The Velveeta Room

Where: 6th St.
When: Thursdays
Showtime: 9:30pm
Sign up: Here
Set time: 3-10 minutes
Listmaster: Dana Smith

This one's it: the Granddaddy of Austin's open mic scene. There's a reason this cluster has been heralded by acts like Patton Oswalt and Doug Stanhope and featured on the pages of "The New York Times". Some big names have gotten their start here including Eddie Gossling and Dragon Boy Suede. And bigger names like Lewis Black, Dave Attell, and Ron White have been known to drop in and do a few.

The room is tough on veterans and novices alike. And there's a good chance that a hack premise will earn you a heckle or two from other comics in the room or even the booker behind the bar. But all of it serves to develop stronger comedians. The old adage goes, "No crowd scares me. I started at the Velveeta Room."

All the notoriety does come at a cost. Recent years have seen sign up lists swell beyond capacity. The open mic once known for giving anyone (and we mean ANYONE) a shot at fame now limits sign ups, and runs a much tighter ship.