Open mic night direct from ‘Music City’

A NEW open mic night is promising to bring some Nashville charm to the Surf Coast.
Kristy Coote has been a singer and songwriter for over two decades.
She co-wrote and recorded her last album, Favourite Thing in Nashville, Tennessee, where she also started an open mic night.
“I performed in the States, and took my album on an East Coast tour of Oz,” she said.
Kristy received international acclaim as a finalist in the 2016 and 2017 International Songwriting Competition, and was also a finalist in the Australian Independent Music Awards.
Since moving to Jan Juc three years ago and marrying her soulmate, Kristy has wanted to start an Open Mic night to support up-and-coming singer songwriters in the region.
“It really helped my confidence by performing my originals at Open Mics in Sydney, Melbourne, Tamworth, LA and Nashville,” she said.
The open mic night will be hosted by Bells Beach Brewing in Torquay and won’t be limited to musicians and other performers are encouraged to enter.
“After starting an Open Mic in Nashville, I wanted to help other artists on the Surf Coast have a platform to show off their songs. And why not add in comedians and magicians to the mix?”
Bells Beach Brewing recently had a ‘sell-out’ comedy show featuring Dave O’Neil.
Co-owner of Bells Beach Brewing, Adam Smith, was excited to get an Open Mic starting, especially after they received a live music permit earlier this year.
“We have a lot of history with local musos, so it’s a good opportunity for people, whether they want to try out some new material or have a friendly audience,” he said.
“We have a really great venue for this type of thing.”
Mr Smith hopes it will become a monthly night and as it’s still “stout season” he has a 10 per cent imperial stout on offer that will be available on the night.
There are many other award winning craft beers on offer and burgers will be available from The Gypsy’s Lunchbox food van.
“The monthly Surf Coast Open Mic will be a great night. And dogs are allowed too!” Kristy said.
There will be a hat collecting donations for all the performers on the night.
Audience members can collect a free craft beer token from Surf Coast Times, which can only be used on the night at the Surf Coast Open Mic.
All artists who perform on the night will receive a free drink from Bells Beach Brewery and a dinner pack.
The first Open Mic night will take place on Thursday, August 26.
All singer/songwriters, comedians and magicians can apply via Facebook @surfcoastopenmic.