Open mic nights return to Cafe Steam

(ABC 6 News) – Cafe Steam resumed one of its events that disappeared during the pandemic.

Tonight, open mic nights re-opened at Cafe Steam on Broadway. Artists took the stage from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with full sets.

William Forsman, co-owner of Cafe Steam, mentioned how important open mic night was.

"The last few months we’ve been able to bring it back. It’s cool to be able to see the new artists that may have started in new bands or projects since COVID began. And also getting to connect with artists that would like to reconnect with the arts scene in Rochester- now that more folks are participating in it." Forsman said.

Cafe Steam partnered with Treedome, which is a neighboring space for artists, in pre-pandemic times. Together both organizations worked to push this specific event then and now.

Nathaniel Nelson, owner of Treedome, expressed that open mics can be incredibly valuable to emerging artists.

"Open mic is a great way for people to get started, but without that- they don’t really have that option. They can do things online, but they’re not really performing in front of people. So, this gets people back into the groove of performing and allows new, upstart people to try things out." Nelson said.

Local bands or those from the Twin Cities began their careers with open mics, especially Good Morning Bedlam at Cafe Steam.

Cafe Steam will continue to hold open mics every first Thursday of the month, with the next event scheduled for August 4.