chicago blues live

Open Mic Jam Sessions

Every Sunday - 3:00pm CST

Anyone, anywhere around the world is welcome to play the blues here!

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Just want to hang out and listen?

Backstage Pass



Here's How It Works

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    Sign up!

    It's super easy to do. Each Sunday night, we will post a new sign up sheet here online for the next open mic jam session. When you sign up, you will need to review and accept a few terms and rules for how you conduct yourself in the jam. Then hit submit. That's it!

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    Get your Live! green room link.

    Immediately after being approved, you will be sent an email which will let you know what time you will get to play. That's important, because if you're not ready to go and in our virtual green room, we can't stream you live. How do you get in to our Live! green room? Funny you should ask...

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    Be ready to go!

    Your confirmation email will also contain the link you need to get into our online green room. Before your are slotted to go on live, use that link to get in and get ready. You will be asked to download a quick, safe & secure app. And you must use a Chrome or Safari browser for it to work. Yes, it's all private. (read our policy) Make sure you have the app and link ready to go on Chrome with the device you will use the day of your open mic jam.


The stage is yours!


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Some really, really helpful hints:

BEFORE YOU GO ON:

Be completely set up - not just with your instruments, but with you camera, mic and internet connection. This is so simple but so important. To be set up, log in and hang out in our virtual green room. When you're in there, you'll be able to see everything that is being aired or about to go on. Basically, most everything the control room sees. This is helpful because you'll see everyone who is on before you, so you can be ready to go when you're time approaches.
Also, and this seems like a no-brainer, the better your camera and mic, the better you'll look and sound. So don't wait until the last minute to futz around with it all. Do a rehearsal. Because, well, that's what the pros do.
Finally, be ready to go. The best rule of thumb is to be logged into our green room and waiting to go on at least 5-10 minutes before your live air time. Trust us, it puts you at ease and allows you to warm up. While you are in our green room, nobody can hear you.

WHEN YOU GO ON:

A few set up words or introductions about you and/or your song are fine. But nobody wants to hear speeches. And if our producers think you're rambling, they'll quickly move on to the next musician. They certainly will if you break any of the rules that you agreed to in the sign up, so read them carefully. You only get a few minutes so use them wisely.

DURING YOUR PERFORMANCE:

If you have shared it with us in your sign up sheet, we will try to put your stage name up on the screen while you play. (Note: This is optional) At this time, we can't put up any links or tip jars except for the Chicago Blues artists who are on our site.

WHEN YOU'RE DONE:

We ask you give the camera (and your fans) a thumbs up. That way, our producers will know you're done and they can move on to the next musician.

AFTER YOUR PERFORMANCE:

You can stay and hang out in our green room as long as you want. Plus, who knows. You might even get a request from us for an encore!



Sunday Jam Sessions


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