Open Mic Night gives new artists a launchpad
“Open Mic Night is an opportunity for someone who hasn’t ever played in front of people before to try it out and see if they like it.” – Erik Woods
The V-Club in Huntington gives musicians the opportunity to show off their skills every Wednesday for Open Mic Night.
The V-Club has been hosting Open Mic Night since it opened.
Don Duncan, booking manger for the V-Club said he sees the importance of keeping Open Mic Nights going for the public.
“The name kind of says it all, it’s open to anyone that performs live music,” Duncan said. “It’s somewhere, where if you’re trying to get your start and get your stage practice in, or just enjoy playing out.”
Duncan said the continuation of Open Mic Night is important for the development of young artists, giving them the opportunity to gain experience playing in front of a live crowd.
“Open Mic Night is great,” Duncan said. “A lot of people come in for the specials of course, but a lot of people come in to play music, see who’s playing, a lot of new talent has come from Open Mic Night.”
Erik Woods from Greenwood, South Carolina, said he has been participating in Open Mic Night for about four years and has been playing music since middle school.
“Open Mic Night is an opportunity for someone who hasn’t ever played in front of people before to try it out and see if they like it,” Woods said. “In a lot of ways it leads to opportunities for serious musicians to develop a following.”
Duncan said Open Mic Night is great for the community. It gives local young artists the opportunity to develop their skills and become the musician that they want to be.
“For sure, it’s important for the community to have anything to do with the arts,” Duncan said. “It’s kind of like a launching pad for people to go and perform elsewhere, and create a larger following in the scene.”
Woods said it gives him the chance to perform his own style and allows the crowd to become familiar with his music.
“Very important,” Woods said. “I get to experiment and try out new songs and play old songs in different ways that I wouldn’t normally if I had a legitimate show.”
The V-Club is located at 741 6th Ave.
Kelsie Lively can be contacted at [email protected].
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