Restaurant's Open Mic Night Gives Local Acts Chance to Shine

A near-empty room doesn’t look good for home-schoolers Ryan Etherton, 17, and Nathan Towles, 16, a pair of amateur musicians who take the 8:30 p.m. slot on the bill. It’s open mic night—as it is every Thursday at the —and everyone’s outside on the deck smoking cigarettes or getting some fresh air.

But Etherton and Towles, who, since joining forces last week have played two previous open mic events, carry on with an earnest rendition of Mumford and Sons’ “Sigh No More."

“[The scariest part] is probably wondering how people are going to react to your music,” Towles said. Their smooth vocals and Etherton’s fast strumming fit the mostly adolescent turnout that grew later into the night.

“There’s a lot of high school kids. We get some middle school kids. It starts at 7:30, but it doesn’t pick up until maybe 9,” John McGinnis says.

The Brothers McGinnis guitarist took over the open mic night last August, determined to build it up from the old format with fresh acts and word-of-mouth.

“We have people play everything. Oldies, hip-hop, rock…There’s no heavy metal, and no comedy acts…[the owners] like to keep it family-friendly,” McGinnis says.

Sign-up is on a first come, first serve basis, with each act allotted three to four songs.

“We try not to keep it too tight. We try to be a bit relaxed.” Some of McGinnis’s favorites at open mic include Matty Rockville and Wise Eyes, both on the bill Thursday night.

Just before 9 p.m., Molly’s Chambers bassist and drummer Alex Wolshy and Ryan Yeager, respectively, launch a bluesy nineties-style set they claim was thrown together 20 minutes prior.

“This is just a fun night for some young people to hang out and have fun,” Wolshy says. The Bowie, Crofton, and Odenton natives—that make up the four-piece Molly's Chambers—are open mic regulars, and recently began collaborating with other local acts.

“We played in D.C. at the Velvet Lounge with [performer Navid Marvi’s band] the Technicians,” Yeager says. “He’s really good, and Wise Eyes are good, too. They’re here tonight.”

As the back of the room starts filling up, Marvi, who often performs solo as Typography, expresses gratitude for the Grille’s weekly event.

“Before I found this, there was nothing to showcase talent in Bowie. There used to be the Year of the Rabbit Pub, when everyone was in to folk and stuff. But here they have a sound system, and people to set it up…you have to bring your own equipment, but they keep the drums, except drummers need their own cymbals,” Marvi says.

Marvi calls tonight a good crowd. He comes to open mic night to try out new songs on his own, and if they work, the Technicians play them at area shows.

Marvi watches the flamboyant solo performer Adam Gordon, sing and play guitar like only Jeff Spicoli could.

“Wise Eyes are here tonight. They honed their sound here. Ask anybody in here,” Marvi says; easy to do when the room fills up faster than a Mississippi riverbed.

So what is it about the Bowie four-piece that has Grille patrons all in a tizzy?

“Sex appeal,” Wise Eyes drummer Jay D’Annunzio says with a laugh, stroking his beard. “[The event] is really friend-based.”

The band started playing on Thursdays about five months ago, and D’Annunzio claims they have yet to be compared with any other artists.

“I ran into John McGinnis. He said 'nobody comes to [open mic night]. Bring your friends, bring anyone you know',” D’Annunzio says.  “Everybody’s really stepped up. Everybody’s gotten more serious.”

After Matty Rockville plays a decent set with McGinnis on guitar, Wise Eyes take the stage at 10:13 pm, to the anticipation of the whole room. It’s clear why people wait to come out.

Like any concert, the later the acts the better things get, and the crowd holds out for them. D’Annunzio, lead vocalist Sean Moore, bassist Evan Ruhl, and guitarist Brett Setera use sing-a-long vocals, simple melodies, and fast spurts to give one of the better four-song sets this side of I-97.

With the night only half over, things look promising for McGinnis’ experiment.

Be sure to check out our photo gallery from Thursday's open mic night from photographer Barbara Sigler!