Step into any Athens bar or coffee shop and one likely will hear music drowning out the gulps of java and alcohol. Folk, roots rock, punk, jam-based rock, indie rock, even hip-hop — Athens is a town with music for nearly everyone.
Local musicians got their start somewhere, and for many of them, that place was an open stage — an open forum for anyone who wants to play.
"There are so many acts that have grown out of open stage that it's hard to keep track of," said Chris Biester, a local musician who runs the Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St., open stage at 10 p.m. Wednesdays.
"Every great band I've known in this town has sort of launched at an open stage," Biester said.
The longest-running open stage in Athens is held at The Front Room in Baker University Center every Friday night. Organizer Bruce Dalzell said he thinks he started the tradition about 15 years ago.
Dalzell said open stages are one of the first turning points in a musician's career.
"It's where people figure out whether they can handle it or not," he said.
Through open stages, aspiring musicians test the public's response to their music.
"It's like a trial," Biester said. "You put your music out there for people to see."
Although artists use open stages to gauge the response to their music, they can expect at least a friendly environment regardless of how well-received their tunes are, Dalzell said.
"It's nice to have a supportive environment for people who are just figuring out if they want to perform," he said.
Local fans of hip-hop music have begun to cultivate a hip-hop scene through an open stage of their own at 10 p.m. Mondays at Casa. Charles Budde, who DJs under the name DJ E. dduB, and his partner DJ Savin' Up, spin records for about an hour. They then invite aspiring rappers — MCs — to take the stage and engage in lyrical battles hosted by E-Tan, another MC. Budde said he does not think anything like this has been done before in Athens.
"There's not too much of a live hip-hop scene in Athens right now," Budde said. "Turnout started real slow."
Budde hopes the open mic night will help to further develop a hip-hop scene in Athens. Attendance already has risen from an average of about 30 people during Fall and Winter Quarters to about 100 or more in recent weeks.
Dalzell also hosts an open stage at 8 p.m. Wednesdays in the Bunch of Grapes Room adjacent to The Front Room.
"It's a great job. Obviously you have to have a certain temperament. The same thing like any educator has. A certain patience — the ability to let people teach themselves," Dalzell said.
Dalzell, who has lived in Athens for most of his life said there are more open stages in town than ever before.
"I think the number of open stages is a good indication of the vitality of our music scene here," he said. "This is a great time for music in general in Athens. The quantity and variety is unlike any I've ever seen."
Local open stages
Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St., 10 p.m. Monday (hip-hop)
The Smiling Skull Saloon, 108 W. Union St., 10 p.m. Monday
The Blue Gator, 63 N. Court St., 8 p.m. Tuesday
Bunch of Grapes Room, Baker University Center, 8 p.m. Wednesday (when Ohio University is in session)
Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St., 10 p.m. Wednesday
The Maplewood Inn, 700 E. State St., 10 p.m. Wednesday
The Mine Tavern, 14 Public Square, Nelsonville, 9 p.m. Thursday
The Donkey, 17 1/2 W. Washington St., 9 p.m. Thursday
West End Tavern, 234 W. Washington St., 10 p.m. Thursday
The Front Room, Baker University Center, 7 p.m. Friday (when Ohio University is in session)
Source: Athens Musician Network
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Chris DeVille
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JB Hutchison, Laura Nadeau and Chris Biester perform at Open Stage at The Front Room in Baker University Center last Thursday night. Open Stage is scheduled for every Friday night at 7 p.m. when Ohio University is in session.
