A popular open mic night in Del Ray is celebrating its third anniversary next Wednesday (Sept. 17).
Greg Roth and Gabe Fry started the What-Have-You open mic at Evening Star Cafe (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue) in September 2022, and since then — with the exception of January — have hosted the event from 8:30 to 11 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Next Wednesday’s event has a numbers, acronyms, and abbreviations theme, with musicians asked to perform hits from bands like R.E.M., AC/DC, INXS, and the B-52s, among others.
“I think one of the reasons it’s been successful is that a lot of people will show up are musicians, and they’ll be like, ‘Man, I don’t need to play tonight,'” Roth said. “They just wanted to hang out with other musicians. It’s like an industry night for musicians.”
Roth and Fry provide a full backline setup with drums, a keyboard, bass amplifiers, and guitars. The event usually fills the room with upward of 50 people, Roth said.
Roth, the bandleader of Czars of Leisure, is a professional speechwriter, and said that the open mic night has re-sparked his creativity. He’s currently wrapping up a new album with 10 new songs.
“It’s been like turning a faucet back on,” Roth said. “I credit the open mic with getting me back into songwriting, back into even liking music.”
Signups for the open mic happen at the venue, and are called in no particular order, Roth said. He also said that comedians and poets can perform onstage. The limit per performer or band is two songs — about 10 minutes.
“We don’t go in order of signups, which is sometimes a little confusing to people,” Roth said. “But part of my job as emcee is to put together a little bit of a show flow so we don’t have like eight solo people in a row and then all the bands at the end. I try to mix it up a little bit.”
