Performing at Picasso’s

By Bree Williams
Published: September 23, 2015

There are people running around and others sitting at the metal tables at Picasso’s coffee house on Main Street. Live music fills the shop, making the room feel warm. People fill the streets with even more music as they practice their acts outside. As the white board counts down to junior Chloe Smith’s name, she starts to get nervous. Before she knows it, she’s standing in front of the crowd of people enjoying their coffee.

“It’s kind of like you go all week and it’s just kind of school and work, then it’s Thursday and it’s Picasso’s and you always look forward to it because it’s not like anything else that you would do,” Smith said.

Picasso’s open mics are every Thursday night at Picasso’s coffee house. They are hosted by Rick Gray, who says performers from ages of 14 to about 65, “get their feet wet” in a music or performance based career. Acts at open mic include singing something they wrote or playing a cover to their favorite song, although some choose acts like dance or comedy. Some performers do poetry or read out stories they have written.

“Sometimes it’s someone’s first time ever performing and playing their creation, first time in front of anybody,” Ryan Svoboda, an audience member said “When something’s really fresh, when someone finished a song that afternoon and they come and debut it, it’s pretty raw.”

During an open mic, 15 to 20 performers do their performances from 7 p.m. to around midnight. Each group or soloist has 15 minutes to perform. As groups of performers go up in front of the crowd, senior Marissa Meyers describes feeling “an adrenaline rush” while performing.

“Usually, during performances, people will clap along as we perform,” said junior Kristen Pike. “It makes me really happy.”

After the act is done, performers are greeted with applause and high-fives as they walk back to their seat to see their loved one or friends who give them even more praise. The acts continue until the end of the night.

“It’s great when you do something that inspires yourself, ” Gray said. “If you’re excited about it, and you go out and do it in front of people and get a great reaction, it kind of validates what you’re doing.”