Writers Night Open Mic Singer Songwriter FAQ Nashville Cafe Coco

Welcome to the Frequently asked Questions section of our site.
See below for information about event booking, and our Singer/Songwriter Open-Mic.

EVENT BOOKING FAQ

How do I go about booking a show at Cafe Coco?
- Cafe Coco has been host to countless musical acts, comedy performances, and
spoken word events, throughout the years. We have many Rock, Folk, Country, Indie,
Metal and Punk bands who contact us every day for bookings.
- We request that if you are an out of town band, or artist, that you find local support
before contacting us for a date. This will save everyone time in the long run.
- We do not offer guarantees for any groups or artists. We can offer a cover charge to
help supplement the hard work that goes into being a professional musician.
- The artists/band must supply a friendly and professional door person for all our
events if a cover charge is in place.
- We charge a production fee of $75 for a 3 hour event. Any additional hours will be
$25 per hour. This fee provides the artist/band with a 6000 watt JBL and Berhinger
sound system with subwoofers, 5 floor monitors, Vocal Mics, Guitar Amp Mics, Drum
Mics, Bass Mics, Direct Boxes, and an Allen and Heath 16 channel Mixwizard3 16:2
console. We also provide a sound person with a professional and kind attitude with
over 16 years of professional experience, and the use of the stage area.
- This fee is non-negotiable.
- We do not allow outside sound people to use our sound equipment. An artist can
bring their own sound system but the fee is still the same.
- The fee is to be paid no later than the end of the event, and can be paid in advance.
- Most of our weekend events start at 8pm and end by 11pm. Most of our weekday
events start at 7pm and end by 10pm.
- We include a hour load-in, and sound check time with our production fee.
- Most of the time, we are booked solid for a few months from the current date. For
more information about booking contact Cody at codyjoebear@gmail.com

SONGWRITER OPEN-MIC FAQ

Why play our open-mic?
If you are a musician or a songwriter, our open-mics are a great way to meet other
musicians and people in the musical industry. Our open-mic is a great way for
musicians to work on their songs and perfect their art. It is not likely you will get
“Discovered” playing an open-mic. Most producers and publishers are bombarded
with artists submissions and song submissions, and do not venture out into clubs to
find new artists/songwriters. Our open-mic is a great way to build musical
relationships and strengthen the musical community.

What type of sound equipment do we provide?
We have a 6000 watt PA system with monitors, direct boxes, around 20 mics, and all
the stands you will need. We also provide a sound person with over 16 years of
professional experience.
We can also provide a Yamaha Keyboard upon request. You must bring your own
guitar, etc.

What time is sign-up?
Sign-up starts at 6pm, Music starts at 7pm. Get there before 7pm because the list fills
up fast. (Normally within 10 mins.)

Rules and regulations to play our Singer Songwriter Open Mic night.
PLEASE READ
1 - Music starts at 7pm, and lasts until about 10pm
2 - We are all ages, and accept musicians of any age to perform. If a musician is
under 18 years of age, they must be accompanied by an adult.
3 - Two or fewer songs per-artist
4 - Be ready, in the room, and IN TUNE before you play. During your set, if you are
out of tune, take the time to re-tune. We want you sounding your best.
5 - Understand that we are a business as well as a venue for your music. Please do
what you can to help support Cafe Coco by buying something and remember to tip
the bartenders/host.
6 - This is not a practice space, and if you do not know your songs, please do not
play them here. Please come back when you are more prepared.
7 - We do not allow musicians to play along to prerecorded musical tracks.
8 - We do not allow full bands with drums, amps, or any abrasive styles of music.
(Please leave your drum sets, distorted guitar amps and screaming vocals at home.)
9 - We do not allow Poetry, Spoken word, Storytelling, or Comedy at our Songwriters
Open-Mic.
10 - We do not allow cussing on stage. This is an all ages family event. Using such
language will cause me to stop your set.
11 – Yes, You can play cover songs.
12 - Please practice and tune your instruments outside of the performance area while
musicians are on stage. This is rude and causes a distraction.
13 - Please do not play along to performances while in the audience. This includes
using the tables as drums.
14 - No Heckling, and keep your voices down when musicians are on stage. Failure
to respect this rule will cause the host to ask you to leave.
15 - If you seem too intoxicated/inebriated to perform, the host reserves the right to
ask you not to play.
16 - No Jam Sessions! If your plan is to "Jam out for a while," Please go someplace
else.
17 - Please do not borrow someone's instrument. If you were not planning to play,
and you just dropped in unprepared, please come back next time with your own
instrument, and two or fewer prepared songs.
18 – Please keep your songs to fewer than 5 minutes . If it's required, we understand.
If you are trying to steal stage time by morphing two songs into one, please stop
trying to cheat our system.
19 – Be kind, respect others, and remember to cheer on your fellow musicians!

Failure to respect our rules will bar you from playing Cafe Coco, and might get you
banned from Cafe Coco.

Can I sign-up over the phone or email?
No. We do not offer a pre sign-ups for our Songwriter open-mic. You must be in
attendance.

What are Cafe Coco's hours?
We are open 24 hours a day Thursday - Saturday Night days a week. The other
weekdays we are open till midnight.

Have many artists “Made it big” after playing the Cafe Coco Open-mic? We have had
many musicians perform our open-mic, and many have had personal success within
the music industry. Success is hard to measure in the modern world of music with so
many independent and major record labels being on equal levels. One
musician/songwriters version of “Making it” could be being signed to a major
recording contract, while others could determine “Success” by recording a song on a
home computer. It's not fair to the musician/songwriter to have unreal expectations of
what “The Nashville music industry” can offer the artist. Most major popular artists
were either created by a team of producers in a studio or made their own successful
careers by working hard and putting themselves on the map. Please do not get
discouraged if you have played a few venues around town and have not be handed a
recording contract. This is normal and is nothing to feel ashamed about.

How do I book a show/event at Cafe Coco?
Please see the top of this page for booking information.
Email Booking@CafeCoco.com

For concert and event
booking or questions
about our songwriters
open-mic, contact Cody at:
codyjoebear@gmail.com

Thanks for joining us at Café Coco.
For over 8 years we have consistently placed in the top three
Best Open Mic in local mags and on-line readers polls.