Rustic Barn, Rural Rock – an Article by Seth Casale

People attend open mic evenings for myriad reasons, be it networking with other musicians, workshopping new material, overcoming the fear and anxiety of performing, or simply to listen to local artists in a highly personal environment.  No matter what your rationale might be, Thursday night open mic at Rustic Barn should fit the bill.  The great food and wait staff are an added bonus.

Since 2012 Jason and Jody Brenenstuhl have been running this open mic continuously, with the exception of times of mandatory Covid shutdown.  Jason ran the sound while Jody ran the bar until 2020 when they decided to take on some help due to the volume that a successful open mic can bring in.  Enter Danny Watson, whom some may know from his band River Junction, to help out running the sound and acting as the M.C. of the evening.  Managing a list of musicians can be no small task, but when asked what he loves about his role there, Danny answered quickly.  “I love the opportunity to help another musician out, or act as a mentor in some small way to some of the younger ones.”  Danny does a great job keeping the open mic moving, and on this night things go very smoothly.  Jody enjoys running the open mic, and is an affable and capable bartender.  If you’re lucky, when you attend you may see her throw down on her Djembe with some of the musicians.  She says she loves the open mic because “You never know who’s coming through that door, every week is so different”.

The format of the open mic is one that seems to be fairly common locally, wherein a featured band plays first for around 30 minutes, then stays around to play with other players or hear others’ music.  Generally each subsequent act is given roughly 15 minutes (of fame) to perform their music, spoken word, etc.  The Rustic Barn boasts a full backline including a well-cared for Pearl export drum kit with cymbals, and a formidable sound system in a space where the acoustics are not terrible.  Every week, Jody streams the event through their Facebook presence, where it is archived for performers to share or review at any time.

On this night the featured band is Our Other Brother, a trio out of Duanesburgh playing all-original, guitar driven rock penned by the late Darrell Vernum.  The crowd in attendance is always very supportive, but one could tell they enjoyed Our Other Brother quite a bit.  More than polite supportive applause lets you know you’ve done well.  Several acts following Our Other Brother were singer-songwriters performing solo with their guitar, highlighted by Adam Gerstenberger playing 2 covers and an original from his band Uncanny Gentlemen.  If you’ve been at an open mic in the area, chances are good you have seen Adam play, more’s the pity if not.  Even your humble author was able to sit in on the kit with Joe Archambeault (guitar), and Art Teale (bass) for some impromptu improvisations.

The Rustic Barn is located on Route 40 in Spiegeltown, NY and hosts several music events every month, in addition to the open mic every Thursday beginning at 6pm.  If you would like to see their events you can find links to their event calendar through their Facebook page (Search Rustic Barn) where you can also find archives of previous open mic performances, or you can check out their website, https://www.rusticbarnpub.com.