While the rest of the nation endures the open casting calls for another season of “American Idol,” the Saint Louis University community will have the opportunity to enjoy the musical stylings of its own batch of unknown artists at the Billiken Club’s Feb. 14 open mic night.

Christine Sanley and Liz Deichmann, co-booking managers for the Billiken Club, hope that this evening of entertainment will cement the tradition of open mic nights in the venue.

While the open mic nights last school year were successful, Sanley said last semester’s open mic offering “didn’t go very well, but we’re giving it another shot [because] it’s an avenue for student musicians to showcase their craft.”

“The amount of musicians [we know about] on campus is very small,” Sanley said about a possible reason for last semester’s lackluster mic night.

Deichmann said that this semester, however, “It will be nice to see what musicians [on campus] have been hiding.”

The Billiken Club has adopted a new strategy to bring in musicians this semester.

“We’re going to promote the hell out of it,” Sanley said, referencing fliers posted around campus and distributed by hand later this month.

The Billiken Club will also sponsor “Rock the Quad” on Feb. 14. The club will use KSLU’s equipment to play music in the quad as students make their way across campus, Deichmann said.

Sanley stressed student involvement in the planning of the open mic evening and its promotion.

“It’s very student-run: We’re putting it on, we’re making the arrangements,” she said.

SLU students might be behind the event, but they aren’t the only ones who can take advantage of the open platform; the general public is also welcome to participate. Sanley said that the event was left open in hopes to generate more interest and enhance the evening.

“If there’s a large number of participants, it takes the edge off [for student performers] and it becomes a collective musical experience,” Sanley said.

Deichmann said that making the event open to the public fits in with the club’s mission.

“The Billiken Club does exist to help SLU students expand their musical knowledge, [but] we’re also an asset to the St. Louis musical scene.”

Students will benefit from the public’s involvement, Deichmann said, as it will “make them aware of other musicians working in St. Louis.”

The fact that the event falls on Valentine’s Day is a happy accident, according to Sanley.

“I don’t like Valentine’s Day. I’m excited to take part in a fun event that doesn’t involve conversation hearts.”

Tone-deaf students can take part in the event as well, as the microphone is open to more than strictly musical offerings.
“Open mic night doesn’t mean you have to be a musician,” Deichmann said. “We’re open to poetry or spoken word . pretty much anything.”

Participation is free and easy, with a performance spot offered to anyone in the audience with a flair for expression. Showing up by 7 p.m. should be enough to secure a spot on the evening’s roster.

“We’d hate to structure it and limit ourselves,” Deichmann said. “We try to make it as receptive to the crowd as possible.”

Keri Massa, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, welcomes the opportunity to embrace greater St. Louis’ talents.
“I like the idea that it’s not just open to students,” Massa said. “It’s open to outsiders who we haven’t heard before.”

Massa is also intrigued by the potential for diversified acts and hopes that stand-up comedy will be involved.

Despite her enthusiasm, Massa was critical of the timing of the event, saying that she would go if it weren’t such a busy holiday, and that people might have alternate romantic plans for the evening.

Both of the club’s booking managers said they plan to continue featuring open mic nights, perhaps on a monthly basis.