Last year, the News spoke to musician Mary Beth Abella about the Open Mic Night that she started during the pandemic with fellow musician Omar Mohsin. 18 months later and the night is still a going concern – it’s thriving in fact – and Abella provided us with an update…
When and how did this open mic start?
It was a long and brutal time during the pandemic for most musicians. Many of us, including myself and my co-host, Omar Mohsin, were used to playing at least monthly. I really missed the community that’s created with live shows. There’s nothing like the togetherness the audience feels when you’re listening to a live show and the connection that you feel with the audience as a performer. As music is a great healer and connector, the idea was to create a platform for artists of all levels, musical styles, and backgrounds to come together and share our voices again. Music open mics are great places to do this.
There used to be a few notable and popular open mics on the Westside that ended with COVID. We’ve always enjoyed open mics, even though we’ve been performing for years. They’re really not just for beginners, though beginners are very welcome. It’s been a wonderful way to connect to different players (even find bandmates) and just keep your chops up in between shows. We saw an opportunity to create a music open mic at the Cinema Bar, our favorite local bar and venue, where both of us have performed quite a bit as well as spent a lot of time there listening to other bands. There is already a very welcoming community among a lot of artists who perform there, and the CInema Bar is very supportive of local artists. We wanted to take advantage of that, expand the community, and have fun at the same time. Hence, the Open Mic Revival was born on June 1, 2022.
Are you a musician yourself?
Yes, I’m a singer songwriter, with three albums out, and have been performing for years in different towns across the US. I’ve won songwriting awards (was a recipient of the Lionel Richie Songwriting Scholarship at UCLA Extension, was a finalist for the national Song of the Year Award, was named Top 10 artists of Denver before I moved to LA, etc) and have had my music used in TV and Film. I’ve also run many showcases, booked bands at different venues, and founded Colorado Women in Music in Denver. The goal I had then was to create and support women artists and I want to continue to do that and help up and coming artists of all backgrounds. I’m big on community and encouraging people in their musical goals, in particular people who aren’t regularly given an opportunity to perform or given a chance to be heard.
What sort of music does the evening generally offer?
There’s been a great variety of musical styles. Every night is different, depending on who shows up to play. We’ve had pop punk, alt country, Mexican folk songs, Hawaiian-style ukulele playing, hip hop, neo soul, blues, folk, singer songwriter—lots of variety. There are many talented artists of all generations and levels of experience from beginner to quite seasoned artists. I think that’s pretty consistent in large cities where you have a lot of incredibly talented people moving here to get started in the music industry. You never know what you’re going to hear. I remember members of Coldplay showing up at an open mic a friend was running in Denver, for example. We usually also have a featured artist, who is more established, come do a longer set at the Open Mic Revival. We also have people who just come to listen and get to hear some pretty amazing undiscovered artists that show up and blow us all away. Regardless of how “good” people are, the audience is really fantastic and positive. We laugh, we drink, we clap during songs, we sing along. It’s been a blast so far. The Cinema Bar has provided us with a great platform for this local community event.
What is the standard? Are beginners welcome?
Everyone is welcome. I want to especially encourage women and young people (21+) of all musical styles and levels to come play, who tend to be more unwilling to put themselves out there. The reason we are doing an open mic and not a jam session with all the talented artists we know, is that young women and less established players are less likely to join in on these sessions. The music industry in general is quite intimidating. Everyone involved in the Open Mic Revival is welcoming and open to everyone, regardless of generation, gender, or background, of all styles and levels. This is probably the most supportive audience you could possibly find and you’ll find artists of all kinds who represent the great diversity of this city.
How has the open mic changed, if at all, over the past year?
We’ve really enjoyed and are proud of the community that has grown out of the Open Mic Revival over the last year. We’ve seen artists come out regularly who have really blossomed. There are artists who come consistently every week whom we’ve seen grow quite a bit in their performance. People just get better and better as a result of practicing in front of an audience like that every week. We’ve also hosted artists at the open mic who have never played before or hardly played live in Los Angeles who as a result of playing consistently at the Open Mic Revival are now doing their own shows at other Los Angeles venues. Artists are networking with each other, booking and sharing shows together and supporting each other in beautiful ways. We’ve also discovered and promoted some up and coming talent. We’ve recommended people for showcases and to other friends who are booking shows, and have showcased artists on our own through our Cinema Spotlight show, which features artists exclusively from the Open Mic Revival. It’s quite amazing what has come out of this little open mic in Culver City.
A huge part of the community vibe has been created by my co-host Omar Mohsin, who has provided sound for every single artist coming through there. He works hard to make everyone sound their best and is also incredibly patient and supportive of everyone. It can be quite nerve-wracking to jump onto stage and bang out a couple of songs in an open mic. You hardly get a sound check, you feel rushed and nervous. Omar creates an atmosphere where artists feel like they’re taken care of and don’t have to worry about their sound, too. He and I will also perform to break the ice and when he performs on his own at the mic, he livens it up with catchy songs and gets people clapping and having fun. I feel like I’m mom and he’s dad—I try to bring warmth and support, and he brings the concrete, ‘let’s fix this and get things going’ kind of action.
What do you have planned for the evening for the rest of 2023 going into next year?
You never know what’s going to happen at the Open Mic Revival! We’ve had lots of BBQs and events and have featured artists and invited guest hosts and we’ll continue into the new year bringing fun and community and talent to the Open Mic Revival at the Cinema Bar. We will continue to find ways to keep it lively by inviting more guest hosts and more talent and food! Having events with food has also been a fun thing we’ve been doing. We have a lot of fun at the Mic and we want to keep bringing that!
The Singer/Songwriter Open Mic Night takes place at 8 p.m. every Wednesday at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information, and follow the Open Mic on Instagram @openmic_revival.
Elsewhere this week
The Culver Hotel will be hosting the likes of Sylvia & the Rhythm Boys, and Scotty Bramer. Go to culverhotel.com for more info.
Boulevard Music hosts Tony Furtado and Stephanie Schneiderman at 8 p.m. on Saturday, October 14. Visit boulevardmusic.com for more info.