SPEAKER_01 0:09

Hey everyone, welcome to the video podcast. Because art isn't just about what we think. It's about the community we built together. So gravity is company. And let's grow with creativity side by side. Music is our hero podcast for creativity, community, and inspiration to come to life.

SPEAKER_03 0:43

All right, here I am today at Cosmic Cafe with Michelle Poles and Tripp Boyd, who uh in the first season I was here and I talked to Tripp basically about his music and things like that. Talked to Michelle about bartending. We've never really fully have dove into her actual artist life. Uh maybe we'll do that one day. Uh, but obviously she does all kinds of things. And I decided to come back because this is a seasonal uh venue, cafe place, and why not? Because now's the season that it's opened. When I talked to them before, it was closing. So it wasn't really the best time. So Trip hosts a open bike here every Friday during this season. It's from 5 30 to 7 30, and Michelle bartends all the time here.

SPEAKER_04 1:28

Um we're not gonna go too deep into bartending. You're right, all right.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

If we quiz you, what's the one thing you should do at this bar when you see Michelle? I hope you know the answer. You should always tip your bartender. All right. I think that was episode three of season one. Uh if you if you need any education. Yeah, so the open mic, and also you guys do live sound on weekends. Is that things?

SPEAKER_04 1:53

We have live music here on the weekends, um, Saturdays and Sundays from one to four. And it's really exciting because it's a great opportunity for uh local artists to come and play in a couple of years.

SPEAKER_03 2:05

So that's basically you book guys, you book like uh original or they play cover, they play whatever they want.

SPEAKER_04 2:11

They play well the formula is they like um covers and originals. You can do some originals as long as you do covers and it's uh PG or G rated because there's a lot of kids running around here, especially in the afternoon on a weekend.

SPEAKER_03 2:29

Yes, that is a good point.

SPEAKER_04 2:30

And but you know, it's such a good gig. So many musician friends say this is one of the best gigs they ever get all year because it's really beautiful, it's very chill, it um it pays, and um you can also collect tips. So depending on how industrious you are, you know, ka ching and uh lunch and um and you know a beer or two. I mean, what more? And there's so much support for it. People love to.

SPEAKER_03 2:59

How about would you ever consider doing an event with a DJ? Ooh. Because I'm brainstorming right now. Maybe we could do something creative and good for the community that maybe a kind of like a fundraiser or something that we did an event like that for the community last year.

SPEAKER_04 3:17

It was the art in protest event.

SPEAKER_03 3:18

Yes, I remember. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:20

And we did music, theater, giant puppets, and interactive art, interactive 2D art. And um we I'm all about community and the arts. So we can definitely find a way to bring the community in for a good cause with a DJ and some other interactive art activity.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

So we'll talk, we'll talk. We'll talk. Look at I already got a gig out of this, I feel like. It pays beers and food. I was in. I was like, how do I love you? How do I get in? How do I get in on this? Um, all right, so awesome. Anything else in the arts or creative that's going on with Cosmic, or is that is that where um I know last week there was um uh a book reading here.

SPEAKER_04 4:03

It was uh for the queer community. There's a poster over there.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

I wasn't able to make it, but they Was it like a uh uh story time, like a drag queen story time?

SPEAKER_04 4:12

Not drag.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

Oh, it was it? Okay, I know I okay.

SPEAKER_04 4:16

But we would do that here. They do um every so often they do um what is it called? About the bullies, meaning um pit bulls, uh pit bull adoption.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

Um cosmic's all around a a hub of love.

SPEAKER_04 4:33

It is a hub of love. And we also do um get out the vote um events before it's time to vote, which is coming up.

SPEAKER_03 4:42

It's coming up, and I think that I think that everyone vote. Michelle and I should never get together on a podcast again now that I just remembered what happens, and I never want to leave when I'm here. It's so much fun, right? Yeah, it's and trip and I haven't even had a chance to be able to do that. Trip doesn't even exist, and this is promoting his open mic, so but we just, you know. So yeah, so um, yeah, so it's a great place for art, the arts, expression, love, uh community, and all that. Uh yeah, so Michelle's bartending while we're doing this, so she'll be in and out here and there. Uh so yeah, so Tripp does his uh open mic here seasonally. Just started back up, what, like two weeks ago?

SPEAKER_06 5:18

Yeah, a couple of weeks ago. Um and so far, so good. The weather's been cooperating with us, which it doesn't always do that this time of year. But uh yeah, I love it here. This is this is my dream job.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Yeah. What made you want to start doing hosting open mics?

SPEAKER_06 5:34

I actually never even thought about it. It the opportunity just occurred. You had you'll have to talk to Michelle about that. She passed my name along, and uh they asked me if I could if I would do it, and I said, of course. Um, so yeah, this has turned out awesome for me.

SPEAKER_03 5:50

And what do you feel is uh important like for like about open mics, like for the local scene in the community? Why do you feel like it's something that you want to do and something that is important?

SPEAKER_06 6:00

Um the one thing I really love about this open mic and some others too. That I mean, we have a good community of musicians here, good singer-songwriters. It's a lot of the same people every week.

SPEAKER_04 6:14

And um but there are new people who uh pop in.

SPEAKER_06 6:17

That too. Uh, but also, you know, it's this is a little different. We do close a little earlier before everyone else, you know. So a lot of us stick around because it's still early on Friday night, and a lot a lot of times we'll just sit around maybe up to an hour after and just jam.

SPEAKER_04 6:33

But and we also have dance party every now and then.

SPEAKER_06 6:35

Oh, yeah, dance party when Leto shows up and uh anyway he has time to do one of his songs at the end. We all get up and we dance. I no other uh open mic does that. The only one in the city that has dances. We we are the only one that has dances.

SPEAKER_03 6:51

She can bust a move for us all, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:52

Has she ever been here bust for the dance party? Yeah, she was here for one of them. Was she?

SPEAKER_03 6:57

Nice, and very important thing to remember, like Michelle mentioned about music on the weekends, is you do have to uh just watch your lyrics and your language because it is an area where people are running around and children are walking around, and Bongo Billy didn't didn't really know that. And that's his one's one thing. He was kind of quiet. He's like, I don't care about freaking.

SPEAKER_04 7:25

I think there were that many people around that time. You respect it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:30

He just starts yelling, yeah. Bongo Billy. Um what's one of what's one of the uh what's one of the craziest experiences you've had here? Anything out of it.

SPEAKER_04 7:42

Remember when that whole gaggle of priests showed up in their long black gowns, very kind of sexy black gowns. Wow, you were attracted. And because they were all young and tall. Every single one of them was tall and attractive. And there were like 12 of them.

SPEAKER_03 7:59

Young, tall, attractive priests.

SPEAKER_04 8:01

And they just came in and were like, what's going on? They were on um they were en route from Rome to their um home in Nebraska or something like that.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

I think you have a bar.

SPEAKER_04 8:15

I think you have a oh, I have a patron. I'll take a story. Some of them had drinks and tell them about the Irish song they saw. Oh, right. Uh what was the song? Um The Fields of Ath and Rai was beautiful.

SPEAKER_06 8:29

Yeah, one it turns out one of the uh priests, uh great guitar player, great singer. And uh they were all I actually have video of it still somewhere in my phone. But uh the guy got up there and played. It was it was awesome, and uh everybody sang along, you know, on the chorus. It was uh it was uh yeah, it was quite an experience.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

And they showed up on a bus?

SPEAKER_06 8:52

No, I said they what they they had they walked off? Yeah, you know what's weird. I I never really got that, but they just they had like a long layover, and for some reason they were down in the area.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

So they didn't even know it was here, they just kind of stumbled.

SPEAKER_06 9:05

Yeah, they they just kind of stumbled on to it.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

You were at the art museum? Okay, wow. Well that's that's that's uh that's pretty amazing. Has there been ever a performance here at Cosmic that kind of blew you away? You were like, wow.

SPEAKER_06 9:20

Um wish God I can't. I I'm I'm sure I probably probably like me. Like there's so many. It's like how do I it would have to be somebody that I'd never seen before. Because I've seen a lot of these people over and over, and they're really exactly and uh so I'm a little jaded because I'm used to them being exactly I know what you mean. Someone that sticks out. Um yeah, you know, I it's funny, I I know I have, but I just nothing's coming, you know, off.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

Has there any ever been like any um like with your equipment or the crowd or the performers, like any kind of like horror stories? Any horror stories? Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 9:57

Uh there are ghosts in my that live in my PA. And so some days some channels work better than others, and some days I'm I'm just having to switch microphones from one channel to another until it works. But it always works, yeah. It's nothing horrible yet.

SPEAKER_03 10:18

Nothing horrible, nothing.

SPEAKER_06 10:20

I am prepared. I actually I actually have a backup PA in my uh car. Yeah. That's good. That's a good thing to know. Justing, you know, you'd be around music on it.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

And I have I have to change the keg. She has to change the keg. So yeah, so Michelle, you know, good thing she talked a little bit because she might not talk much more. And what about? I mean, it's a really open area. So do you ever have like people stumble in and they just start enjoying what you've created?

SPEAKER_06 10:48

A lot of times you can just look out and people will just be standing out there. Um, I mean, I guess you can turn the camera around later, but yeah, I mean, there's Kelly Drives right there. Yeah. Uh and uh, you know, you we we do get a lot of people. Um, they'll just sit there and stop for a while and you know, stare. And you can tell, you can tell when people are engaged or not. Uh, but but yeah, that's always surprising because uh it's kind of it's also kind of a transient crowd here. You know, some people are just here to grab something to eat and leave, and then a lot of times um, you know, uh you'll see people coming and eat, and next thing you know, they're sticking around for the whole thing. In fact, that's what I began to notice last year that I'm not saying anything bad about other open mics, but I I I counted one open mic last year that there were literally like 20 people here watching who were not performing. Right. They were just 20 people. I mean, some of them are our friends. We do have a group of friends that uh do come here. They don't, you know, they're not musicians, they don't play. Or or one of them's a drummer and he doesn't want to play, uh, as Frank. Um, but uh but uh but yeah, we do we do get friends around it's it's kind of a happening on Friday. It's Friday night, it's summertime.

SPEAKER_03 12:04

Yeah, you know, um it's good vibes. I love it here. Yeah, I love it here. What's um what do you think is like one of your biggest challenges hosting an open mic?

SPEAKER_06 12:14

What is something that oh uh because of the hours here, it's a little wonky because there's nobody here when we start, because people are still getting off work, yeah. And then they get down here, and um uh so all of a sudden, so we, you know, at one point we'll start you know closing at eight. But uh the challenge is when you have just enough people to get you from seven o'clock to eight o'clock, and then two or three more people show up. So you're trying to um, you know, you're you're trying to cram six people in time slots that are available for only four people. Right. So that's the that that's the that's my been my biggest challenge. That's what I thought you were gonna say. And you know, we're we've we've been able to go a little past. So they've always been pretty lean.

SPEAKER_03 13:07

You probably just gotta watch the volume, maybe. Is that is that the thing? You gotta just watch your volume, or just because it's no, no, it's because this place closes.

SPEAKER_06 13:14

Yeah, it's just say, yeah, they want to close and they want just like any restaurant at closing time, they want to get out of here. Yeah, they want to get out, and people can't just be hanging out. Yeah, so there's that.

SPEAKER_03 13:23

Yeah. Um do you have many like nervous people ever show up, or is it a lot of like experienced open makers?

SPEAKER_06 13:31

That's a good question. Uh look at Michelle. Can we get her real quick? Oh, oh, oh, yeah. There we go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 13:46

What do you think separates a there's probably some bad open mics out there. I don't know. Is there? Do you go to you go to a lot of open mics. What do you think separates a good open mic and a bad open mic?

SPEAKER_06 13:59

Like what's the difference when you're I heard a story last week um from can I name can I name yeah, I'm not I'm not throwing anybody under the bus who was here last week. Okay. And he was not a fan of what's currently going on in the Okay. They kind of told him one thing, kind of just they made him look bad on stage. Okay. Because of what they had agreed on time limit and songs. He's like, I'm not going back.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

Okay. And so what so what happened? They told him he had X amount of minutes and he did it.

SPEAKER_06 14:33

Yeah, and then they said, Okay, now that's your two songs. And he said, No, you said I could have 10 minutes. The guy said, No, I didn't agree to that. And they did and they did all that while he's on stage. So that to me, and and to be honest with you, I've I've been there a couple of times, I haven't performed, but uh I'm not, you know, I didn't I didn't get a good vibe from the guy. So yeah, I mean, I guess that could have a lot to do with. I mean, there are some other really good ones. Frankie at uh Philadelphia Brewing Company, he's great. Uh that's what makes that open mic fun to go to. Yeah. And even Kelvin down in uh South Philly at Ray's happy birthday bar. Kelvin is a character and he makes open mic fun down there. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:13

You have to start doing your thing, right?

SPEAKER_06 15:15

I'm I'm the boss, I can do what I want to, unless Michelle tells me otherwise.

SPEAKER_03 15:19

So, what your story was that you kind of just told me. So that's the you told me about people that you feel do a good job or a bad job, but what's the difference between a good open mic and a bad open mic?

SPEAKER_06 15:32

I think organ being organized, yeah, which is what I really struggle with. Um just I don't know, just having a personality, I think. Yeah, um you know, keep people engaged. I've been to another open mic where uh I don't know the girls' names, therefore I can't um say it. Um but I went there, the person would finish, and then she'd go up, and then the next person, nothing was said, no music, no nothing in between, no, hey, the next you know, no introducing the next performer. Nothing. So they weren't hosting. Literally nothing. Yeah. So you know, yeah, that's a different okay. Something to make it fun.

SPEAKER_04 16:16

Yeah, it seems to me that hosting open mic is kind of like even like teaching in a classroom or being an actor. You know, you have to engage with your audience. Yeah. And sometimes you're feeling different feelings and you're connecting with certain people and you're connecting with the wider audience, and you're telling jokes, you're telling personal stories, you're remembering things about specific people who come there and and positive things. Yeah. So it makes everybody feel like like they want to come back.

SPEAKER_03 16:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:49

And like they belong, and it's kind of like a family.

SPEAKER_03 16:53

Yeah. Yeah. Now, how do you feel about which I feel like doesn't happen here because this is kind of out in its own land? Yes. Um, so when I used to host an open mic, it was like venues all over the place. So someone would go in, sign up, leave, go down the street, sign up, know that they had to be at 9 30 here, perform there, come here, leave. How do you feel about those people?

SPEAKER_04 17:20

I don't know. I don't think there are a lot of places to go.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

I mean, it's kind of like the body is here. But it's like uh, but as far as open mics and like open mic etiquette. Yeah, that's that's this is how I feel. Do you want to feel? Okay. Jerry, how do you feel? This is how I feel. So if it's a Monday night, you can't expect people like I'll I'll say Bongo Billy's name because it's fine, and he loves when he's talking about he, you know, that was his thing. He would hate when people would come, perform, and leave. And I'm like, well, Bongo, if they stay for like two hours, I mean, it's an open mic. You can't expect people to stay all night. So I know you're mad, and like I used to get a little mad, but then I had to put it into perspective. Like, people gotta work, people gotta do things. But when you go and you sign up and you don't support the host, you don't support the venue, you just bounce to another place, you get in on their list real quick, you don't do any support, then you bounce back to where you because you got there just in time to do your performance, and then you leave again. So you didn't like you didn't you didn't network, you didn't talk to any other artist, you didn't support the venue, you didn't support the host. So that's a pet peeve of mine.

SPEAKER_04 18:27

I can totally if people do that, and that's like a if you're in the city, I can relate to that, especially because I know that Peg who owns this whole outfit and is very supportive of music and and of us and the work we do here, but and she's running a business, so she likes it when people come and spend money in an establishment. So if people were to do that, bounce from here to here and not spend any money. Or get a water why why are why are they here? Why are we doing this? Why are we doing this? And that's what doesn't benefit them.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

That's what people some people don't understand is some places don't want to do open mics because they're not bringing any business. So yeah, why what? They're just gonna, you know, especially if people don't just drink water. Like we get it though. I mean, artists are broke, right? So it it it sucks, but you have to at least buy a bottle of water.

SPEAKER_04 19:18

Right, but we have here, isn't it true, Trip? Um, there are people who come just to watch, too.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

Yeah, so that's that's great because that's something that he mentioned about here that is a struggle at some open mics, is you can't get the actual community outside of the music world. You can't get the actual neighborhood in.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

Well, that's what we want. That's what that's what the goal is for any open mics.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

The goal is because then you don't gotta depend on the on the starving artists, they can do their art, people are getting free entertainment, and hopefully it's good.

SPEAKER_04 19:46

And right, and music is a language that speaks to everyone. Yeah, you don't have to be a musician to to love music. Yeah, it's in the heart. It's the first sound that you hear when you're in the womb. Yeah. Is your mother's heartbeat?

SPEAKER_03 19:59

Do that again. Um, now let's talk about cosmic again. So you guys have a beautiful menu, food menu?

SPEAKER_04 20:08

Yes, it's all like farm to table. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:13

What kind of what's um lots of vegetarian stuff, healthy. Like I had a vegetarian protein bar when I got here, and I because I was really hungry and it was good, it hit the spot.

SPEAKER_03 20:24

Wait, was it a homemade? Like, did they make it? It's not in like a package.

SPEAKER_04 20:28

Yes. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_03 20:29

Yeah, never had one of those.

SPEAKER_04 20:31

Yeah. And I get the grab and go sandwiches. I know you always get like a good sandwich or a veggie bird.

SPEAKER_06 20:38

I'll get a special. Yeah. I got the Rachel today. Turkey coleslaw and Russian dressing. So Swiss cheese, yes. It was good. That's part, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah. It's always good. That's what I've done.

unknown 20:49

I know.

SPEAKER_04 20:49

That's why I get here early so I can eat. Dave likes to get the turkey chili every time he comes here. And turkey chili is good. It's delish. And all the beers, all the drinks here are from Pennsylvania. That's part of the um uh whatever call, you know, the thing. Local? Uh uh that allows this pot this um container bar to happen. We had to agree to buy everything from Pennsylvania. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

Um, they um it was so they didn't have to get an actual liquor license. They partnered with Sly Fox. Yes, yes, yes. They partnered with Sly Fox and they sell all Sly Fox products, and then they had to sell everything in which I like that.

SPEAKER_04 21:35

I think we partnered with Freycon. Is that Eric?

SPEAKER_06 21:38

Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_04 21:39

Eric, who's one of the actors in the play I just produced. Okay. I'm the president of the uh Pennsylvania Dramatist Center, and we just produced this new play. And Eric was one of the actors. Yes, I played Tommy. You're not on it. Get your face right here. Get in the microphone. Get over here. How did you play?

SPEAKER_00 22:07

I played Tommy, the older brother of the main character.

SPEAKER_04 22:11

Yeah, it took place in 1985. The play already happened, right?

SPEAKER_03 22:14

Yeah, it already happened. How to go. How to go.

SPEAKER_04 22:17

It went great. Yeah. It was amazing. Yeah, it was a lot of heart. A lot of heart.

SPEAKER_03 22:24

I love that. Awesome. Well, nice to meet you. Tommy.

SPEAKER_04 22:30

Awesome.

SPEAKER_06 22:31

I think I'm getting I'm I'm catching a vibe here that people are kind of ready to start this thing, baby. All right, cool. Yeah, so we can get started.

SPEAKER_04 22:38

And then Larry, and then they want to be three or four.

SPEAKER_03 22:43

Yeah, this was just a quick little uh podcast that I wanted to do with them. I mean, I could put this out whenever. I don't even have to wait. It was so short. Um but yeah, if you're in the Philly area, please come check out Cosmic. If you're a local artist and you're looking for somewhere to play, definitely come check out the open mic. You'll be able to meet both of these wonderful people, and then maybe you'll get booked uh on a weekend and be able to do something cool here in Philly.

SPEAKER_04 23:07

Oh, can I say, can I put a plug in? Of course. So our band, Trip and I, are in a band called Don't Fall In, and we'll be playing here at the Cosmic on May 23rd. Okay. Will this will you be rolling this out? May yeah. I can put this out. May 23rd. Saturday, May 23rd, 1 to 4.

SPEAKER_03 23:23

Saturday, May 23rd, 1 to 4. Yes. Yes. Okay. And another local artist. And is it free? And it's free I guess it's free. It's free. People just want to do that.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

It's totally free to the public. That's another beautiful thing about this gig. Yeah. That it's free. It doesn't cost people anything. Okay. They can tip. And you should tip the musicians.

SPEAKER_03 23:44

We're not going down. But yeah, the tips are great.

SPEAKER_04 23:48

Tips are great. And then um, sorry, the poets are playing um my other band um uh for West Philly Porch Fest on May 30th.

SPEAKER_03 23:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 23:59

At 4 o'clock.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

All right, cool. So Poets and Don't Fall In May 23rd, May 30th. Um, open mic every Friday, uh weather permitting until like October.

SPEAKER_06 24:12

5 30 to 8 o'clock. Uh our last one is Dance Party to follow. So we'll be going up to there Friday nights, weather permitting.

SPEAKER_04 24:20

And Halloween we wore costumes. Everyone wore a costume. It was fun. We did we close enough again this year. We'll probably and we had a special drink called the um blood clot.

SPEAKER_06 24:30

Right, right, sounds fantastic. Wait, that's not funny because I had a blood clot last year. Remember back in February when I had a blood clot? Sorry. Um, it's okay. I'm I'm I'm over it.

SPEAKER_04 24:40

Um sorry, didn't want everyone to know that we used the actual thing and the drink.

SPEAKER_03 24:45

Well, that's why it was so potent. Such a good drink and worth the money. It was real blood. All right, we're going nowhere now with this conversation. So we could keep plugging and talking, but Trip does have to get this open mic started. So thank you guys for good work. Thank you for taking the time.

SPEAKER_05 25:02

That's it. Till next time, until we see here again. Enjoy.

SPEAKER_02 25:12

Until next time, keep creating, keep connecting, and keep building together. Remember, we're in this together. So let's keep each other shine alive.