The video above is a solid walkthrough of houston open mics — sixteen of them, to be exact — filmed over the course of a month spent exploring the city's music scene. David Bridwell hit open mics across Houston and surrounding areas, covering every night of the week from Sunday through Saturday. If you're a songwriter or musician trying to figure out where to play, or you just want to see what these bars, breweries, and restaurants actually look like inside, this is a good place to start.
Where Are the Best Open Mics in Houston?
Houston has open mics running every single night of the week, spread across the city and into surrounding towns like Conroe, Spring, and Montgomery. Several of the strongest ones are organized by JB Zay and the Plug and Play Music Group, which curates venues and builds solid crowds of actual listeners. Here's the full list of open mics featured in the video:
- Jailhouse Saloon — An open jam up in Spring hosted by Electric Ed and the Welders, set in a building that was apparently once an actual jailhouse
- JP Hopp's House — A Sunday songwriter open mic with a listening audience and a warm, welcoming room run by Pam and hosted by Van Buchanan
- The Corner Pub — Located in downtown Conroe, hosted by the Casual Heathens, known as a good songwriter spot with heavy wood furniture and a solid interior
- The Farm Drinkery — A Monday open mic hosted by Justin Guy with a smaller crowd and a fun flip-night coin toss for free drinks at the bar
- Ladybirds — A Monday night Plug and Play open mic hosted by JB Zay with a well-curated crowd and good energy
- Onion Creek — Tuesday open mic hosted by The Real Nathan Ray with good food and an intimate setup near a fireplace
- 1810 Ojaman — A popular Tuesday night spot hosted by Van Buchanan that tends to fill up fast, with musicians playing guitar outside while people wait
- Avant Garden — Probably the most talked-about open mic in Houston, with a big outdoor stage and long sign-up lines, hosted by JBJ
- Swanny's Grill — A Tuesday songwriter spot recommended by the older crowd, breezy atmosphere, hosted by Chuck Collins
- Cowboy Surfer — Open mics on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a nice stage, great sound system, and an oddball cowboy-meets-surfer theme
- Dino's Den — A Wednesday open mic hosted by JB Zay in a tight, intimate room with a curtain and a packed crowd that actually listens
- House of Blues — Downtown Houston's Wednesday open mic hosted by Yurio Rios, drawing a different crowd thanks to its location near hotels and conference centers
- Acadia Bar — A bit of a drive but worth it, hosted by the Heavy Honeys, with a real stage and a proper sound engineer
- The Owl — A Thursday Plug and Play spot hosted by The Real Nathan Ray where the music happens inside an old bank vault and gets projected throughout the venue
- Cork This Tap That — A Friday night open mic up in Montgomery hosted by John Miller, with a special energy since the owners listen and sometimes book performers for gigs
- Megaton Brewery — A Saturday afternoon open mic in a big venue hosted by DC the Musician, perfect for a weekend beer and some tunes
How to Find Houston Open Mics
One of the best resources mentioned is the Houston Open Micros Facebook group, where Terry Thompson regularly posts updated listings of open mics across the area. That's a good starting point, but word of mouth matters too — once you show up to a few, people will point you toward others. The Plug and Play Music Group also maintains a network of curated open mics that are consistently well-run. Between those sources and this video, you've got a pretty complete map of where to play on any given night in Houston.