2008 Woodie Awards
Has Beans has it all at Open Mic Night
By: Kyndrah Carson
Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Online Exclusives
Nov. 14, 2008
Has Beans is usually home to flannel shirts, dreaded hair, dogs and laid back hippies. However, the raw coffee joint was packed with singers, songwriters, poets, musicians, and the occasional bypasser Thursday night.
People were comfortable within the wholesome, grungy setting. Every chair and lap was occupied, and the walkways and entrance were crammed.
Has Beans' Open Mic Night is definitely the place to be Thursday nights. Generally, it starts around 8 p.m. and lasts until 10 or 11 p.m.
It is easy to see that most of the people attending Open Mic Night are not first timers. The family-like way that every one treats each other with shows that Has Beans is more than a coffee shop; it's a coffee community.
"I've attended just about every Open Mic Night for the past two years," said Lino Calderon, a Chico resident.
Calderon doesn't watch, he just listens, he said. He prefers to hang outside with his friends where he can socialize, smoke cigarettes and enjoy the tunes.
For those who are interested in performing it is best to arrive early. Each artist wants enough time to fully express themselves, and often times this means the performers will be waiting around for a few hours before he/she is in the spot light.
Colt Tidwell and Myles Benson waited for more than two hours before they were on stage, and even then the woman introducing their band messed up the name.
Tidwell and Benson have only been an active band for a little over a month. It is hard to believe after hearing their high pitched, romantic voices.
The duet serenaded the crowd with their puppy love lyrics and won girls hearts with their charming character and voices.
"I write all the lyrics, and Myles writes most of the music," Tidwell said.
Recreation major Cynthia Garcia experienced Open Mic Night Thursday for the first time and loved it, she said. Garcia particularly liked that there were people of all ages performing and watching.
She enjoyed that the night was not restricted to only music, but included poetry and other talent, she said.
"You get to enjoy great coffee and free entertainment," Garcia said. "This is definitely something more students should come to."
Kyndrah Carson can be reached at
kcarson@theorion.com
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