An open mic night provides the opportunity for an amateur musician to play in front of a live audience, a singer-songwriter to showcase new tunes or an aspiring comic to try out new material. It’s also a place for anyone to go and listen to up-and-coming local talent for free.
Several venues in the greater Petaluma area offer regularly scheduled open mic nights - some weekly and others once a month.
RED BRICK
One of the newest of these events started last November at Red Brick, a downtown gastropub next to the Petaluma River. It is hosted every Monday night by Robert Joseph and his wife, Sonya.
“It’s a great place for performers to come and cut their teeth,” said Joseph, a musician who often accompanies performers on harmonica. “We get a diverse range of musical types.”
He said that 90 percent of the performers are musicians, ranging from solo and duos to full-fledged bands. The other 10 percent are mostly poets, comedians or storytellers.
Every week, there is a featured act that performs for 30 minutes. Everyone else who signs up gets 10 minutes on stage.
He encourages young people to come and perform.
“We recently had a 15-year-old high school girl sing and play the ukulele,” he says. “If you can get children to focus on something artistic, they are less inclined to get involved in drugs and gangs.”
Joseph’s wife, Sonya, handles the signups and the sound board, and also records all of the performers.
Joseph posts videos of the entire set of six-to-eight songs by the featured artist on his Red Brick open mic Facebook page (www.facebook.com/rojoandsojosopenmic). He also produces an audio CD of the featured performer.
“That’s my way of compensating them,” he said. “I don’t think any musician should play for more than 15 minutes without some kind of pay.”
He also posts videos of all of the other performers on his Facebook page.
A graduate of Stanford University with a degree in neuroscience, Joseph has studied the circadian rhythms of the human body. His company, MediMuse, develops products that translate an individual’s internal states into soundscapes. He creates music to help calm a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, help a baby sleep or relieve post-traumatic stress anxiety in a military veteran.
“I believe in the magic and medicine of music,” he says.
At the end of each open mic night, Joseph and his wife award one of the performers a $25 gift certificate from Silly Strings, a local music store.
“The best act does not necessarily win,” he allows. “We have a different reason for someone receiving it. One night we gave it to someone who sang an AC/DC song while playing the ukulele. Another time we awarded someone who sang a song that made my wife cry.”
UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
One of the longest-running open mics in town is held the second Sunday of every month in the social hall of the United Methodist Church. Petaluma Live! started in 2009, according to host Bob Johns.
Johns is an accomplished piano and horn player who performs with several groups. He usually starts the evenings by playing a few songs with regulars like Steve Della Maggiora on guitar, Al Sinerco on drums and Gardner Bride on trumpet.
“The fun part is adapting to other people’s styles,” he said. “One of our regulars is Wendy Zeigler, who uses her voice and flute in an expanded and masterful way.”
John says some people are a little shy to get up and perform, but he strives to make it a safe and supportive place for people to try something.
Another regular is octogenarian Aldo Garibaldi, a piano player with a unique style that Johns calls “Chopin on acid.” Steve Gilford combines storytelling with an Irish ballad or old-time song, accompanying himself on autoharp.
Occasionally, singer-bassist Dorian Bartley and saxophone player David Sydney Scott will stop by. They are members of the Dorian Mode, a local group of which Johns is also a member, playing vintage jazz and rhythm and blues songs.
Johns says that participants tend to be networking musicians, not necessarily church people.
“We’re a little bit under the radar,” he admits. “Mostly, we’re playing for a bunch of people who appreciate the music because they do it too. Even though it’s at a church, we’re not singing hymns or trying to convert anybody. It’s humanistic. I consider it a service to the community. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
TOMALES TOWN
HALL
Another new open mic is held the second Thursday of every month at the Tomales Town Hall. The recently refurbished hall, built in 1874, is one of the oldest continually used community buildings in California. The renovation included the installation of a new sound system.
“The acoustics are really good,” says host David Franklin, a Two Rock resident and songwriter who plays in a band called the Hillwilliams. The monthly event draws up to 30 people, performers and listeners. Local residents will often bring takeout food and a bottle of wine to consume while sitting at a table and listening.
“Everybody comes to listen,” said Franklin. “It’s not a place where people are drinking and talking. It’s a family setting.” Performers of all levels are encouraged to get up on the three-foot-high stage and entertain. “We’ve had some amazing poetry. People have read from their novels. If you’re a good stand-up comic, you can do that, too.”
Co-host Don Armstrong usually brings his musical trio, and they sometimes back up performers. Participants come from Petaluma, Point Reyes, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa and Vallejo. At the end of the evening, Franklin leads a jam on a popular or well-known song, before everyone heads out into the night.
Ray’s Delicatessen & Tavern and the Roaring Donkey in Petaluma, and Redwood Café in Cotati, also have regularly scheduled open mics. See sidebar for dates, times and locations of open mics currently happening regularly in the area.
(Chris Samson is the former editor of the Argus-Courier. Contact him at chrissamson@yahoo.com.)
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