Hot spot for underground bands
On Feb. 25 local bands and solo acts came together to perform at Coscino’s Italian Grill’s open mic night.
Every Thursday night Coscino’s Italian Grill, located in Mandeville, hosts an open mic night from 6–10 p.m. Musical acts from the Mandeville area are able to sign up and play for customers as they enjoy their food.
The restaurant is a small yet lively spot with friendly staff and a casual atmosphere. At the front of the place sits a small stage for music acts to perform.
The stage was already set up with a few mic stands and several speakers for the artists to use. Everything else had to be provided by the performers themselves.
There was a sign up sheet at the front of the restaurant for the acts to sign up. It filled up quickly, and anyone there later than 6 p.m. found it difficult to get a spot. It was also difficult for anyone to get a table after that as the place was filled to the brim with family, friends and folks looking for live music.
Open mic night is an excellent place for small bands to reach out to a larger audience. Acts of all genres can be heard at this event, and you may even find a new band to listen to.
The most played genres that night were rock and country. Older folk and teenagers both shared the stage that night. Even a child awed the audience with his drum skills.
However, the first act up was an opera singer. A middle aged man who wowed the crowd with a beautiful solo performance consisting of multiple songs.
After that other acts took over the stage. A few worth mentioning were a small rock group playing old favorites that dedicated their songs to a member that had recently passed and one group whose singer had the whole restaurant singing happy birthday to him.
One of the bands performing that night goes by the name Salmon Shorts. Nick Pavon and Garron Helm are two of the band’s members. They commented on how the event was able to boost their following.
“We’re able to play for people who would have never heard our stuff. We’ve even been invited to play at other events because of it,” said Pavon.
Helm added, “We’ve actually gained views on iTunes and Spotify through it (open mic night).”
The band also has the advantage of standing out against the other groups that perform. “I think we stand out because of the age and genre difference. We’re a lot younger and play more modern rock,” stated Pavon.
People listening would come up to the front to dance together and cheer on their friends. A restaurant full of strangers seemed to come together as if they were old friends that night.
Although people laughing and dancing together made it seem like a fun time, it did raise a few red flags.
Precautions against COVID-19 were very lax. Social distancing was not taken seriously and masks did not always stay on. It seemed as if the open mic night had not had any major changes since the pandemic.
Helm even remarked about the differences of performing before and after COVID-19. “The only thing i can think of is that the set was wiped down in between acts. Other than that no difference really.”
Other than the lax safety precautions, the night was a success. People ate, drank and were merry. Coscino’s open mic night may be the place for smaller artists to make a name for themselves and grow a larger audience.
