The Canopy Club is opening up the stage to any University student or local artist interested in performing live acoustic music beginning this Tuesday.

Acoustic Open Mic night is a weekly event hosted by The Canopy Club that will begin at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesdays following the Campus Comedy Showcase, which take place at 9 p.m. The event will be hosted by Champaign resident Justin Rondon and welcomes anyone 18 years and older to come and show off their new original songs or best covers, according to The Canopy Club’s website. Singers and songwriters can sign up for a 10-15 minute time slot at the door to play their music on the stage.

Rondon, first-time host for the event, said he hopes to make Acoustic Open Mic nights a good experience for everyone who attends.

“I hope to make it about fun,” Rondon said. “It’s just going to be relaxed and an easy environment. I’m not sure what to expect, but I don’t anticipate it being too crazy.”

Rondon explained that he is no stranger to open mic nights, and is not only looking forward to hosting the event, but also performing as well.

“I’ve done a lot of open mic nights. They have a special place in my heart,” Rondon said. “I wanted to host so that I could also get to play at Canopy once a week. I’m going to host until there’s nobody left to play, and since there usually aren’t that many people, sometimes the host plays at the beginning or at the end. Regardless I’ll play every time.”

James Moore, recent graduate from the University and host for previous Open Mic nights at The Canopy Club, said he thinks Rondon will be a great fit for the venue’s event.

“I think Justin is going to be an awesome host,” Moore said. “He’s the best acoustic performer I know in Champaign-Urbana. He’s got a really unique sound, a lot of talent and a great personality, so I think he’s going to kill it.”

Although both Rondon and Moore said they have enjoyed general Open Mic nights at The Canopy Club before, they agreed that the number of attendees each week varies drastically.

“The times I’ve gone in the past there weren’t that many people,” Rondon said. “I’ve heard that sometimes there’s a lot, and sometimes there is literally no one there. It is kind of a toss up, so I would like to see the audience grow.”

Moore confirmed that the attendance of the event differed each week when he hosted the Open Mic nights.

“The crowd numbers were kind of unpredictable,” Moore said. “I think during my time there the crowd size ranged anywhere from 10-120 people. I think when there were big crowds it was because people showed up just to watch their friends then stuck around because they liked the scene.”

Moore also mentioned that the event has slowed down in general since he began hosting it.

“The event lost a lot of steam since it started,” Moore said. “I’m not entirely sure why because there were a lot of changes made during my time as host, but overall I really enjoyed it and thought it was a great experience.”

Jamie Wellman, the assistant to the operations director at The Canopy Club, said although University students will be gone, summer is a great time for Acoustic Open Mic nights to begin.

“The summer gives us an opportunity to do different things,” Wellman said. “There aren’t as many tours, so it is kind of a way to give local singers and songwriters available stage time.”

Wellman explained that Tuesday will be The Canopy Club’s first time hosting an Open Mic night dedicated to only acoustic music.

“In past Open Mic nights we’ve had some R&B, heavy rock artists and some acoustic,” Wellman said. “We wanted to break it down, and give the opportunity to enjoy the night and keep it toned down a little bit without crazy metal music. This way we’re not having to involve different genres at once.”

Although the crowd size for the Acoustic Open Mic night is uncertain, Wellman said the event is a great place for people to come and hang out every week.

“It’s more of the sit down, hang out and have a couple of drinks kind of crowd,” Wellman said. “It’s not the typical KAM’S loud, sweaty and intense crowd, but a little bit on the lighter side with quality artists and local musicians to showcase what they have.”

As Rondon said he is looking forward to hosting the event, he also encourages local performers to come out and enjoy Acoustic Open Mic nights.

“If you are a performing artist it’s good to express your creativity in public,” Rondon said. “It strengthens your confidence in yourself and enables communication across artists. Also, it’s just fun.”

Christine can be reached at [email protected].