One of the special things about New Orleans is how inclusive it is, particularly within the music world. The open mic nights (and related phenomena) found in and around the city epitomize that accepting, mutually encouraging camaraderie that’s so prevalent among the city’s musicians. Even if you aren’t a musician, all you really have to do to become part of the gang is start showing up. (And not be a total d*ck, of course.)

The lines get blurry between open mics, blues jams, jazz jams, etc., making a list like this hard to put together or cut off. Kim Cantwell, who hosts the open mic at the Old Point Bar, describes three distinct categories: “an open jam, an actual open mic―whereby when the performer takes the stage alone or with others, they own it for whatever time given―and some that are combinations of the two, usually intended as a tribute to the host…”

Some open mics/jams have a regular host, some have a rotating featured artist that directs the chaos, some have a band that others are then invited to jam with. Some lean more heavily toward one genre or another. Some are strictly music, whereas others include (or center upon) stand-up comedy, performance art, poetry, etc. (For the purposes of space, this list does not include events that are not at least partially musical.)

Each open mic has its own character and builds its own little community. Some of these communities take root at a particular venue and see different hosts over the years, whereas some are more nomadic, with the regulars following the hosts to wherever they might hang their hats that year. The common thread is that some of the best music, friends and community networks around are stumbled upon (and/or into) at these little local institutions.

I talked to a few of the hosts at the places I personally frequent the most—namely, Checkpoint Charlie’s, the Old Arabi Bar, and Buffa’s—about the characters and histories of the open mics they run. As I started hearing about other similar events, I started collecting brief synopses about them too, many of which are included here afterwards. That being said, it’s an expansive, ever-changing collection and the list is by no means complete. (And it’s probably out of date already.) But here are some of the open mics/jams/etcetera in and around New Orleans and what the hosts have to say about them.

Three Keys at the Ace Hotel: SOUNDBYTES

One Thursday/month (9 p.m.- 2 a.m.)

Resident Host: P.J. Morton

Co-Producer/Co-Founder: Giovanni Vargas

“…Monthly jam session hosted by Grammy award winner, PJ Morton. Boasting an atmosphere that welcomes and invites artists and musicians to feel safe and free, SOUNDBYTES has seen many well-known artists and some fresh faces sit in at the jam. Resident vibe setter DJ RQAWAY kicks off the night from 9 p.m. – 10 p.m., closes us out from 1 a.m. – 2 a.m., and shapes the energy for the jam to take place between the hours of 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. [You’ll hear] a wide variety of music, often soul and R&B. I love SOUNDBYTES because I’m always pleasantly surprised by artists/musicians I’ve never seen before. We also curate the night to feature artists/musicians that we endorse. We welcome anyone and everyone—local, visitor, performer, observer, singer, musician, poet. Our house band includes drummer, keys, bass and guitar.” -Giovanni Vargas

New Orleans Jazz Market: THE JAM with CoolNasty

Wednesdays (Doors 9 p.m., show 10 p.m., jam til 1 a.m.)

Host: DC PauL “If you are an aspiring musician, singer, rapper, poet, comedian, etc. this is the event for you! Come perform with CoolNasty, mingle with the local creative community, shop local vendors, and enjoy hand crafted cocktails in a beautiful venue. Arrive early to sign up as the list fills up quickly!” -DC PauL

The Historic Carver Theater: The Corner Collective (Spoken Word and Music)

Thursdays (8 – 11 p.m.)

Hosts: Icon, Gian Smith, DC PauL, and John Lacarbiere III

“Every Thursday, we welcome you to the VIP Lounge of The Historic Carver Theater in the legendary Treme neighborhood—a space furnished with white leather sofas and purple velvet chairs, a full bar (featuring the popular Misbelief cocktail), silent, classic Black films displayed in the background on a flat-screen monitor, and a variety of vendors with original crafts and wares. This weekly open mic poetry showcase features four hosts with four differing styles and creative approaches to conducting a show, thus giving the audience a unique experience every week. The house DJ provides the soundtrack like a neighborhood block party while “Coconut Oil”, our live band, provides the melodic score to set the funk and jazz-laden ambiance.” -DC PauL

Checkpoint Charlie’s: Acoustic Open Mic

Sundays (8 p.m.) / Host: Jim Smith

“We welcome all kinds of music. It tends to run more on the country, honky tonk side of things, because that’s what I like, but every night is different. One night we had this girl from the Belgian circus and she had a ukulele, two flutes, and this bell that she’d tied on top of her head… played them all at once. And of course, it’s Checkpoint’s. So the atmosphere is a bit—how would you describe it? Whiskey-soaked?”

“My main thing is that I’m really picky about sound. I try to make everyone that gets up there sound as good as they can. The most important thing to remember for singer-songwriters is that if you can’t hear the words, it defeats the purpose.”

“I never knew I would be running an open mic so long. Who in their right mind would run one for 5 years, never mind 20? Ha ha. It hasn’t really changed much over the years, in a lot of ways. Sometimes regulars I haven’t seen in ten years show up, and it’s like no time’s gone by at all. And you meet people from everywhere—people from all over the world turn up on that corner. It’s Frenchmen Street. That’s one of my favorite things about hosting this open mic. And that it keeps me writing. And it keeps me humble.”—Jim Smith

Old Arabi Bar (Arabi): Jam Night / Open Mic

Tuesdays (8 p.m. featured artist, 9 p.m. stage opens) / Mastermind: Michael Darby

“It’s not quite an open mic here. It’s a featured artist night, where we have a different artist every week come up and play a set [and act as the host]. I host it sometimes, but I try not to overbook myself. Then around 9 o’clock, we open up the jam. Or open up the stage to anyone else that wants to do their thing. What we play every week depends on who shows up.

“Some friends of me and Irene [Sage] owned this bar years ago. They used to follow Irene & the Mikes, so we used to come over here and jam all the time. And we made money. So everybody decided, ‘Huh, let’s start booking music here.’ I guess it must have been about two years ago when I started up the Tuesdays, and it’s been great. Especially because this is my neighborhood dive. I don’t got too far to stumble, ha ha.

“What’s really cool is that you get to hear all different artists and all different kinds of music. And you get to hear them play different stuff from what you usually hear. A perfect example is when Rose Cangelosi came in to host. She’s usually busy backing up other people on drums, but here we get to hear her originals. And they’re beautiful!

“Now the funny thing is, the bar is getting on the map. Some of the best musicians in town come down here. It’s amazing. It’s a little tiny place. I think people like to get away from New Orleans because downtown’s so hectic now. It’s not the same kind of scene down there it was when I was growing up, at least. When I was playing there it was more local musicians hanging out. Now, you know, everything’s turning into Bourbon Street. Are you still recording me? Okay, I’m gonna talk dirty now.”—Michael Darby

Buffa’s Back Room: World’s Most Open Mic

Wednesdays (6:30 p.m. sign up, 7 p.m. open mic) / Host: Natasha Sanchez

“It’s also the world’s strangest. David Roe started it six years ago and I’ve been hosting for three. The main strength is the incredibly talented and eclectic core of our regulars—musicians, magicians, spoken word artists… They create and sustain the vibe of a strong supportive musical community. Miss Virginia never fails to call me if she can’t make it, ha ha.”

“Some of the regulars have been coming since the beginning, such as Mike Dill and Ruby Ross, and now you can catch them playing all over town. In fact, quite a few faces of the NOLA music scene make regular appearances here—Gina Forsyth, Chip Wilson, Pat Flory, Alex Bosworth, and Daryl Johnson, just to name a few.”

“It’s a place for performers to do what they do in a supportive environment. The Buffa’s clientele is a good mix of locals and tourists. Because the backroom is also a restaurant, people can showcase their talents to a larger audience. And the open mic gives space to out-of-towners looking for a place to play.”—Natasha Sanchez

And the list goes on…..

30/90: New Orleans Super Jam

Mondays (9 p.m.) / Host: Gene Harding

“I started this on Frenchmen Street after Katrina, in 2008. We’ve had bands like the Brass-A-Holics, Barry Stephenson, Glen David Andrews, Shorty used to come down, Kermit, Corey Henry, Monk Boudreaux, Mem Shannon… I probably have about 40 or 50 musicians play every Monday. This isn’t a jazz jam, this isn’t a blues jam; you might hear jazz, blues, funk, reggae, hip-hop, we might do country… But it’s definitely gonna be a dance party. That’s the one sure theme. Like it’s a Friday night every Monday.”—Gene Harding

AllWays Lounge: “Show Off!” Open Mic

Tuesdays (7:30–10:30 p.m.) / Host: Stacey Colangelo

“We have musicians, songwriters, poets, stand-up comedians, and performance artists bring their material in. It’s such a diverse, talented crowd, I feel lucky to be around it every week. ALL performers welcome at the AllWays Lounge. Live your wildest dreams within a 10 minute slot!”—Stacey Colangelo

Banks St. Bar: Open Mic

Sundays (5 – 8 p.m.) / Host: Domenic Fusca

“Chill local bar … great bartenders & beautiful free local music … also have food served in the back of house. Show what ya got … jams welcome! Whether it be songs, raps, comedy, or poetry!” –Domenic Fusca

Bar 61: Open Jam (Metairie)

First Fridays (9 p.m.) / Host: ROCKit Acoustic (Dana Lynn Dufrene and Scott Erlichman)

“My acoustic duo “ROCKit Acoustic” consists of myself on vox and Scott Erlichman on guitar. We always bring a percussionist when we do open jam. We are a rock duo, but the jam is open to any and all music…cover or original. It’s always a great time with an eclectic mix of artists and music.” –Dana Lynn Dufrene

Cafe Istanbul: Poetry on Poets

Mondays (9 p.m.) / Hosts: Chuck Perkins and Mario Abney

“Cafe Istanbul’s open mic includes any kind of art people are willing to share. It’s called Poetry on Poets because St Roch Avenue’s original name was Poets Street. Amy Stewart is the bartender who prepares vegetarian red beans and rice and Mario Abney is a brilliant trumpeter who leads a cadre of musicians. I’m the owner and leadoff poet. Walking in to Smalls (Cafe Istanbul) feels like you are walking into a living room.”—Chuck Perkins

Coscino’s Italian Grill: Open Mic Night (Mandeville)

Thursdays (6 – 10 p.m.) / Host: Mike Coscino

“10 years running.  All ages Open Mic Night at Coscino’s Italian Grill in Mandeville… Full back line and PA.” – Mike Coscino

DMacs Bar & Grill: Dave & Stan’s Open Jam (Wed) & Americana Jam (Thurs)

Wednesdays (music starts at 7 p.m.) & Thursdays (music starts 9 p.m. or later) / Hosts: Dave Ferrato and Stan Cuquet (Wed) & Jason Bishop (Thurs)

“Basically, this is an Americana jam. We have it every Thursday, and usually it doesn’t start til 9 or so. We’re not gonna discourage anyone from having a blues jam, but we usually stick to the singer-songwriters, Americana, country… Everybody’s welcome though.” – Jason Bishop

“Open Jam along with a steak night and a bike night with special low-priced drinks. Outstanding musical guests… Please come share our stage with us as well if you’re a musician or a singer!” – Stan Cuquet

Fair Grinds Coffeehouse: Acoustic Open Mic

Second Thursdays (6:30 p.m.) / Host: Robert Eustis

“We play originals and covers. Sometimes jams develop. Sometimes we get people who are new to town or just happen to be there and they borrow my guitar and play a few tunes. Sometimes I jump up and play mandolin or slide guitar when folks do covers I know. Last week Alex Bosworth did a blues and invited us to join. What happened was magic. John Rankin played some killer guitar, Will Whitney played harp, and I played my new National resonator mandolin.”—Robert Eustis

Hurricanes (Metairie): Acoustic Mayhem Jam

Thursdays (9 p.m.) / Host: Billy Shirer

“We like to keep it weird and off the beaten path. Mayhem is a combination traditional open mic and an anything-goes jam session. We provide a PA and drums. We welcome nearly all genres including folk, rock, blues, bluegrass, world, jazz, fusion, and even classical.”—Billy Shirer

 

Lucky’s Bar: Open Mic Night

Tuesdays and Thursdays (10 p.m.) / Host: Keefe Condoll and Dan Smith

“It’s a very eclectic mix. We’ve got Irish folky stuff, I like to err on the side of psychedelia, you’ll hear a lot of ska… I try to start off acoustic at the beginning of the night and later on we switch to a full band, which is why I have drums set up. The biggest thing I try to do is foster musicianship amongst young musicians.”—Keefe Condoll

Neutral Ground Coffee House: Open Mic Night

Sundays (sign up 7 p.m. sharp) / Host: Maddi Bruno (Mike True filling in on the day I stopped by)

“The coffeehouse since its inception has had live music every night of the week, and it’s especially popular on Sundays for their open mic. The set-up is for acoustic to electric, and the audience is very receptive. We have a very, very positive audience, a very encouraging environment. There aren’t many places better to be in the city on a Sunday night!”—Mike True

Old Point Bar: Open Mic Night

Every other Wednesday (8 p.m. sharp) / Host: Kim Cantwell

“If your name is on the slot, YOU own it. However, I have tried to lay the groundwork for a backdrop for players coming for the first time or otherwise. For example, either Barry Miller or occasionally Robert Hale will set up drums—they will play when asked, or allow to be played by others if asked. Herb Borne is often available on sax. Bob Green can often be coaxed into standing in on lead… When Kevin Mahony and Particularly Nasty Weather take the stage, usually at the end of the night, its rock ‘n’ roll! The reason we have lasted eight and a half years, is the players keep coming.”—Kim Cantwell

Open Stage with Ron and Tina / Host: Ron Hotstream and Tina Jamieson

Various locations over years, on hiatus, new location to be announced.

“It’s a good place to network. We have everybody from beginners to serious pros, whatever level you’re at is okay. It’s a good place to learn in a comfortable setting, but we also have plenty of established musicians that come out to try new things.”—Ron Hotstream

“We appreciate all different arts and want to give people an outlet to come express themselves without judgment. We want it to be different from your standard open mic. My general idea with Ron is to eventually do a Gong Show of sorts. Like, I’d like to have a violinist and a lyrical dancer, a comedian and a theater actor. I would love to see circus acts! There’s a lot of diverse talent here. Like—you missed it—the King of Prison Sex Rock played earlier. Mark Belloni. He’s really talented.”—Tina Jamieson

Pour House Saloon (Jefferson): Open Jam Series

Thursdays (9:30 p.m.) / Host: Dave Ferrato

“I typically have a special guest for first set then open up for sit-ins about 9:30. Blues players are most welcome, but we encourage other music of any type and love all kinds of instruments.”—Dave Ferrato

Prime Example: Jazz Jam (Tues), Straight Ahead Jazz Jam (Wed)

Tuesdays (8 – 11:30 p.m. with The Sidemen + 1 Jazz Quintet ) and Wednesdays (7 -10:30 p.m. with The Next Generation presented by Jesse McBride. Jam opens at 9 p.m.) / Hosts: Noel Carter (Tues) and Jesse McBride (Wed)

“Tuesday’s jam is more smooth jazz and New Orleans music. It’s a little more relaxed. Wednesday is straight ahead jazz led by Jesse McBride. He’s a Tulane jazz professor, and that night gets a lot of real, serious players. You’ve got to know all the standards to play. Cover [for both nights] is $10.” – Julius Kimbrough (owner)

Santos: Open Mic

First Mondays (7 p.m. sign up, 8 p.m. performances) / Host: Stacey Colangelo

“Once a month open mic in the best rock and roll bar in the Quarter.” – Stacey Colangelo

Southport Hall Artists’ Entrance

Last or second-to-last Tuesdays (6-9 p.m.) / Host: Rick English

“We’re a monthly event aimed at the local original artist community designed to give a free platform from which to display their talent. Musicians, writers and visual artists of all kinds come together to showcase and talk about what they love to do.”—Rick English

Valiant Theatre Straight Ahead Jazz Jam (Arabi)

Tuesdays (9 p.m.) / Host: Stuart Coles

“The Straight Ahead Jazz Jam is a session that creates an outlet for local musicians to share ideas and network. We provide a friendly environment so that jazz musicians of all levels can play and learn together.”—Stuart Coles

Run an open mic/jam that isn’t on this list? Email [email protected]! (Ditto if your info has changed.)