Part 1 of a 2-part series detailing the state of open mics in Kitsap.

By BILL MICKELSON

What’s Up

With an acoustic/electric guitar strapped on and plugged in, Randy Parsons steps up to the microphone in front of a distracted room. But the crowd, preoccupied with billiards and bar beverages, will soon be fixed on him.

He strums the opening melody of The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love,” starting out a bit awkward on an acoustic guitar, but as the verse kicks in the group by the pool tables hollers in encouragement while folks at the bar start to sing along as soon as he reaches the chorus.

“All together now …”

It’s open mic night at The Clubhouse in West Bremerton, one of the newest sessions of the musical institution in Kitsap.

Much like the crowds and performers that come and go, the open mic scene is constantly in a state of flux with different sessions springing up and falling down across the county. So with that thought in mind, What’s Up wanted to detail the current vibes and map out when, where and what kind of open mics are happening across the county.

We’ll start in the southern reaches of the county today, wrapping up with North Kitsap next week.

“One of my favorite things is seeing the new writers come out … you get to see original work that’s being created in the area,” Parsons said, noting that’s something you won’t on stage many places elsewhere. “It’s the in between stage when they are just crawling out of the basement and onto the stage.”

Parson’s Clubhouse gig is the newest endeavor from the man who a year before was hosting three different Bremerton-based open mics, Tuesdays at the South Pacific, Wednesdays at the Manette Saloon and Thursdays at Hansens (now Winterland).

The South Pacific, which started its session with Parsons in 2005, and the Manette, which has been going strong for 11 yeas, have continued on while Winterland’s open mic has dissipated.

Club owner Tony Winters said that while open mics are a great opportunity for musicians, the Thursday night session wasn’t good for business. It wasn’t bringing in a great attendance, and in some cases, he said, other bar patrons would be driven out as soon as the music began.

“There’s a lot of good musicians in the area, but I think you’ll be hard-pressed to get a good open mic going,” Winters said. “You’ll hear some very good musicians on a given night, but like with karaoke, you have to wade through a lot of crap to find them.”

Winters also noted that open mics can also be exclusive for patrons, only welcoming those who can play an instrument.

Other establishments have ceased their open mic night as well in the past few years for that reason and others. But it seems the county’s unknown musicians are essentially what the open mic stage is there for.

“So many people want to show of their stuff,” Parsons said. “No one’s necessarily there to be a rock star, they’re just there to show off in front of their friends.”

And show off along with their friends in some cases.

There are a variety of open mic formats available ranging from the singer/songwriter guitar and a microphone set up to jam session assemblages with multiple instruments and conglomerations with a drum kit, guitar and bass amps that cater to full bands.

“I’ve seen a number of bands that formed around the open mic time as practice,” Parsons noted.

His band Underdog, a Kitsap group on the verge of their second CD, is one example.

Next week, What’s Up will look further into the different types of open mics and unique character of those sessions happening in the North End.