The WolfJuice Open Mic was a legendary community based event meant to give young people not only a stage but also an artistic network. I started the Open Mic with my cousin Facade HQ (known as Mega Mission at the time) and ran it for close to 5 years.
The first location we used had no stage but what they did have was a slow Wednesday night. It was a dive bar downtown Jersey City and the event helped them make money on a night where they usually wouldn't.
The second location we used was a new hip hop theme Mexican cuisine serving restaurant called The Dopeness. This is where the event really grew its wings and became a community staple. It is also where we got a surprise visit from Kanye West.
Unfortunately The Dopeness closed and we moved the Open Mic to a spot in Jersey City called Cafe Sole. At the time Cafe Sole was a closed down restaurant that only did some events. Twice a month we turned it into a cash cow, catering food, serving drinks and entertaining folks. We ended up rebranding Cafe Sole as the premier event space for the area.
We did the last leg of the Open Mic at a residential art space I helped develop called Mary Mike. We added an art gallery element to the incarnation of the show that really brought the art community together both sonically and visually.
Organizing an Open Mic with over 20 performers each show, running security, facilitating artist and making sure sound and ambiance is on point was very taxing. But the Open Mic opened so many doors for me and made me a legend where I'm from. A lot of young artists really benefited from the long running show.
WOLFJUICE OPEN MIC IN THE PRESS
