A way to release your artistic abilities would be at an open mic in downtown which has a comfortable environment

On Sept. 1, the open mic event was sponsored by a downtown Bakersfield coffee shop, Dagny’s Coffee Company. Open mic is free to the public, and is on the first Friday of each month at Dagny’s. This event gives an opportunity to share original work and get involved with the community. People perform spoken word, read poetry aloud, and share music; open mic encourages everyone to join in on the creativity.

Friday night, the local featured band, “Moon Spirits” performed three of their original songs, they described their music as “hipster sad.” The band features four members, John Lanier, Aramy Scrimshire, Jose M. Lopez, and Felix Lopez Jr. Some of these musicians are Bakersfield College students.

Guitarist, Jose Lopez said, “We have only been a band for four months but we formed when we realized we all had the same interest in music.”

Although they have only recently formed, the band played seemingly well together, and had no trouble playing in a room filled with people.

The open mic was all about coming together with fellow creative minds that share the same interests as one another. Moon Spirits set a beautiful atmosphere for the other artists. Everyone who read their work came up to the mic empowered and passionate about what message they were sending to the audience.

One poet spoke about an important topic such as teen consent, and mentioned how it is normal for most people to get nervous before they perform, however she encourages people to come out and perform despite the nervousness you may feel.

That night there was various messages about heartbreak, manipulation, teen consent, and so much more. Open mic is a chance for people to celebrate poetry, words and music. Anyone that attends this event can be inspired to do a similar performance as these performers.

Portia Choi, who was hosting open mic, is a poet herself and founder of Kern Poetry. She writes poems with diverse themes and mentions how she started writing in her twenties recalling the memory she had of the Korean War.

“I don’t remember everything, but I remember some things, and the feelings that you had they never go away. They are deep inside of us.”

The best way Choi was able to express how she felt during the Korean War was through writing. She recalls the memory of the war when she was a child and believes her feelings come out in her poetry. Choi hosts open mic in hopes that others will be able to share their voice.