Wearing a flannel shirt and toting a guitar case, Nicholas Lopardo walked into the Amityville Music Hall on a recent Wednesday night and jotted his name on a list. The 37-year-old HVAC technician, who ...

Before the playlists and press runs, there were those weeknights with a sign-up sheet and a room full of strangers. Singers brought one guitar, probably one friend, and two songs. The host learned ...

SUTTONS BAY — When you walk into a venue hosting an open mic, nervous and anxious musicians, poets and comedians alike twiddle their thumbs and tap their feet knowing that they’ll soon take the stage ...

The mark of a good open mic is its applause, but not in the way you might think. Of course, an audience might cheer for a singer’s perfect high note or a guitarist’s complex riff, when the musicians ...