Gladiators of patience

…open-mike scene are gladiators of patience. They have to be. There are, of course, moments of brilliance; moments where a heretofore unknown songwriter comes up to the mike and sings a song that knocks the audience on its collective ass. But then there’s the other side of the coin: Godawful atrocious ears bleeding horrific covers of Jewel, Dave Matthews or Lynyrd Skynyrd. It’s the kind of nails-on-a-blackboard sound that would make most listeners run for the hills.

But listeners at open mikes don’t run—not ever—and this is one of the most important considerations when viewing the open mikes as a valid and valuable part of the Sacramento music scene. Instead, the audience sits through act after act, giving the people on stage the same courtesy they were afforded moments earlier when (perhaps) they themselves were onstage for their moment of fame.

Traditionally, the open-mike scene has been the st0mping ground of the singer-songwriter. This is the place where, simply by putting his or her name on a list, one can step up onto one of Sacramento’s popular stages. Here, anyone can grace stages like the Blue Lamp (Monday), Fox & Goose (Monday), True Love Coffeehouse (Tuesday), Capitol Garage (Tuesday and Sunday) or Old Ironsides (Wednesday). For many singer-songwriters, it’s a dream come true.

True Love Coffeehouse provides what may be the most popular open mike in town, and in part that can be attributed to the True Love’s built-in audience: the under-21 crowd. There are few venues in town if you are a younger musician—Capitol Garage is the other that comes to mind—and this provides for a packed house when the stage opens. In fact, the True Love has enough would-be performers that it is necessary to use a lottery system to get a slot onstage. Marino DeRienzo, an impressive pop songwriter in the vein of California Oranges, received his first lottery slot in nearly a year when I saw him perform last week. It is almost unfortunate that the True Love open mike is so popular, because DeRienzo is certainly worthy of a second listen.

Old Ironsides’ Wednesday open mike is another standout, in part because it is one of the few open-mike venues in town equipped to feature full rock bands. “I really encourage bands to come out,” local musician and open-mike host Grub Dog says. “Even though you may only get 10 minutes onstage. It’s a good breakup of the night; you get to hear yourself on a stage with a good PA, and you get to do it at Old Ironsides, a place that is generally hard to get into as a band.” Indeed, one doesn’t even have to be a complete band in order to perform: On the night I attended, new rock group Ether Flux performed as an instrumental trio in search of a singer.

Wading through the grab bag of talent (or lack thereof) during the weekday Sacramento open mikes is not an adventure for the weak at heart, but it is certainly an adventure for the open minded. Have a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and get ready for something. It may just be the worst or best music you have ever heard in your life.