Going to an open mic night in Sacramento is a great way to listen to up and coming talent or to practice your own skills. Fortunately, there are plenty of bars and restaurants that host open mic nights where you can participate or just watch. Here are four of the best open mic nights to check out around town. Nearly all of them allow you to participate, even if you don’t signup with them in advance.
The Fox and Goose
The Fox and Goose is located at 1001 R St. Each Monday night from 8 to 11 p.m. you can participate in an open mic night that focuses mostly on acoustic, bluegrass, folk, and Indie music. Signups take place only 30 minutes before a show, so you are able to make a last minute decision that you want to perform. The venue is only for those 21 years old and up so make plans to leave the kids at home with a babysitter.
Streets Pub & Grub
In addition to offering delicious pub food, Streets Pub & Grub hosts a lively open mic night the first Wednesday of each month from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. at its location at 1804 J St. It is another adult-only open mic event, though all genres of music are allowed. Signups take place at 9 p.m. the night of the event. The venue is not drum-friendly, so do not plan to bring any with you for your performance.
Old Ironsides
Old Ironsides is perhaps one of the best known places for open mic nights, which it hosts each Wednesday night from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. You can sign up to participate in the event at 8:30 p.m. If there is time and nobody signed up, the host will call out to see if anyone else wants to participate. Unlike some of the other open mic nights, the open mic night at Old Ironsides is drum-friendly, though kids are still not allowed to attend. Old Ironsides is located at 1901 10th St.
Torch Club Blues Jam
The Torch Club Blues Jam takes places at the Torch Club at 904 15th St. every Sunday from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. Kids are allowed to attend the event and this open mic night is drum friendly. Advanced signup is available, but you would need to contact the Torch Club to let them know that you are interested in participating. The Torch Club has live music six days a week. Performing at one of its open mic nights could serve as your audition to a paid music gig. Most of the artists that perform at the Torch Club play the blues.
Open mic nights are fun to watch and to participate in. Most of the venues on this list serve alcohol so you can get comfortable before it is your time to perform. You never know who you’ll meet or what opportunities will arise from going to an open mic night.
Image via Flickr by eschipul licensed via CC Y 2.0
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