Around town
The tables are full by 8 p.m. on Tuesday night at Café Paradiso. People wait in line at the counter to order food and drinks. The air is hot and heavy, but it doesn’t stop the flow of people coming into the cafe.
Here, you can find all varieties of people from all walks of life. Some sit in the back of the cafe or outside to find their own space, but most are here for a reason: Tonight is Open Mic Night.
The applause comes up for the previous performer as he finishes his two-song set. The room focuses now on Jasmine Ash, an up-and-coming musician, as she takes the stage.
This is the first time Ash has played at Café Paradiso, and she seems understandably nervous. She sets up her microphone, adjusts her guitar and begins to play.
Ash has only been playing live since the end of April, but, for the next 10 minutes, Café Paradiso is hers to delight and entertain with her soft, yet soulful and energetic sound.
Ash is just one of many who come to play at Café Paradiso. Open Mic Night, which happens every Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m., is a long-standing tradition that has been a part of the cafe since it opened eight years ago. It has become a popular place for musicians to come together and showcase their talents while getting some practice.
“The purpose of Open Mic Night is to bring the community closer together,” said Daniel Parlish, the organizer for Open Mic Night.
Since 1994, the cafe has been doing just that and has only shut the program down three times in its eight-year history. All three times, the shutdown was short-lived, and the show was brought back by popular demand.
“I think we have a great show,” Café Paradiso owner Greg Fleener said. Since they upgraded the sound system about a year and a half ago, Fleener said, the show has only attracted better and better performers.
Evin Langley is glad to have an opportunity like Open Mic Night to be able to express himself. This is only the second time that Langley has performed at Open Mic Night.
“I came last week not knowing what to expect, but I had I blast,” Langley said. “I play music all the time — at work or school — whenever I can.”
Open Mic Night is not just music. It offers the opportunity for anyone to get up on stage. Poetry and politics are other popular themes.
For Khi, a homeless man for the past 11 years, Open Mic Night is an opportunity to practice his stand-up comedy act, which he has been working on for the past six months. Khi said he hopes that he’ll someday get a lucky break and make it big.
Some performers, like Ash, are already on their way to making it big because of open mic nights. Ash released her first album, “Penelope’s Diary,” last month.
Jeramie Brown is a freelance writer for the Emerald.