Open Mic Aspirations
An exclusive look at Denver’s most unique amateur showcase
On any given evening in Denver, you wouldn’t have to search far to find an open mic in the city’s bustling art and entertainment scene. Aspiring comics, singers, songwriters, poets, and performers of all facets have an opportunity to stand in the spotlight as they put in the hours needed to achieve the dream of going from amateur to professional.
Most open mics can be a very mixed bag. Performers of all skill levels do their best to captivate an audience that is usually there for drinks or food. But every so often, there is lightning to be bottled at these amateur showcases. There are moments that will remind you how much talent is hidden among the people in our communities.
One month ago, I was afforded the opportunity to cover one of the more exclusive open mic events in the Mile High City. On Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024, an organization called The College of Street Knowledge hosted the Mo Fun Night open mic event. The showcase took place on the top floor of the Salvation Army Crossroads Men’s Shelter, and the signup sheet was reserved for residents.
The event organizer, Joseph Beasley, lived in the Crossroads shelter for roughly a year as he navigated his way back into permanent housing. Although his bout with homelessness has come and gone, he remains active in organizing shelter events. He works closely with Antoinette Chavez, a Salvation Army staff member at the location.
The two have put together events for the residents before, but nothing to the magnitude of the open mic. The upstairs of the shelter had been transformed from its normal aesthetic of a fluorescently lit open space to a room full of vibrance and energy perfectly capable of hosting an open mic. Chavez and Beasley set up a buffet, two poker tables for playing Texas Hold ‘Em, chess boards, and billiards. But the centerpiece of the evening was the stage.
Most open mics provide a microphone, a stand, a speaker, and, if you’re lucky, a small, somewhat elevated platform from which to present. However, the efforts of the College of Street Knowledge crew gave their artists a stage worthy of artistic expression. They created a distinct distraction from the shelter's dreary concrete backdrop.
Before the event began, Beasley introduced me to one of the evening’s most anticipated performers, Anubis. When asked what his favorite type of music to perform was, he said confidently, “My own.” Anubis seemed nervously excited at the idea of performing live, but then again, so did everyone else who took part that evening.
Like many other open mics I’ve attended, this one got off to a rocky start. The host’s mic wouldn’t work, the speaker was on the fritz, and the performers were getting antsy. After a few awkward moments spent jostling with the equipment and a loud feedback squeal from the mic, the host finally welcomed the first vocalist of the evening.
Chino took the stage. Initially seated behind the drum set, he soon made his way to center stage, singing lead vocals. His Phil Collins-style adaptability made his opening act difficult to follow.
As Chino left the stage, the show hit another roadblock. The host had disappeared, leaving a crowd of artists nervously awaiting their stage time.
The tensions were building, and the show was quickly losing traction. Eventually, people started approaching me and asking if they could perform. I assume because of the camera and lights I brought to cover the event; I may have looked like someone who would have been more in the know. However, I knew next to nothing other than a lot of effort had gone into this, and Beasley wanted to have as many people take the stage as possible. So, every person that asked for stage time was granted the opportunity.
For the evening’s second act, Joe approached me and asked if it was ok to sing a heavy metal song. With no certainty of any pre-established rules, I said, “Absolutely. What song are you signing?” “Angry Again” by Megadeth Joe responded.
Before hitting the stage, Joe told me he sounded just like Megadeth’s lead singer, Dave Mustaine, and that someday they will tour together. A grand statement, but after hearing the performance, I have to say that Joe would likely make a wonderful addition to the lineup of the legendary thrash metal group.
The evening’s third act, Rafael, took the energy that Joe’s scorching set left on the stage and channeled it in a totally different direction. Rafael serenaded the room with a powerful Spanish ballad. Unlike the singers before him, Rafael did not need lyrics on a phone to perform his song. He sang from memory and heart. And as far as my untrained ears could tell, he delivered all lyrics without error.
Joe approached me again and asked if he could perform. I directed him to the microphone, and he sang “Angry Again” again. It was another passionate rendition.
After Joe, the open mic welcomed another repeat offender, Rafael. Rafael wanted to take the stage again, so he assumed command over the microphone and belted out another moving love ballad in Spanish.
Joe was already back in line for more stage time before Rafael had finished his song. He manned his helm at the microphone once more and delivered a third performance of “Angry Again.”
Between sets, I got a quick interview with one of the event's busiest performers. Joe is heavy metal through and through. If his blistering Megadeth covers weren’t enough to prove that, then perhaps his physical and permanent memorialization to the prince of darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, on his knuckles should provide more than enough validity. Joe claims that the tattoo was given to him by Osbourne’s legendary guitarist, Randy Rhoads, before he tragically died in a plane crash on Mar. 19, 1982.
For the rest of the evening, Rafael and Joe used the stage almost exclusively. Juxtaposing the crowd through a roller coaster of love songs and thrash covers. Through numerous technical difficulties and an absentee host, these two sang without missing a beat—exceptionally professional behavior on an amateur stage.
In a true open-mic fashion, the show did not unfold without hecklers. The truest form of character-building available to any artist is someone actively and boisterously criticizing their work as it unfolds. Three of Rafael’s friends would shout “In Spanish!” every time Joe performed. Even Rafael was not excluded from the banter of his own supporters. They would cat-call, shout, and at one point even joined him on stage for a quick quartet that Rafael was not expecting.
During all these acts, one name on the setlist had yet to take his time on the stage. Anubis had been pacing back and forth behind the seating area with headphones on as he silently recited lyrics to himself. I interrupted his mental shadowboxing session to ask when we would finally get to hear some of his original music. He laughed slightly and said, “I’m already a superstar.” He told me about all the music and movies he has created and how he dreams of making even more when he gets out of the shelter. Anubis said the message of all his art is to teach people that “not all monsters are bad.”
In true superstar fashion like Axl Rose before him, the evening came and went without Anubis ever gracing the stage. A potentially phenomenal talent meant for another time, I suppose.
I went to the shelter in November of last year to report on a different College of Street Knowledge group activity. Beasley and Chavez welcomed me to document the art class they had organized for the residents. As gracious as everyone was the first time, allowing me to take pictures and record conversations, I could tell my constant observation of the group from behind the camera on my iPhone came with a sense of apprehension. Understandably so, no one enjoys being down the sights of a stranger's phone, especially when they are in a position of vulnerability.
For my second time recording at the Crossroads Men’s Shelter, I took a slightly different approach. I came with a professional camera, some lights, and an audio recorder. With all the hard work that Beasley, Chavez, and each performer put into making this night possible, a phone camera just wasn’t going to cut it.
Admittedly, I am still a novice with a camera, but this amateur showcase proved to be the perfect place to facilitate my limited skills. During each performance, I ran between sides of the stage, constantly trying to capture each vocalist at a different angle in the hopes of capturing a great image. I figured the safest approach to combat my lack of photography skills was to take as many photographs as possible and hope for success through versatility.
The pictures I ended up with were beyond my expectations and to no credit of my own. The sight of my lights and camera started to heighten the energy put forth by the people on stage. I was no longer a journalist trying to record homelessness through his phone. I was a photographer taking pictures of talented people at an open mic.
When I first met Beasley, he told me that changing the perception people have surrounding the unhoused is one of the best methods of reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness. When people can see themselves in an issue, they tend to care a little more.
All of us, whether we’ve had the guts to take the stage at a local open mic or have reserved our talents for the inside of a shower curtain, have had dreams of stardom. The cathartic nature of self-expression is not limited to slam poetry and acoustic guitars in coffee shops and bars. Dreams and aspirations for a better life are within all of us, but for the unhoused, those dreams usually fade away with no outlet to chase them.
The efforts of the College of Street Knowledge, Joseph Beasley, and Antoinette Chavez are more important now than ever. Hands-on reintegration programs like theirs are the cutting edge of resolving this nation’s potentially crippling issue with homelessness.
Beasley and Chavez do the best they can but are always in need of help. Whether you are in the Denver area or not, if you feel compelled to help these programs, physically or financially, leave a comment, and I will put you in touch with the correct people.
WOW! While I was reading this article,it felt as if I was there! Very enjoyable read! Thank you!
Thank you for reporting on this event. I enjoyed all of the photos