By Tami Keaveny, Ella Powell, and CM Turner | Photography by Tristan Williams
For songwriters and musicians of all genres, going from the page to the stage can be intimidating. Participating in an open mic night is a natural first step in public performance for a fledgling musician, and for seasoned performers, it’s an opportunity to workshop new material and stay in practice.
Throughout the month of August, C-VILLE writers ventured out to Charlottesville-area open mics to listen and learn. We found talent, ambition, heartache, and hope under bright lights and in the lowest-lit corners of the region’s music rooms. We heard songs about pets, skeletons, Kurt Cobain, King Kong, and space exploration, plus good covers, bad covers, things you can’t discuss at the dinner table (politics, God, and blue balls), and many, many tropes guided by the muse of love lost and found.
If you are flirting with the idea of getting out there, or care to know what’s on the minds of your neighbors, the age-old tradition of song-sharing offers an IRL human connection that we could all use more of.
Compare tats and buy a round
Holly’s Diner
Every Wednesday, 9pm
Hosted by Nicole Giordano
facebook.com/hollysdinercville
How to: Sign-up is free and open to all. Performers are limited to two songs, but several played more. Show up early if you wanna get out before the midnight end time.
Vibe: Cozy dive bar with an eccentric energy, dimly lit with neon signs and regular customers rumbling with chatter from start to finish.
Eats: Southern fare made in-house and cooked with love. Full bar offerings. The fried green tomatoes are a classic, and you can’t miss with $4 PBR all day, every day.
Holly’s is a charming diner with personal photos embellishing the space, red booths lining the walls, and ketchup bottles manning the tables. Tight-knit regulars welcomed newcomers as the audience grew to around 40 folks, a supportive group of mostly musicians and their friends pumping each other up. Heads turned to the stage as host Nicole Giordano’s bluesy vocals and acoustic guitar filled the room with an inviting Southern twang.
While most of the acts relied on the trusty acoustic guitar, we saw a range of performances like Brady’s slower, intimate melancholic tune and Rodney’s tribute to ’90s grunge icons, Nirvana.
Sid Blake played an original “Psychic Manifesto” with smiley energy, declaring, “These are my friends!” and Luke applied his keyboard to some classic covers of Billy Joel and Sir Elton.
Chaz worked out his original track, “Right My Wrongs,” over a prerecorded beat. “Heart beating like a drum / but my soul can’t stop.” After some pauses, and a restart, the crowd urged him along and he championed to the end. Giordano shouted in support: “It’s open mic, you can do whatever the eff you want!”
Andrew, who returned to Holly’s after an absence noted by the host, performed with deep voice and strong instrumentation. The other musicians in the room showed approval with heavy applause.
A few folks shifted around their slots for Holly’s first-timer Anya Movius. A polished performer with clear, strong vocals, evocative lyrics, and solid songwriting, she paid homage to her hometown of Charlottesville with a sweet original that captured the essence of the city and the attention of the audience.
Cured hams and slow jams
The Batesville Market
Second Thursday of each month, 7pm
Hosted by Jordan Redifer and Mark Douglas
batesvillemarket.com
How to: List opens around 6:30pm in the market. Two songs each, depending on the number of sign-ups.
Vibe: Country store complete with artisan crafts and rocking chairs. The audience is seated at tables, with plenty of standing room. Cracker Barrel wishes it had this cool authenticity.
Eats: Menu of housemade sandwiches and specials. Beer, wine, and cider on tap and canned. Order the cheesesteak. Chips come with the sandwich!
It was an evening of mostly guitar-playing singer-songwriters, starting with melodic traditionals from Rory, who was accompanied by violin. An eclectic list of cover songs included a Tom Petty hit from Randy, and Watchhouse and Tyler Childers tunes by Ava. Micah Goska wowed with instrumental dexterity before Turtle Zwadlo sat down to pay an acoustic homage to Ozzy Osbourne with a mellowed, passionate cover of “I Want You” from the late bat-biter’s 1995 album Ozzmosis.
Michael McConkey’s strong voice and positivity spread smiles around the room, and Jeff Grosfeld applied his lo-fi ethos to two wry originals, one inspired by the “be all that you can be” Army recruiting campaign of the ’90s, followed by a song of vulnerability cloaked in a canine perspective titled “Fur Coat.”
The mid-August date kept the list small, and some musicians were called up for second and third rounds with the hosts filling airtime between. Douglas says the open-mic format can boost a performer’s confidence. “You come off the stage with butterflies and someone says, ‘That was so great,’ and it’s just the best feeling.”
Ciders and toes on tap
Potter’s Craft Cider
Third Thursday of the month, 7pm
Hosted by Erynn McLeod in partnership with The Front Porch
potterscraftcider.com
How to: Sign up in person beginning at 6:30pm. Slots are numbered 1 through 20 and performers can select a specific spot. One original song per performer, with an “early bird special” extra song for playing first. The list fills up fast.
Vibe: Elevated-rustic tasting room with ample outdoor seating. A raised entryway landing serves as the outdoor stage, and
in cooler weather another stage sits at the far end of an open-concept space filled
with long wooden tables. The audience of returning patrons and performers are active listeners, honoring participants with pin-drop quiet during each song.
Eats: A small menu of cidery/vineyard-type fare including charcuterie and sandwiches, with vegetarian and GF options. No PBR. Take advantage of $15 carafes on Thursdays!
Tables on the lawn filled early, so we tucked ourselves into a spot on the stone patio ringed by boxwood hedges. From there, we had a decent view of the performers and were a reasonable distance from the PA system.
Erynn McLeod introduced herself as the emcee of the evening, announcing her latest EP, Man of the House, released in late June.
The majority of musicians played within the traditional singer-songwriter vein, strumming their acoustic guitars occasionally supported by harmonica (Ar Lewi, Rich Cohen).
Ruby Corbyn-Ross, a talented lyricist, drew inspiration from her mother’s poem, “The Umbilical Thread,” to write a rhythmically sound and interesting song.
Occasionally, the audience stirred due to sheer amusement, like when Ron Ayer sang about “chilling with God,” using his mouth as a trombone so skillfully one could be convinced there was a full-blown brass instrument on stage.
Unfortunately, the passing of a train and the proximity of the tracks to the outdoor stage drowned out a few of the evening’s most promising acts, including Micah Goska’s intricate fingerwork and David LePage’s indie rock original.
On the earthy, relaxing side, harpist Vicky Lee entranced the crowd with her “Ancient Tune.” Chris Andrews brought a strong stage presence with his Americana, which featured a little vocal fry and competent guitar-playing with fun progressions.
Ben Eppard stood out with a song about Jenny, a young artist trying to make it on the Nashville scene: “At times she thinks it’s all a mistake / so she shakes the eightball like she’s strangling it / reply hazy.”
Leandra Simone’s coffeehouse-folk vibe came complete with soft acoustic stylings and a clear, broad range. Grayson—one of the strongest performers of the night—inhabited the stage with a physicality that helped draw the audience in.
It was exciting to see Chaz (pictured above) play the same song we’d heard at Holly’s—his confidence and competence with his material had advanced considerably, and he was rewarded with two rounds of applause at Potter’s.
McLeod squeezed in “Skeleton,” a song from her EP, at the end of the evening, prompting people to record and sway along to the jam.
Greetings from your punk-rock cousin
The Southern Café & Music Hall
Sundays, 5:30pm (followed by karaoke)
Hosted by ASTRSK*
thesoutherncville.com
How to: Sign up online in advance or on paper at the venue. Two songs or 10 minutes per slot, with an extended 25-minute set for the week’s featured artist. All ages welcome.
Vibe: Rock venue bar with a few tables set up toward the back and rows of chairs arranged in front of the floor-level. Performance area is a curtained-off section of the café.
Eats: A full menu featuring solid snacks, pizzas, sandwiches, and a few sweets. A full bar. PBR pounders.
The subterranean scene at the Southern makes for a moody and intimate experience with more of an “anything goes” attitude than other venues on our beat. It’s a scene that supports experimentation and showcases a wide range of styles, from Tim Trotterr’s (aka the Dreadful Local) a cappella excerpt from his upcoming King Kong the Musical, to the gorgeous voice and lovelorn lyrics of Sally Flynn.
Multi-instrumentalist Hunter Bruton, from The Falsies, performed on guitar and keyboard in an extended set featuring space-rock-opera vibes and a vocal range topped by a towering falsetto to back it up.
He’s a polished musician with a sense for the theatrical, pausing to ask the audience if everyone was okay with profanity, then belting a chorus with heartfelt intensity: “At the risk of getting blue balls / I don’t think the time is right. / Are we gonna do this tonight?” The solo member of Dark Matter, Bruton is actively recruiting more members while working on his second album of space-inspired sonic pioneering, boldly going where no Charlottesville rocker has gone before.
Nitrogen Bass, a young punk-rock duo of sisters on guitar and drums, played a fun original about hoping for an alien abduction because everything sucks here, and another about ownership rights for a female skeleton named George (“Who owns these bones?”). Their raw energy and authentic, alternative outlook while playing in the Riot Grrrl sandbox of politics and sound restored some hope in the future.
The open-mic portion of the evening concluded when Lex stepped out from behind the bar and took us on a spiritual ride, guided by her guitar chops and soulful poetry, assuring that the “key is within” and we are never alone.
Do your homework and come to play
The Local
Mondays, 9pm
Hosted by Michael Clem and Brian Franke
facebook.com/thelocalopenmic
How to: One song per performer. The first part of the evening features a
backing band with Brian Franke on guitar, Michael Clem on bass, and drummer Justin Storer before solo performances begin. A weekly prompt is provided, but performers don’t have to stick to it.
Vibe: Cozy, bright Belmont eatery where the dinner crowd sticks around for the show.
Eats: Full bar with craft cocktails. $5 PBR. Dinner ends as the open mic begins.
The Local has a rustic vibe with brick walls and a large window that musicians perform in front of. The restaurant was full upon arrival, but after a short wait we secured a table toward the front edge of the stage.
Here you’ll find more polished performers with stage experience. The professionalism of the backing band adds full sound, keeping the energy high and the crowd engaged even as conversations continue. Host Clem is a pro, playing to the crowd in between acts while keeping performers informed of who’s on deck and who’s in the hole.
The prompt of the week, provided by Paxton Henderson, was “housekeeping.” As with every other venue we visited, this scene has its own distinct community built by its hosts and regulars.
Charlottesville music staple Susan Munson took full command of the room, playing a rootsy, empowered tune that showcased her expressive voice, declaring, “My house is clean.”
The room loosened up when Jim Bingler stepped on stage with his fun honky-tonk number, showing great chemistry with the band and audience. Jim Funk confessed to the crowd that he brought not a love song, but a hate song, singing, “I wish I could’ve written you a love song / I wish I could’ve seen what was coming.”
Henderson, fresh from the Potter’s open mic, cranked out a list of his woes—boss, mom, president, the world, Cobain, and Bourdain—backed by excellent guitar work.
A song that came to him in the middle of the night had Neal Goodloe doing some “Emotional Housekeeping” with the crowd as witness.
David Wade, frontman for the authentic central Virginia bluegrass band David Wade & Black Mountain, played during the solo set, channeling nostalgic Americana through a strong, rich voice.
Jim Richardson sang to his younger self, advising, “Free your mind / leave your broken promises behind.”
Max shared a tune that’s been simmering in his backlog, recounting a struggle to break free from bad habits. His solo guitar-playing was extraordinary, with great depth, catchy melodies, and the additional percussive element of a maraca.
Bring your best to The Local, and don’t be afraid to share that story in your head. Although the community is tight-knit, it’s receptive to the real stuff—your truth.
