El Paso Places You Can Actually Perform Music Or Comedy For Free

Here are a few El Paso venues you can perform at if you want to practice your music and/ or comedy for FREE.

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There's an old saying in show business, "How do you make it to Carnegie Hall?" Simple answer, "practice, practice, practice."

Well, like most old sayings it offers some wisdom, but in today's media landscape it's kind of stupid in its simplicity. These days it's obvious that you can become a successful "whatever" with no practice and go viral for a random reason.

But the essence of the saying is true enough, and like any performing art to get good at it you got to perform it.

Here are a few venues in El Paso you can play at for free if you're an aspiring musician and/ or comedian (and a few of these places even accept poets!)

INTRO TO OPEN MIC

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If you're an aspiring performer whether it's music or comedy the ground level is the same. Open mics are where everyone goes to practice even some established people. I've got a lot of thoughts and some frequently asked questions about open mics that I'll make another article about, but for the purposes of this article just know these places don't pay for you to play. The chance to go up is what you get out of it.

MUSIC SPECIFIC

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To my knowledge, there's no music-specific open mic in El Paso but there are music-focused ones. Just be aware not all of these are equipped to handle a full band setup so check before you sign up.

El Paso's award winning Open Mic Series

Barbed Wire Open Mic Series Hosted by Richie Maruffo

FREE to perform and open to all talents, BWOMS has curated some of the best up-and-coming, home-grown, El Paso talent; musicians, comics, and poets alike. Guided skillfully by the artistic hands of local musician, poet, teacher, and host of BWOMS Richie Maruffo. If you're looking for one of the best places to practice your stagecraft, look no further than BWOMS.

COMEDY SPECIFIC

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The El Paso comedy scene is a vibrant and growing market of very talented individuals. These are a few of those comedy-specific venues for you to practice at, and sign-ups are FREE.