Music scene grows with yet another open mike

April 17, 2005

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - Open-mike nights in Wasilla are cropping up just as fast as the state fire marshal can snuff them out.

Last month, the wildly popular Thursday night Make-A-Scene open-mike events at Valley Bistro were shut down when the state fire marshal became concerned that the overcrowded restaurant posed a fire safety problem.

Make-A-Scene coordinators are now trying to find another building that is suitable for larger crowds. In the meantime, The Digital Cup hopes to draw some of the old Thursday night crowd to its open-mike nights, which began recently just off the Parks Highway, near Fred Meyer.

"We're doing it on the same night that Valley Bistro was doing theirs," music coordinator Chris McGraw said.

Valley Bistro drew more than 300 people to its weekly events and while the Digital Cup could never hold that many people, McGraw said he hopes to add something to the local music scene.

"It's just an extra venue," he said. "There's not that many around here and we're just aiding the ability for people to share music."

The open mikes run between 7-9 p.m. every Thursday, hosted by a local band, Red Penguin. The café provides an in-house sound system, amplifiers and a drum kit. McGraw said those interested in performing just need to sign up and play.

"We're open to just about everything, so long as it's not offensive," McGraw said. "Last week was fun; we had a good time."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com