I Love Lucy's

Open mic nights, which welcome musicians of all talent levels and offer the opportunity to take the stage and perform two or three songs in front of their peers, come and go.

A recent open mic at Victor’s restaurant in Thornwood, for instance, lasted a few months. Usually run on off-nights to help build a crowd, their success depends largely on the skills of the host to manage the proceedings and keep their core constituency happy.

By almost any measure, the two open mics at have been wildly successful. The Monday night soirée, run by , has been going for almost seven years—an astonishing tenure. On Tuesday nights, the People’s Jam, hosted by Will Van Sise, has been going on for over two years and its reputation as a gathering for top-flight musicians is growing.

Hop’s format is more typical. Musicians sign up on a first-come, first-served basis and usually play three songs, sometimes more if attendance is light. Acoustic guitars are the instrument of choice. Hop encourages performers to play original music rather than cover songs, but folks are free to play anything they want.

At Van Sise’s event, electric instruments mingle with drums, harmonicas, horns and even an occasional oboe, bassoon or pedal steel guitar. Instead of dealing with single musicians or duos, he tries to put together ensembles that will gel, a risky way to do things, though the results are often very appealing. And his unique approach eschews the typical blues jam format, where participants hammer the same chord patterns into the ground and guitarists are sometimes reluctant to end their solos.

Both musicians are exceptionally talented. Van Sise rips off lightning fast licks with deep feeling on his electric guitar, while Hop composes sophisticated songs performed with soul. Managing the egos of musicians, who can be notoriously diva-like, is the main challenge.

Van Sise, who lives in Pleasantville, doesn’t necessarily follow the list order.

“I try to put people together who are like-minded according to their ability,” he said. “No one wants to hear bad music, including myself or the crowd. My job is to take the list, which is a puzzle, and put it together so that it makes sense.”

Groups of musicians will often work out songs on their own and bring them to the stage. On a recent night, after Van Sise’s band The WolfPack finished their mini-set, bass player Mike Wise joined a few other musicians and tore it up, his walking bass lines almost taking off running as he provided a meaty underpinning for the soloists to take flight.

The music is so good that it attracts local non-musicians.

“There’s a lot of talent on the stage,” said Estelle Kersh, who lives in Pleasantville and attends the jam at least twice a month. “The people are very friendly and the bartenders are the best, they remember everyone and take care of everyone.”

Van Sise works in tandem with bartender Andrew Murphy, know as Murph, who invited him to start the project and has nurtured it over the years.

“They way I see it is that it’s like inviting people into our living room,” said Murph. “We go the extra mile to make people feel comfortable.”

Hop also attracts high caliber musicians and an appreciative audience.

“We try to foster camaraderie here, this is a place to grow, it’s not a place to be a jerk or a rock star,” said Hop. “Everyone is at a different level and I’m here to try an nurture talent and I encourage any style of music from bluegrass to alternative rock, as long as it’s honest.”

Hop, who tries to ensure that everyone sounds good by adjusting microphones and tinkering with the mix, credits bartender Rob Catalano for helping to create a receptive atmosphere.

“The key to the night is that we’re super-laid back,” said Catalano. “There are on attitudes or egos here. We want to make everyone comfortable whether it’s your first time playing or your tenth time playing.”

During a recent set, Steve Skwarek, a singer-songwriter who lives nearby, played three well-written originals with authority, then launched into a passionate rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.”

“I love this place,” he said. “Pete is a friendly guy who is very encouraging. Performing here has definitely improved my live skills.”