There are two types of bands in the music industry: The people who sit at home and say “we’re in a band” just to sound cool, and the bands that go out and try to make it. However, for people in the latter, motivation isn’t always enough.
The journey from the garage to the stage can be tough. Fortunately, Eugene has a number of venues for novice performers.
Open mics provide a place for an unknown artist or group to get some exposure. Cafe Paradiso hosts open mics every Tuesday evening. Jo Federigo’s also has open mics on Monday evenings, and The Buzz opens the stage to the public Friday nights.
Jo Federigo’s offers two other opportunities for new musicians. Wednesday and Thursday’s are jam sessions open to the public. However, Thursday’s jam is strictly jazz. Federigo’s, for jazz musicians, is a wonderful opportunity to get a taste of the stage, booking manager Jerome Seljan said.
“If somebody moves to town and doesn’t have a group, I tell them to come down to a jam,” Seljan said. “It can be a great place to get to know other musicians.”
Seljan uses those open mics as auditions for new talent, and he is always looking for new people to have their own shows.
For musicians outside of the jazz persuasion, the WOW Hall is a venue where they can get a taste of real stardom. Bands that play there sometimes have the opportunity to open for big national acts if they aren’t already touring with an opening band.

One of the other reasons that the WOW Hall is more popular among performers than other venues, booking manager Kristen Rollet said, is that it is open to all ages, unlike some of the other places around town.
But breaking onto the WOW Hall stage requires a certain amount of existing recognition. Rollet needs to be sure that any band that headlines a show will bring at least 200 paying spectators.
Rollet recommends that to build up a fan base, a band should start at places around town such as John Henry’s, Sam Bond’s Garage or Hollywood Taxi.
Once bands feel ready for the WOW Hall, they should send Rollet any promotional materials they have gathered. This includes places they have played, articles that have been written about them, CDs or tapes they have made, etc. After that, there is only one thing left to do:
“Bug me frequently,” Rollet said.
The Courtesy Clerks, a local band, has been on all of these stages and is working on getting to the next level, bass player Mike B. said. The band has played all over Eugene and even in Portland and Corvallis.
Up to this point, the band has relied on word of mouth and networking to get gigs.
“We started out meeting everyone we could in the dorms, then we met lots of local bands at concerts,” Mike B. said.
This networking ultimately formed a bond between the Clerks and another local band, Big Hippie.
“They’re kind of our brother band,” Mike B. said.
To progress the band, The Courtesy Clerks are working on releasing their first CD in a few months. Mike B. hopes to use this to put together a press packet to send to venues outside of the Eugene area in an attempt to gain more exposure.