How to Play the Open Mic Circuit in New York City

So you've been practicing in your bedroom for months and you feel like you're finally ready to perform a solo acoustic set. Where do you start? Many bars, coffeehouses and cafes host "open mic nights" where anybody who shows up is welcome to perform. An open mic night is a great opportunity for amateurs to get experience performing in front of a (sometimes) captive audience and for more experienced performers to test out new material. If you live in New York City it is possible to attend an open mic night almost every night of the week, which not only will give you more experience performing but will also give you more opportunities to land a real, paying gig.
Although many open mic nights in New York welcome all kinds, and I do mean all kinds, of performers, this article will be geared towards the "classic" open-mic performer: the solo singer with an acoustic guitar.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Acoustic guitar (preferably electric-acoustic)
• Portable tuner with a built-in microphone
• the ability to perform at least 4 different songs (original or cover)
• Extra strings
• Batteries for your tuner
• Picks (optional)
• Metrocard
• Internet connection
• Money for a couple of beverages

1. Find out where the open mics are. Copy and paste the following url intro your browser: http://openmikes.org/calendar/NY. That page should provide you with a calendar of all the big open mics taking place this month not only in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens but also in the rest of New York state.

2. Find the date you're interested in on the calendar. There should be a list of different cities and names of different venues hosting open mic nights in said cities. Click on the name of a venue in a location your interested in playing for the address and details.

3. Check the details and make sure this open mic is right for you. The host of the open mic usually leaves a short blurb in this section describing what their event is all about. If all it says is "open mic at 7 p.m." you can pretty much assume that you and your guitar will be welcome. However sometimes you'll find that it's actually an extended jam on Grateful Dead songs or a gospel singalong, so it doesn't hurt to make sure.

4. Call the venue to make sure that the open mic night is still happening. It's slightly awkward to show up at a bar with an acoustic guitar for no reason.

5. If possible check to see if they have a house instrument you can use. Often times the hosts of these open mic nights perform themselves and you can borrow their guitar. If the songs you play are in standard tuning with no capo this is often the way to go. It sure beats schlepping an acoustic guitar around on the subway.

6. Show up with everything you need at least half an hour before the posted start time, that's often when the sign-up takes place. If the time for the sign-up was posted online it wouldn't hurt to show up a few minutes before that. Otherwise you might wind up waiting three hours or more to go on.

7. Tune your guitar as soon as you arrive. Don't be embarrassed, other people should be doing the same thing. If possible it wouldn't hurt to tune up right before you go on.

8. Have a few drinks, watch the other acts, and enjoy yourself. Performing in front of people is completely different than performing in your bedroom, but the more you do it the easier it will become.

Tips & Warnings

• Most open mics have a limit of around two songs or ten minutes per performer; however some will allow you to perform for longer.
• If you have a demo bring a few copies; you'll never know when someone will ask for one.
• Try to stay for as long as you can; you might see some interesting performers and you might make some friends. Open mic nights are a great place for networking.
• It's a good idea to buy a couple of drinks (if the place is letting you perform for free)
• While it's nice to buy a couple of drinks, it's usually not a great idea to get hammered before performing; your mileage may vary.

Resources

• Open mic locations and scehdules