Open mic night brings music and community to The Nomad

Last Thursday’s open mic night at The No­mad Café (just north of Kanab, by the port of entry) was alive with creativity, laughter, and hometown talent. The featured artist for the evening was Kanab’s own Eureka!, who debuted two origi­nal songs, Emaline and Gears of War.

Photos by Jan Wieneke.

In true Nomad fash­ion, the night also fea­tured a mix of local musicians and poets sharing the stage. Per­formers brought a blend of originals and covers on guitar, ukulele and harmonica. Pets are welcome, and a couple of furry audience mem­bers even joined in on one of Bobbi and Sky Chaney’s numbers! The spoken word perfor­mances were equally engaging, from Tim Clarke’s hilarious non­sense rhymes that had the crowd laughing out loud, to Ashley Rankin’s moving desert-inspired poetry that reflected the thought-provoking nature of our south­western landscape.

Nomad owner Jason Sander said, “When we started open mic nights at Nomad, we just wanted to create a space for people to put themselves out there, knowing that a super supportive community would be there to cheer them on. That’s what we have here, and we love it.”

If you missed it, don’t worry - Nomad’s next open mic night is coming up on Thursday, November 20. Follow Nomad on Facebook for more dates. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and performances begin at 7 p.m. Anyone is welcome to perform - just come in and put your name on the list. It’s a safe, encouraging place to try new things. Arrive early to grab a good seat, enjoy a drink or a bite to eat, and support Kanab’s growing com­munity of artists and performers.