Open mic nights provide aspiring student musicians a place to showcase their talents through performing and interacting with other artists.

One host of open mic nights is The Open Book, located in the Thousand Oaks Mall. The Open Book usually hosts an open mic night on the third Friday of the month and is very community oriented, according to Alexander Gonzalez, 21-year-old film major at Moorpark College and employee at The Open Book.

Gonzalez states that The Open Book provides a great atmosphere for students who are aspiring musicians and want their music to be heard.

“To see teens or young adults doing acoustic sets for the first time, singing their own songs, is special because I feel it builds confidence in their songwriter abilities,” said Gonzalez.

Open mic night at The Open Book is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the third Friday of each month, according to Laura Craig, 23-year-old store manager. All performers have 15 minutes to perform about four to six songs, depending on length.

The Five Dollar or Less Bookstore located in Simi Valley also hosts an open mic. The purpose is to open a forum for artistic expression in a safe, all-ages environment, according to Amanda Beaudet, 22-year-old store manager.

“We usually have between three to eight performers,” said Beaudet. “We frequently get students from Santa Susana High School, Royal High School and Moorpark College.”

Five Dollar or Less Bookstore provides some equipment, but performers are responsible for bringing their own instruments, according to Beaudet. Open mic runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and artists get between 15 to 20 minutes to perform, according to Beaudet.

Another venue for an open mic in close proximity is The Arena Sports Bar and Grill in Simi Valley.

According to Tommy Nickerson, the booker and promoter for all live music at The Arena Sports Bar and Grill, it provides a place for locals to get on a real stage and play.

“Ventura County is hugely deprived of open stages for musicians, so we felt good about hosting this,” said Nickerson. “We don’t have any standards as far as proficiency goes for musicians, that’s the nature of open mic. Play what you got.”

Open mic nights are every Wednesday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and each performer can play up to 30 minutes, according to Nickerson.

Caffe Connections in Simi Valley also offers open mic nights, entertainment and food. Suzanne Minae, the 53-year-old owner, feels that it provides a family friendly atmosphere. The open mic night is on the first and third Friday of every month at 7 p.m., according to Minae.

“We have mostly musical performers, but we are open to all family friendly acts,” said Minae. “Which have included magic, comedy, poetry, and even belly dancing!”

Redballs Rock and Roll Pizza in Moorpark has an open mic night every Thursday night from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., according to G.M. Ford, the 51-year-old host.

“The purpose of open mic night is to give artists a platform to develop and grow and to apply their trade as musicians, artists and comedians,” said Ford. “In that platform, we like to make Thursday night open mic night to be as close to a real world experience if they were actually out there working.”

Some locals, like the band Disrupted Euphoria perform regularly. The lead singer, Hannah Ribble, 22-year-old English major at Moorpark College advises musicians to take the plunge.

“In general, just do it,” said Ribble. “Bottom line, it is a start to a start, and everyone needs to start somewhere.”