El Paso Barbed Wire Open Mic Poet
El Paso Barbed Wire Open Mic Poet
El Paso Barbed Wire Open Mic Poet
El Paso Barbed Wire Poet
“THE BORDERLAND’S SPOKEN WORDS”
by Joseph Finch - Aug 23 2023
(Editor’s note: In the modern world of technology, the masses will often go by their Social Media Handles, and the Subculture of Open-Mic, is no different; because of this; Instagram handles will be used to name in this article. Not all names are present credit will be given in a visual form)
In the largest bilingual area in the Western Hemisphere, there is always a lot of talking. Many groups in the Borderland bring these voices together to be heard, felt, and seen. Where can you go to listen to all of these words being spoken? In the dark hallway bars by the border of Mexico? Yes. Can you find them in upscale recording studios nestled in an upscale neighborhood? Yes. These performance artists can be found there and everywhere in between; influencing others to one day, have the courage to stand up in front of a large crowd of people and say, “Hey, f- you in the back.”, when the crowd is getting too rowdy, or to have the courage to do stand-up comedy, not knowing if this group of people, is even a crowd that is ready for comedy. The Borderland proves time and time again that it is one of the most welcoming communities in the world; that is one of many reasons people want to always pass through this dusty, yet beautiful area.
An art-covered bar, appropriately named Mona’s Bar, named after the famous DaVinci painting titled “Mona Lisa”, in the Heart of the Office District in Downtown El Paso, is an open mic night hosted by El Paso Barbed Wire Open Mic, or El Paso BWOMS for short. El Paso BWOMS allows creatives of any walks of life and backgrounds, to feel free to express themselves. Along with poetry being passionately and not so passionately spoken; songs were sung by local singers, expressing this emotion of freeness, comedians had the strength and courage to stand on stage and freely express their comedic view of the world around them or try to impress their date with a few jokes and an impromptu routine. This is a very true story that I hope had the intended outcome.
Who are the audience for this open mic? That depends on the night, who knows about the event, and what random people walk into the bar to find themselves wrapped up in a poetic-filled event being presented by some of the most creative and expressive citizens of the Borderland. On a Tuesday night, Mona’s and BWOMS collected an audience of creatives, fans, and of course a few patrons who were oblivious didn't even know an event was going on but found out in the end that they, might just be fans of an open mic.
@Deadwallreveries from BWOMS sets out the sign-up sheet, sets up the media, and announces the drink specials, from the bar. The liquid courage flows through the veins and minds of the talent. Soon the sign-up sheet is full. The talent that signed up to perform that night came in the form of comedians, musical acts, poets, storytellers, and creative thinkers. These speakers came from many levels of experience, from that first-time comic to a seasoned musician @Henrythangmusic singing to the audience to live a life free and be yourself. On a professional note, Thang recently sang the National Anthem at the El Paso Chihuahuas Baseball Stadium. He is still humble, inspiring a small crowd with his beautiful music and lyrics. Wordsmiths new to the craft, such as @Bel.torres_belletrist, and an artist pictured above that I didn't get the name of, I deeply apologize, passionately painted moving images in the audience’s mind, with their words. To seasoned composers, such as @kitwrenaway, and two more poets I didn’t catch the name of, sorry, who enjoy sending the audience’s mind on a twisted trail of self-reflection while maintaining order. One poet expressed her words, words spoken are not to be heard in a rhythmic tone, or to rhyme, but to be interpreted as they are, creating a mental visual intended by the reader and as she said “like if you were reading from someone who like horses, diary” beautifully creative, yet simple.
Let’s speak on the comics. These brave creatives tread in an artistic craft of spoken word with relentless criticism making it one of the hardest storytelling arts to accomplish. That being said; I found the first-time comic to have succeeded in this arena even with a slight fade out in the end and bowing out when he felt it was necessary. I hope that Comic sees his success, refines his skills, and tries again. Another comic who wasn’t new to the game, named HOBO brought his own style, flavor, and history to the table. This created a well-structured entertaining set that kept the audience’s attention and sparked laughter. I hope he keeps polishing his tools of the trade and finds his way to the next open mic night.
If the beautiful sound of acoustic guitars paired with passionate singing, from music genres of, folk, pop, and country is your thing. 3 talented musicians were creating the perfect bar atmosphere for you. The jam session with these talented musicians kept the atmosphere exciting and alive, making the audience excited and moving around throughout, this also kept the Bartender and Bar busy and happy.
The stage found artists from the large hip-hop scene of the Borderland. These artists have unique stories to tell and messages to spread knowing that the messages are meant for the people and sometimes being in a small intimate setting is the best place for these stories to be told. @Ralphtheruckus, a Hip-Hop Artist with a passion for entertaining large crowds, proves he has the same ability with smaller ones. The Hip-Hop duo, consisting of @lyricalSamurai420 and @myfrndoliv3 presented us with a set of artistic and unique sounds that made me immediately go to their page give them a follow, and watch the music video that was passionately being promoted.
Overall I left the event feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, and kindness, and to quote Thang's lyrics to, "let go because I am free” I recommend taking time out of your schedule to go to the next El Paso Barbed Wire Open Mic Night, Go To Instagram, Facebook, Website for more information or Look below or click here for their schedule.