After a brief closure of its musical festivities, the M&J Tavern is back and showcasing all of the local talent we have in the area– and they clearly haven’t lost a step.
When an open mic is like going to a billed concert, you know it’s something special. The energy at M&J’s open mic is of that atmosphere, with everyone joining in and celebrating the night ahead. So those seven months without music at the “living room?” Brutal.
The hiatus occurred through a legal battle with BMI over music copyright and publishing laws. Luckily for us the M&J was able to strike up the proper licensing agreements to keep on hosting its glorious open mics and concerts, and a piece of the community was restored.
Open mics at M&J create opportunities for music lovers to find and support new local artists, and for local artists to connect and learn from one another. It’s a setting built upon two simple pillars: music and people. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
If you haven’t been yet, we definitely recommend putting their open mics on your radar. Once you go you’ll probably never see Wednesday nights the same again.
Honorable mention:
The Commons‘ Tuesday night open mics (music & spoken word) and Wordsmith’s Wednesday (for poets, writers and spoken word artists.) Now under new ownership and called simply “The Commons,” the spot along Mirror Pond has been ramping up its efforts to support local artists and creators.
This article appears in Best of Central Oregon 2019.
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Honor well deserved. Mike and CJ bring so much joy to the community! Keep the music going.