SUNDAY
Pete's Candy Store
Brooklyn/Williamsburg (5-8 PM)
Pete's Candy Store is a great club in Williamsburg. Full of hipsters. I've never been to their open mic night, but the shows they put on there every other night of the week always feature some of the best local and regional bands.
Vox Pop Coffeeshop
Brooklyn/Flatbush (7:30 PM)
This left-wing coffeeshop welcomes folksingers and poets for it's fabulous open mic. Of course, get there early for sign-up.
MoPitkins
E. Village/Ave A (9 PM)
The Perch Cafe
Brooklyn/5th Ave btw 5th & 6th (7 PM)
MONDAY
Cafe Vivaldi
W. Village/Jones St. (7 PM)
Cafe Vivaldi has the reputation of drawing some of the best songwriters around. Get there early for sign-up, and get ready to be intimidated by the talent.
Baggot Inn
W. Village/W. 3rd St.
This was the first open mic I ever went to in New York, and (coming from Portland, OR, at the time) I was pretty impressed with the talent. The place is huge as NYC folk bars go, but the sound system is great. This open mic was a little under-attended when I was there, but still worth a go.
Sidwalk Cafe
E. Village/Ave A (7:30)
The king of NYC open mic nights. Sign up is at 7:30 (don't be late!) and is done lotto-style. My first time there, I was number 47. It goes all night (literally - til 3 AM sometimes), and you should be ready for an open mic experience like no other.
Cattyshack
Brooklyn/4th Ave btw President & Carroll (9 PM)
Sign up is at 8, there's a featured player until open mic starts at 9, and the show is hosted by Ilan Lieman and Caroline Murphy. $3 cover.
TUESDAY
Bar 4
Brooklyn/Williamsburg (9 PM)
The Lucky Cat
Brooklyn/Williamsburg (7 PM)
Like any good open mic night, you should show up early - in this case, the sheet goes up at the bar at 6:30, and it fills up quickly.
Carlito's Cafe & Gallery
Uptown/Lexington Ave (8:30 PM)
I've never been to this one, but it looks like a really quality place. It's an art gallery that also has musical performers on a monthly basis (everything from jazz to R&B and folk singer/songwriters), and they welcome anyone and everyone to open mic night on Tuesdays. $3 suggested donation.
WEDNESDAY
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
E. Village/E. 3rd St. (9:30) (first Wed. of each month)
If you haven't been to the Nuyorican, GO! It's a great opportunity to hear some seriously fantastic poetry and hip-hop freestyling. Feeling gutsy? Get up and recite your song lyrics. It's a nice break from the same ol' same ol' open mic scene.
THURSDAY
ArtLand Bar
Brooklyn/609 Grand St. (9:30 PM)
If the Sidewalk Cafe thing is more your speed, you should check out ArtLand on Thursday nights. There's a DJ spinning between sets, and any number of fabulous and sometimes bizarre fellow performers.
Living Room Lounge
Brooklyn/S. Park Slope (9 PM)
This is another open mic/audition sort of situation, and a nice departure from the East Village and Williamsburg scenes.
FRIDAY
Postcrypt Coffeehouse
UWS/Columbia University (second Friday each month) (9 PM)
This probably ranks number two on my list of the best open mics in New York. It's totally acoustic (no mics!) and a great community of folks. The fact that it's only once a month makes it hard to remember, but it's worth the Outlook reminder once a month. Sign up is at 8:20 sharp!
SATURDAY
Take a day off, for goodness sakes!
