Conversations with Tongue & Groove Open Mic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tongue & Groove Open Mic. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Anna launched Tongue & Groove – a monthly open mic in downtown Raleigh – in 2014. Three years later, her co-founder moved out of state, and Sarah stepped in to help keep the show going. 

Our team now includes Sarah’s husband, Andrew, and two other friends and fellow open mic enthusiasts, who help us make space for the magic. 

We believe open mic is a lifeline for creatives. We aim to be an oasis and incubator for poets, musicians, and storytellers because as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, every artist was first an amateur. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The pandemic was tough. You can’t simulate what humans get from sharing space, so we didn’t try. Instead, we invented something that could only work in a digital space. 

During the show, one of our super-talented poets (shout out to Jessica Covil-Manset!) would take lines from each of the performances and remix them into an all-new poem. Her reading of what we dubbed The Parquet became a much-beloved show closer – like an ephemeral souvenir of our shared experience. 

Another pivot came when Anna developed a massive beef with the attention economy, and we moved off social media. But that paid off, too. MeetUp and email have proved to be excellent tools for community building without the creepy surveillance or exploitive advertising. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Unlike most open mics, at T&G, performers don’t have to compete for attention. Our venue is an art gallery (big shout out to VAE), so nothing distracts from what’s happening on stage. No pool tables. No TVs. No cappuccino machines. 

This is where our show really shines. It’s engineered for listening, and our audience is there for it. 

It also frees us to be explicitly noncommercial – no cover, no pressure to buy drinks. 

In most other ways, T&G is like all open mics. It’s organic and hyperlocal, and no two shows are alike. 

Open mic is the trust fall of entertainment. We have no idea who will come or what they’ll bring to share. Every show is a serial delight of surprises. 

And if someone asks you for a recap, the truest answer is “You had to be there.” 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.annaweaver.net/tongue-groove-open-mic/
• Other: https://www.meetup.com/tongue-groove-raleigh-area-open-mic/

Image Credits
Matt Ramey
Andrew Warren