running the room anymore. New mc is nice guy, but room is not as good any more.

    ReplyDelete