Ironworks open mic nights strike a chord

MARINETTE — The four musicians look at the lead singer for their cue. He sends them riffing to a seeming ending, only to pull an extra outro, singing the words “no, no, no” for a showstopping closeout.

It looks easy. It’s not.

However, anyone can learn this type of improvisation, and that’s what the Ironworks Open Mic hopes to foster — collaboration between musicians.

“It’s a great place to try playing out in front of people,” said Jared Kohrt, a guitarist who helped launch the Wednesday night sessions that usually start at 7:30 p.m.

He, Nick Vieth and Zachary Dey started the nights in November 2022. The weekly meetups are different than a typical open mic night. Instead of picking a time slot and playing solo, performers can play with an entire band. Each musician swaps out their position for whoever wants to play.

“We fill in the space and back people up,” Kohrt said.

Most people who attend the nights are either musicians themselves or a music-friendly crowd, making the environment easy to experiment and grow in musical abilities.

Kohrt has been playing guitar for 20 years and can learn most music that people bring and want to perform, whether it’s rock or blues, a golden oldie or a new song.

“It’s a lot of fun for me,” Kohrt said.

Most of the musicians jump right into the song after getting the key.

Jody Korch, a guitarist, said he learned a lot about jazz from the group. He cites a memorable night when he threw in a minor 7th and 9th chord while playing, and people just went with it.

“It’s really organic, and you never know what you’re going to play,” Korch said.

He said they have a group of people that show up each week, but he definitely thinks more people should know about it.

Amy Holley, manager at Ironworks, said she’s happy to see the open mic nights after losing most events to COVID.

“It kind of just started on a whim,” Holley said.

The five musicians are backlit with icicle lights as she talks over their set in the Marinette bar and restaurant.

The music drowns out her words, but she doesn’t seem to mind. She’s one of their biggest fans.

She said that the jam sessions have had a positive reception at the restaurant, where people will filter in early for food.

“We have a good crowd,” Holley said.

John Woeckener, a bassist, said the key to joining Open Mic is to improvise and have fun with it.

“I basically stay in the box,” he said, referencing the three frets on a bass that make up the notes in any given key signature.

He said the core group that generally accompanies the performer is super talented. They can basically play a whole range of songs as long as they have the key.

Dey, a drummer and founder of the nights, said the key to Open Mic is doing it all on the fly. It’s a time to socialize with fellow musicians — and even scope out potential band members, too.

Performing is different than just playing alone without an audience, and a live performance might hinge on the changes in energy of the crowd or band members.

“You can feel where it’s going, so you just go with it,” Dey said. “You can get a band experience without having a band.”

Open Mic occurs at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Ironworks, 1333 Main St., Marinette.