Denver venues are closing, but open mics prevail

When The Pearl closed abruptly last month, it took an important part of Denver’s open mic scene with it. As the Mercury Cafe, the building at 2199 California Street had housed weekly Friday night poetry and Sunday slams that were pillars of the Mile High’s creative community for decades.

Open mics are one of the few true third spaces left, places where people are welcome to just exist, listen, share and interact without transaction. Genuine community building and organizing happen at these events in a way that feels increasingly rare in modern society. So, when a longstanding venue like the Merc disappears, it can feel devastating.

“It’s always a tragedy when an open mic ends or a place closes. That never changes, we’re always heartbroken,” says Jessica “Mir I Am” Chernila, whose father, Lenny Chernila (AKA “the Professor”), was a central presence at the Mercury Cafe’s Friday night open mic for years as both a mentor and a participant. 

For more than two decades, Mir I Am, a key figure in Denver’s poetry scene in her own right, has hosted open mics across the city. A poet, spoken-word artist and singer, she currently hosts Community Is the Cure at Mutiny Comics and Coffee and Speak to the Waters at Confluence Park. With more than twenty years in the scene, she’s witnessed its constant evolution. 

“When I was younger, the poetry scene was all these machismo men….There was a hierarchy that was kind of stupid in my opinion, about who could and who couldn’t be a poet,” she recalls. “There’s been an evolution in the poetry scene insofar as people feeling like whoever they are, however they show up, there’s going to be an audience that’s going to clap for you and care about you.”

In addition to her own open mics, where Mir I Am welcomes all types of performers and people with open arms (literally — she gives the warmest hugs), she credits the newer generation of hosts like Quincy “Q” Hull as pushing the scene’s evolution towards a more accepting environment. Q leads the Monday night open mic at The Corner Beet and the monthly open mic at The Basement inside the Cameron United Methodist Church. 

“My mother had a way of magnetizing all cultures around her…she said, ‘It’s only one race, and that’s the human race,’” Q shares. “I don’t discriminate against anybody because I wasn’t raised to do that. I don’t pick friends based on what color they are, what religion they are, what sexuality, I don’t care about that.”

Q, who grew up in Gary, Indiana, and also spent time in Pensacola, Florida, has published three books and has a catalog of music-backed poetry recordings that he releases online as Q the Poet; he’s currently working on his autobiography. He was also one of the hosts of the Merc’s Friday night poetry.

“The Mercury has this decades-long history that’s always going to feel a little different when something like that is not there anymore,” says Q. “But it was a building…the building with nothing in it is just a building. It’s the energy that we put in it that made it special.” 

That energy can be felt at his open mic events, where people from all walks of life are always in attendance and always welcome.

“I see open mic venues as free therapy sessions,” he explains. “You get to come and tell an audience what you’re going through, and then they either approve, they clap for you, they cry for you, they laugh with you. That’s so therapeutic to have, and I think it’s one of the most important things in the community.”

Kaylee Bender is another host ushering in the next generation of open mics. Her monthly event at City Records had earned a cult following amongst rappers, musicians, dancers, poets, and everyone in between. But that shop is set to close at the end of May because of ongoing BRT construction, and won’t reopen in a new location until later this year. In the meantime, Bender plans to host open mic pop-ups as well as other events, like her annual Community Kickback taking place on Juneteenth at the Decibel Garden, featuring break dancers, a rap cypher, a producer showcase, and a performance under her DJ handle, DJ Bugs Honey.

“Any event I’ve ever done is just to give people something to connect over through the arts and bring them together over something that’s familiar,” says Bender, who is also the organizer behind Colfax Cares, a mutual aid and public art initiative.

For Bender, the real impact of the open mic community is where connection turns into creation.

“I’ve seen people record their first pieces of music, put out their first EP, rap for the first time,” she continues. “To feel supported and come back to that space that cracked open this new part of you that is now a foundational part of your being, it just means the world.”

In a society that pushes people towards individualism, Bender sees open mics as a counterweight, pushing people to collaborate and show up for one another.

“It softens you when you’re in these spaces because they can get very vulnerable. They can get very gooey. My therapist used to call it ‘the nougat.’ She was like, you have to let people into your nougat,” she says with a laugh. “I feel like in general, these spaces are very nougat-y ….They really force us to become closer, to become a little less guarded, to accept help and give help. They’re a catalyst for change and connection and partnership.”

The Pearl/the Merc and City Records open mics aren’t the only recent losses; Manos Sagrados, is closing at the end of May, taking two monthly open mic events with it. And River, which hosts a popular open mic, is closing in June, but will reopen later that month.

While the loss of several longtime open mics leaves a major hole in the creative community, there are still options around town.

Open Mics

Corner Beet
1401 Ogden Street
Mondays, 6 to 9 p.m.
cornerbeet.com 
Open mic hosted by Q for poets, musicians, comedians and more.

Inner Circle Open Mic at River Bar
3759 Chestnut Place
Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
riverbar.art 
Open mic hosted by She Who Won’t Be Named, featuring community discussions, rappers, poets, local vendors, food and more. Follow @innercircleopenmic for updates when River moves in June.  

The Basement at Cameron United Methodist Church
1600 South Pearl Street
Third Tuesdays, 6 to 11 p.m.
cameronchurch.org  
Open mic and artist market hosted by Q for poets, musicians, comedians and more. Follow @thebasementopenmic for updates.

SAME Cafe
2023 East Colfax Avenue
Third Wednesdays, 6 to 9 p.m.
soallmayeat.org 
Open mic hosted by Eider (@m.x.x.x.j on Instagram) for poets, musicians, comedians, storytellers and more.

Off the Cuff at The Meadowlark
2701 Larimer Street
First and third Wednesdays, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
meadowlarkbar.com 
Music open mic hosted by Enmanuel “Eman” Alexander (@namebackwardss on Instagram).

Lion’s Lair
2022 East Colfax Avenue
Comedy open mic on Mondays, 10 p.m. to midnight
Music open mic on Wednesdays, 8 p.m. to midnight
lionslairco.com 
Comedy open mic hosted by Anthony Crawford on Mondays, and music open mic on Wednesdays.

Velvet Tongues at Fifth Coffee House
710 East 26th Avenue
Every other Thursday, 7 to 9:30 p.m.
adultent.club/fifth 
Poetry open mic in collaboration with Adult Ent. (@adult.ent) and Slam Nuba (@nuba_period). Follow @fifth.ent on Instagram for updates.

Swallow Hill Music
71 East Yale Avenue
Second Thursday, 6:30 to 9 p.m. 
swallowhillmusic.org 
Open mic for all kinds of performers.

Slam Nuba at RedLine Contemporary Art Center
2350 Arapahoe Street  
Last Friday, 8 to 9:30 p.m.
slamnuba.org, redlineart.org 
Poetry live performance series. Follow @nuba_period on Instagram for updates.

Denver Art Society
734 Santa Fe Drive
Second Fridays, 7 to 10 p.m.
denverartsociety.org
Follow @_denver_art_society on Instagram for updates.

Roostercat Coffee House
1045 Lincoln Street
First and third Saturdays, 6:30 p.m.
roostercatdenver.com
Music and poetry open mic hosted by PhoeNyx (@art4urfridge on Instagram).

The Decibel Garden
3435 Wynkoop Street
Sundays, 8 p.m. to midnight
instagram.com/thedecibelgarden 
Open jam with Interpolation (@interpolation.band on Instagram) for musicians, rappers and spoken word artists.

Mercury Legacy Jazz Jam and Poetry Open Mic
Karma House Kava Bar
Every Friday, 7 p.m. to midnight
instagram.com/denvermercurypoetry
The Friday night Mercury Cafe poetry open mic has found a new home at Karma House Kava Bar. Follow @denvermercurypoetry on Instagram for updates.

Gram’s Basement downstairs at El Piñon
Lia Vista Motel, 7150 East Colfax Avenue
Comedy Open Mic every Monday, 8 p.m.
Comedy open mic hosted by Jack Comstock (@hackcomstock on Instagram).

City Records
Rotating locations and dates
cityrecordscolfax.com 
Music, rap, poetry, dance, and comedy open mic hosted by Kaylee Bender (@nokaylee on Instagram). Follow @city_records_open_mic on Instagram for updates on when the venue will reopen 

Mutiny Comics and Coffee
3483 South Broadway, Englewood
Poetry and music open mic third Sundays, 6 to 10 p.m.
Comedy open mic Wednesdays, 6 to 8 p.m.
mutinycomics.com 
Community is the Cure poetry and music open mic hosted by Mir I Am (@mir_i_am333 on Instagram); comedy open mic hosted by Jennifer Sutherland (@jennsuthy on Instagram).

Blue Hour at Act Studio
6438 South Quebec Street, Suite 201, Centennial
Every other Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
actstudiousa.com 
Open mic hosted by Nya Joy (@nyajoys on Instagram) for poets, writers and everyone in between. Follow @bluehouropenmic on Instagram for updates.