I’m spending a month in Portland, OR and checking out the Open Mic scene. I’ll be posting my experiences here and hopefully some recordings of me playing once I get my bearings.

The Ranger Station is a cool bar with indoor and outdoor seating. In addition to booze, the bar menu includes small plates, salads, main dishes and desserts. I had the “Bucker’s Brussels” and they were delicious!

The open mic here takes center stage with a PA built for rocking the venue. This well-run, all-night Open Mic starts at 8:30PM with “walk-in” players (sign-ups at 8PM), followed by a 10PM featured artist and then at 10:30PM, players who have signed up earlier in the day on the Facebook Group. Even so, you can continue to burn the midnight oil with the “overflow” players who play from 1AM until closing.

The bar was packed on this Thursday night with musicians and fans and everyone was supportive of all the acts. Musical genres were across the board including pop, folk, electronica and rock.

I will definitely be returning to this open mic with guitar in hand. Hope to see you there!

Ranger Station
4260 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
Portland, Or. 97215
503-894-8455
Open mic : Thursday 8:30-1AM+