An Era of Open Mic Night and Live Music in 2018
By Andi Nicole
Among the many towns in Tampa Bay known for live, local music, is quaint downtown Dunedin, Florida. Just north of Clearwater and west of Oldsmar, lovers of live music and craft beer alike come from around the bay to enjoy the live tunes and relaxed atmosphere at staples like the Dunedin Brewery. For our spotlight on live music this month, Andi Imaging stopped into another great venue for live music.
It’s a hidden gem called “H.O.B.,” for House of Beer. While there’s no surprise Dunedin House of Beer brews up their own craft beer, (40 different HOB Brewing Co. home brews on tap!), they’ve also been brewing up local music talent. For over two years Mark Mniece of Mark Roland Music has been strumming his guitar and singing a range of rock and pop songs every Thursday night. Shortly after he started performing solo, Mniece opened the floor to other musicians, leading to a well-received open mic night.
Main bartender for the weekly event, Samantha Gonzalez states, “Open mic started off with a group of strangers who became friends over craft beer and music. Mark was the original and brought in a great crowd for a long time. As it turned from a solo gig to open mic, people came to listen. I would say we had four people who regularly took turns bringing in a crowd. From Mark Mniece [of Mark Roland Music], the infamous Jarrell, to Erik Burrows, and Ben Berger.”
Gonzalez went on to explain that a few of the open mic regulars aren’t able to play as much these days; so, while open mic night has been put on hold, Dunedin HOB still has grand plans to host live music in 2018. The plan this year is to “Finish expanding our brewery and opening it to the public, in order to have a far more spacious area for larger live music productions”, states Gonzalez. In addition, she cheerfully points out “We have a few events during the year with live music on our back patio, and our craft beer festival — a two-day event [this] year!” (See list of events below).
HOB’s regulars will remember Thursday nights for it’s fun, friendly mix of vibes with chill jam sessions ranging from pop covers to blues, rock, 90’s grunge, and even country songs such as “I’ve got Friends in Low Places,” (leaving heartfelt memories of singing and dancing along in a small crowd). The music was always fun and relatable with passionate vocals. “House of Beer is a staple of Dunedin and adds to the area’s small-town charm. It brings locals and travelers together. I go there several times a week”, describes HOB regular, Jessica Schaaf.
Tim Hoult who has been playing HOB’s open mic night for about six months is known for his comical, yet well-executed pop covers like Taylor Swift’s, Shake it Off. HOB’s Hoult plans to continue shaking it off for the crowd, with eyes set on Black Crow Coffee in downtown St. Pete. “I think they do an open mic night on Saturday,” says Hoult.
When asked what he likes about playing open mic, Mniece states, “I just really enjoy getting together with people who are passionate about playing music and finding out what happens when we jam together. That’s probably the best part — when two or more people who have never played together before kind of pow-wow for a minute, then just say, ‘Ok let’s do it!’ Sometimes it’s a partial train-wreck”, Mniece laughs, “But a lot of times something amazing happens that can’t really be predicted or rehearsed. Like Tim’s [Hoult’s] version of Hit Me Baby One More Time… I never could’ve predicted that would be so fun to twist-up and rock-out for people.” When asked what’s next for Mark Roland Music, Mniece points out his scheduled performance at the Big Easy Bar in Ybor on January 13th from 2:00 until 5:00 PM.
For more live music brought to you by HOB House of Beer Brewing Co.:
In March, look for the 7th Annual Craft Beer Fest hosting a list of live bands (TBA) from 6:30 pm – 2:30am. The family friendly event will have free admission, local food and arts and crafts!
In May, The Dunedin House of Beer Presents the Inaugural Downtown Clearwater Beer Fest hosting more local bands. Cleveland Street is shut down and the day-festival kicks off at 11:30am with a list of bands playing until 12:30am.
In addition, Dunedin House of Beer brings you three days of live music at Octoberfest each year in Coachman Park Waterfront.
For more information visit dunedinhob.com or facebook.com/HOBDunedin
Contact Andi Nicole at [email protected]. Follow @andi.imaging.