TheSixFifty.com article on Bay Area venues:
Open Mic
6-9pm Mondays
Lottery sign-ups 5:45-7:30pm
The Bay Area’s BEST Open Mic! We’ve got a great community of folks that will welcome you as a performer or as an audience member.
Sign-ups will be done by a lottery, so there’s no need to get here early - except to grab a drink or a treat!
4pm - 2nd floor closes to allow Open Mic setup
5:45pm - 2nd floor reopens
5:45-7:30 - Lottery for sign-ups opens
6pm - First performer
7:30pm - Lottery for sign-ups closes
8pm - first floor closes (end of drink service)
9pm - End of Open Mic; second floor closes
Try out your newest song before a supportive audience, meet fellow musicians and performers, or just come and enjoy the show.
Each performer, whether you’re a musician, poet, comedian, or illusionist, gets five minutes.
Please keep it family friendly and respectful to all members of the team and the audience. Also: no politics - let’s keep this an oasis where we can enjoy each other’s company.
We provide a house keyboard (Yamaha S08 electronic keyboard with 88 weighted keys), and cajon drum. We provide 3 vocal microphones, 2 quarter inch cables to plug in instruments, and we also have an instrument microphone if your instrument doesn’t plug in. We can also provide 2 music stands.
If you want to play a playback track on a phone or computer, our sound engineers have auxiliary cables which plug your device into the sound board.
COVID STUFF:
Masks: wear one if you want.
Don’t come if you don’t feel well.
We have hand sanitizer and two room air purifiers.
We encourage you to bring your own mic, but we also have disposable mic covers so you can use our mics.
Only our sound techs will handle equipment, and will disinfect equipment between performers.
We’re keeping things loose for now, but will have to cap our capacity if the room gets full.
We cannot allow attendees to hang out near the restroom/elevator lobby.
FAQs…
How long is each set?
Sets are 5 minutes.
What kind of performances are allowed?
We welcome all forms of performances including music, comedy, poetry, storytelling, etc. A general rule: keep it PG-13 or below. Read the room, try to minimize profanity and vulgarity. Tread lightly with politics.
How do sign ups work?
Sign ups are via a lottery system, and you can enter your name anytime between 5:45pm and 7:30pm. You are allowed to sign up for one time slot only.
Can I call ahead to sign up?
No. All sign ups must be done in person.
Can I bring a drum set?
No. Our stage is not big enough to accommodate a full drum kit. We do provide a cajon drum, and you are free to bring other small percussion instruments.
Are covers allowed?
Yes. We welcome covers and encourage originals.
Is there an age limit for performers?
No. We welcome all ages to participate.
Do you video the performances?
Sorry, we don't (yet) have any official setup for recording performances. If someone would like a recording, it's best that they provide the device before their set, and either connect with the Open Mic Host or a willing audience member - or bring a friend - to film. If someone sees somebody in the crowd recording (as some of them like to do), it's also encouraged for them to just reach out to that person during the evening to see if it's possible to get a copy for themselves. Another great way to make friends ;)
