Oceanside's Barrier Brewery open mic is open to all

On the last Friday in June, the Barrier Brewery Open Mic filled their back room with dozens of audience members who raged with all kinds of performers for three hours.

The Barrier Brewery Open Mic is the last Friday of every month. Dave Wolfsohn has taken up the torch as host from Tony Hamilton since December, 2023. Anyone can sign up between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. for that open mic night.

“Tony [Hamilton] started that open mic and then moved to Brooklyn,” Wolfsohn said. “They had new hosts every month, so I reached out and said, ‘It’s my dream to do this, can I help you?’ And things worked out so beautifully.”

The vibe he’s going for with these open mics is peace, joy and acceptance. On June 28, when the house band wasn’t prepared to play with one 14-year-old, Joseph Giudice, he just sang a capella.

“And the whole room embraced him,” Wolfsohn said.

Overall, the crowd at the open mic included people in their teens through 50s, especially 20s and 30s. There were some families, and a lot of small groups of friends from different walks of life.

“People love it,” Wolfsohn said. “It’s a very big surprise. Because I think people really dig the vibe that I’m going for, and I think they add to it and inspire me. It’s like rallying inspiration, because the more people show up and I realize how important it is that they all have a place to go and perform, it just fills me with joy and I know I’m doing the right thing.”

But mostly the open mic just draws a wide range of audience members who are interested in performing arts.

“All types of arts are welcome: poetry, comedy, visual arts, beat makers, producers,” Wolfsohn said. “The goal is to provide a safe space for artists to network, share their craft and be inspired by other artists.”

For artists like Kelsea May Moore, the open mic offers a chance to get a start in the music world and broaden her horizons.

“I just really like how open it is,” Moore said. “I feel really comfortable here. Making new friends is awesome when you’re trying to get your footing in music.”

The artists are really grateful to have this space in which to express themselves.

“To be in a room that is supporting, with people in all phases of their artistry, I just think is awesome,” said Melanie H.D. Sirof.

Sirof is a poet, and she finds that when you’re presenting poetry at a music-focused open mic, you have to get the audience to want to listen.

“I have three nearly grown kids, and this parenting stuff is strange and interesting, and a wild ride,” Sirof said. “People react to that [with], ‘Oh yeah, me too’. Sometimes they react to it as the kid who was giving their parents the wild ride, and sometimes they react to it as the parent who is parenting through it all. To know that there’s community. To give voice to what I think is so universal.”

The open mic nights are ongoing, with no end in sight. You can catch them on the last Friday of every month at Barrier Brewery at 3001 New Street. Be there at 8 p.m. to watch, or 7 p.m. to sign up to perform.