Open Mics in Austin

Puff Puff Laugh @ Pipe's Plus
That's right. Open mic comedy in a hookah bar, brought to you by Austin's favorite stoner comic, Kat Ramzinski.

This open mic has an advance sign up, however the possibility of insanity is greatly increased by the #5 “wildcard”, which is simply anybody stumbling in who wants to try their hand at a lil’ standup. Puff Puff Laugh books a headliner at the end of the open mic who will does about 10-15 min. COVER charge is 3 dollars, which is refunded with the purchase of a hookah. Smoking is allowed indoors.

The crowd isn't super responsive, but they are appreciative. Although there are plent of smiles, one should only expect laughs if something's really good and catches everyone off-guard.

Mother Pluckin' Comedy @ Plucker's
Open Mic comedy in a chicken wing restaurant, brought to you by Chance Royce and Michael Navarette.

On the plus side, you have cheap beer and a guaranteed audience of college-age folk. Unfortunately, since it is a restaurant and there is no cover charge, not everyone is there to see comedy. Don't be surprised to witness occasional hecklers, people talking over your set, and general inattentiveness. Every now and then this open mic can pull in a great audience.

$2 beers for comics and service industry. $5 34oz Pluckers specialty drinks for everyone else. Food isn't bad either.

 

 

Tiki Tuesdays @ Cherrywood Coffee House
“This is so East Coast”, said current FPIA and D.C. transplant Bryson Turner of Austin's newest weekly open mic.

It's a pretty accurate summation, seeing as how Seth Cockfield started it up a week after he returned from his latest trip to New York City. There he witnessed many an open mic populated with just the comics on the list. This made the performers focus less on sharpening old material and more on bringing something fresh and new to the stage. That's part of the mission being carried out at Cherrywood. Simply put, if you can make 20 other comics laugh, you've got a good thing going. And if you can't? This is the place to learn how.

Embedded in a quaint East Side neighborhood, Cherrywood Coffeehouse is the perfect stage/playground for comedians looking for a mic and a beer. The show is held outside in the gravelly courtyard, with the stage surrounded by benches and picnic tables. The spotlight is a multicolor light projector, which makes the atmosphere less “stuffy coffeehouse open mic” and more “psychedelic luau”, hence the name Tiki Tuesdays. Throw in Cherrywood's full menu of homemade sandwiches and gourmet tacos, and their ample draft beer selection, and comics and common folk alike have got a surefire cure for that boring, early-week sobriety.

Signup is officially b/t 8 and 9, but if you're on the Mish-Mash or taking a comedy class, let Seth know and he'll do his best to get you on the list.

Dig Pub
Dig Pub has a great beer selection and an unbelievably cool staff. But as with any bar show, it's a gamble. Most everyone in the world doesn't go to a bar hoping to sit and listen attentively to some open micer. We've seen shows here go stellar, other times they've been the complete opposite of stellar. No fights or bottle breaking.

This room is great if you're a beer lover and want to build your crowd work skills.

 

 

 

 

Kick Butt Coffee
Kick Butt Coffee, Austin’s only kung fu-themed café (now with two locations), is also Austin’s only Wednesday-night open mic.

While the show was run very loosely in the past with no time limits for sets and very short line-ups that resulted in comics going up more than once in the same show, changes have been made to the show’s format. Now run by Bob Khosravi (who also runs the Thursday night open mics at the Guadalupe location), SIGN UP begins a half-hour before the show and comedians have five min with more time given to those that bring AUDIENCE members.

Now working on its second year of hosting open mic comedy shows, Kick Butt Coffee has become a great mid-week place to practice or prepare material. Attendance by AUDIENCE members and comics alike has been sparse in the past, but, as of late, Wednesday nights have been experiencing a comeback with a pretty mixed crowd of all ages, it’s not uncommon to find high schoolers at Kick Butt Coffee both in the AUDIENCE and on stage. The stage is large and angled to the side in plain view of the full-length storefront windows so that anyone passing outside can see that a performance is occurring inside, which can quickly help build a show, but the operation noise of coffee-grinders, blenders, and cappuccino machines can be distracting at times. The AUDIENCEs are generally receptive, and coupled with the size of the venue, leads to a very conversational and low pressure show.

Creekside Lounge
This open mic is still really new and we have no idea how long it'll be around. Does that sound bad? To be honest, no one from Last Gas has gotten around to checking this open mic out. Comics have yet to report anything about their experiences there or post any videos in GreenRoom Forum.

So one could say this is the most mysterious of all the open mics in town. No cover, cheap drinks, conveniently located downtown on 7th, tons of mystery. What's to lose?

 

 

 

 

The Velveeta Room
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.

Block Party @ The New Movement
This weekly show is a comedy free-for-all and features acts from all disciplines - music, sketch, video, stand-up, etc. It's easy to get on, but you must show up by 9:00 pm to SIGN UP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Punchline @ Coldtowne Theater
Already well into its second year of operation, Punchline at Coldtowne Theater is a favorite of Austin comics – and we’re not just saying that because we run the damn thing with Texas Travesty. Each week, attendance ranges from well attended to capacity and the list regularly fills on the same day that it opens (Sundays).

Punchline also has a well-established reputation as one of Austin’s most intimate comedy open mics. Coldtowne Theater, akin to a basement theater complete with deafening footsteps and other random noises from the video rental store upstairs, is an extremely dark and cozy venue that has become a favorite of comics new and old alike.

 

 

Half and Half Laughs @ Homer's
Located all the way north in Wells Branch, just south of Pflugerville, Homer’s Bar & Grill has long served as the “Road House” of Austin comedy. Loud, rowdy, smoky, and unpredictable, open mic nights at Homer’s are always a riotous affair, but if you can make a joke work on the beer-soaked stage, chances are you can make it work anywhere. Taking place on the every Saturday, every open mic at Homer’s is like a bawdier and more rambunctious version of Punchline.

 

 

 

 

Cap City Comedy Club Open Mic
Cap City is Austin's biggest, and most "traditional-style", comedy club. Bitch all you want about two-drink minimums, they allow the club to bring in first rate talent and pay acts some decent scratch. Sunday's open mics are held on the small stage in the barroom. That's a good thing as it better fits the usually modest-sized crowd.

This is a great place to polish what's in place. The AUDIENCEs are attentive, and the more formal setting and cocktail service leave the crowds expecting a professional show. Experiments and bold, new material choices might be better suited to other venues. Do your good stuff. Plus, the club's manager is generally watching. Good shows = paying gigs. If you catch our drift.