Behold the Wonders of Open Mic Nights

Behold the wonders of open mic nights—scores of musicians all waiting for their chance to be heard, to make an impact, or to just have fun (or to collect free beer). Generally, the term “open mic night” carries with it an amateurish connotation, but in this community, mediocrity is something we lack. We simply do not know the meaning of it. The Red River Valley has talent leaking out its pores. Don’t believe it’s true? Check out any one of the open mic nights in the area and you will find yourself corrected.

On Tuesdays at 10 p.m., you can find open mic nights at the Sidestreet, a bar that can be described as a place for the everyday man, so leave your dress pants and shiny leather shoes at home. Here you will find a friendly staff and many great drink specials. They also have a full menu with sandwiches, burgers, pizza and some of the best fries in town. You can play pool or foosball, and their televisions are always on the sports channels. It is a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere where everyone seems to know each other and newcomers are always welcome.

In charge of Fargo’s longest running open mic venue is Mike Holtz. Mike started hosting in 2004 and loves the variety of people that he sees. “There are a lot of really different people that come out,” Holtz said.

Playing since he was 13 years old, he writes many of his own songs with titles such as “Cheesy Love Song #3” and themes such as leaving a friend with the bar tab. He does a few covers, but takes this as a chance to play his own stuff live in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

“I’m not trying to make anybody dance,” Holtz said. His songs are inspired by real life situations and some of his influences include Darren Wentz, Brookes West, and Josh Hardy. He describes his sound as American, folksy, country, reggae and bluesy.

He is also a member of the band Carmen the Cactus, which got its start at open mic nights years ago. They hold shows at different venues and are available to play for many different events. They played this past weekend at the fund-raiser for Officer Dewey.

He is very loyal to the Sidestreet and won’t be found at any other open mic. “This room is really open minded,” Holtz said. “It’s like family.”

Cody Conner

The place to be on Thursday nights would have to be Dempsey’s Public House. With its authentic Irish décor, you feel like you just might be in an actual Irish pub and not Fargo, North Dakota. The erotic art lining the wall gives it a mysterious, underground feeling.

Running Dempsey’s open mic night is Cody Comer. He has been running open mic at Dempsey’s for over a year and has been playing guitar for 14 years. Comer writes all his own music and is inspired by “just living.” Describing his sound as bluesy rock, he says his music is great to listen to while you throw back a couple beers. What does Comer love about performing at Dempsey’s?

“The energy about it, you really connect with people,” Comer said.

What can you expect to see? “A lot of good jammers, a lot of regulars,” Comer said. “Everything from country, to some guy with a CD in the background doing some dancing, to punk, metal, blues, all kinds of stuff.”

Brandon Olson

A newer regular to the open mic scene is Brandon Olson. He’s been doing the open mic circuit for a few months now but has been playing since he was in 8th grade. He writes all his own songs and had his first gig about a month ago at the Silver Dollar in Elizabeth, Minnesota. His first Fargo show will be at the Silver Dollar in West Fargo. Inspired by Neil Young and Bob Dylan and influenced by old rock music, he started playing at open mic nights just for himself and has loved it ever since.

“Music is pretty much my life,” Olsen said. “It’s a spiritual thing for me, and I take it very seriously.”

David Juarez

David Juarez—another a regular on the open mic scene—has only been playing and writing for a little under a year, but with his strong voice and amazing guitar playing, you would never know. He writes all his own songs and was inspired while studying in England. His songs are inspired by personal experiences and “things going on in my life and other peoples’ lives that I know.”

He said his sound has been described as an alternative acoustic sound. Every now and then he can be seen at the Sidestreet and very rarely the Silver Dollar.

“I’m very committed to Dempsey’s. I love Dempsey’s,” Juarez said.

He likes Dempsey’s atmosphere and the fact that people are enjoying themselves and having a good time and not paying too much attention to him, giving him a comfortable place to perform his music.

Inside Out Strings

You can find the Inside Out Strings at both Dempsey’s and the Sidestreet. The band includes Ross Cameron on upright bass, Nathan Pitcher on guitar, and Steve Burket on the mandolin, with vocals done mostly by Pitcher and Burket. They write many of their own songs but also do covers from some of their favorite bands, like the Beatles and 357 String Band.

“We have a lot of originals that we like to play our shows with, but we like to put on our covers just to show and let people know where we are coming from—some crowd pleasers,” Pitcher said.

They are inspired by the music they listen to and from studying music in school—all three members studied music at MSUM. Pitcher and Cameron have been playing together for about two and a half years, and Burket has been with them for a year and a half. The band was formed when Burket came across Pitcher and Cameron jamming out and decided to jump in.

“I randomly joined up and just started jamming with them and they’re like, hey you want to join with us?” Burket said. “We would just go over to Ross’s apartment, and we would write music, play music, and drink beer.”

After they felt they had become good enough, they started looking for places to play, which they say went hand in hand with the open mic nights in downtown Fargo. Their first open mic night was at the Red Raven espresso parlor. “It always happens randomly. It will be like, oh, it’s Thursday night, it’s open mic night, let’s play some songs,” Burket said.

They feel there are many benefits to performing, like “connecting with people and expressing yourself…it’s a rush to expose yourself,” Burket said.

“And you get to know a lot of people,” Pitcher adds.

They describe themselves as a bluegrass set up that likes to play a combination of jazz, bluegrass, folk music, and “whatever we are feeling at the moment,” Burket said. “Like right now we are working on a Hungarian dance tune that’s in a really crazy meter.”

The group has an album release coming up on April 8 at MSUM with a show April 11 at the American Legion. You can get a hold of their CD at either location.

Amanda Standalone

Last, but not least, is open mic veteran Amanda Standalone. She writes all her own songs and started writing them when she was 16. What makes her stand out is her wide variety of instrumental abilities. She not only plays the guitar, but also the violin, washtub, and much more.

“I have a bunch of weird stuff; I kind of have an aptitude for strings,” Standalone said.

She has a beautiful sound mixed with a refreshing style that never fails to catch your attention. Traveling and real experiences influence her songs, bringing them a “storytelling, sitting around a campfire kind of style,” Standalone said. 

She plays the open mic circuit alone but also belongs to a group called Amanda Standalone and the Pastry Shop Girls. The origin of the name is actually quite simple: all the girls work in pastry shops of some sort. She says that open mic nights are a great way to try out new material and to prepare for shows while exposing people to what you do. “I like sharing stories and connecting with people,” Standalone said.

She feels it is important to build your confidence and get your artwork out there. Dempsey’s is her main hang out because she loves the people that are there and says that you see much more original work at Dempsey’s. Also, Cody Comer’s ability to run open mic night is a big plus.

“Cody does a really good job with what he does here,” Standalone said.

Catch the Hub’s open mic night Sundays at 10 p.m.

Open mic night at the Red Raven

One inescapable fact about our open mic scene is that the vast majority of it takes place in bars. While this often means a couple free drinks for the participants, it also means less opportunities for underagers to perform or hear live music. There is one haven for such open mic wanderers, however…

Open mic nights have been practiced in the Red Raven Espresso Parlor for over six months now. Every Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. various musicians, poets and comedians get their chance to be heard on the Red Raven’s stage.

Matt Johnson

Open mic nights are free and open for both musicians and the public. No wonder that every Wednesday night, the garage-style decorated espresso parlor becomes busy and packed. Some artists who come to play weekly have become veterans of the place. One such old hand is Matt Johnson. He has been performing in the Red Raven for years.

“This place is perfect for my acoustic playing,” said Johnson, explaining his preference.

He composes music and lyrics for his songs, identifying his style as “very blues oriented.” Johnson’s music seems very improvisational; his strong voice mesmerizes the crowd around him and entices people to stare at his excellent performance. His grandfather is a country musician, and he influenced Johnson’s style of playing.

“I like any singer who sings with emotion,” Johnson said, and he definitely sticks to this rule in his personal music career.

Brendon Ladd

Another artist who drops into play at the Red Raven almost every week is Brendon Ladd. He plays the electric guitar in the style of heavy metal.

“I love the atmosphere here; it is a fun place to play,” Ladd said.

He does not have a band at the moment, but he has already come up with a name for it. Ladd believes that “Boob Skank” precisely describes the original, punk, “System of a Down kind of” sound he wants to create. Ladd thinks that Red Raven is the starting point for his development as a musician.

Andrew Nord

Andrew Nord shares the same idea as Ladd. Nord plays in the espresso parlor quite often. His mellow acoustic style produces a romantic atmosphere and contrasts with the heavy metal performed a couple minutes ago.

“I come here for local shows, so why not to play myself?” Nord said.

He prefers to play by ear, creating the tunes right at the stage so that it sounds unique and fresh. Earlier he played in a “hard core” band, but he prefers solo work. Performing alone, Nord can play the music that he enjoys the most.

John Bondy

Being a part of a band is not a priority for the intelligent-looking John Bondy. He hesitates for a few seconds when trying to classify the genre of his music. Finally, he defines it as “more of a blues music which sounds like rock.”

Bondy composes songs for the guitar. One of his favorite songs is “Cigarette Side Show.”

“It reminds me of my college years when I spent a lot of time at the smoker’s corner and played music every night,” Bondy said.

He admires Bob Dylan’s personality and finds some similarities in their origins. Both artists are from Minnesota. However, Bondy’s biggest influence is G Love, who plays funky pop, Bondy’s favorite style. Bondy works as an insurance agent, but he always finds time to come to the Red Raven, where he can enjoy playing and relax.

The Red Raven welcomes all kinds of music genres. It is open for both beginners and professionals because here age and experience does not matter. Musicians have a chance to perform, practice, meet people and relax.

“It is a place for exposure in Fargo,” said Siobhan Fevig, the host of the open mic nights. “We provide a mucical atmosphere with no pressure at all.”