Ypsilanti Freighthouse
Open Mic at the Freighthouse
Open Mic Night is back! From soulful music to gripping poetry, this is a platform where raw passion meets an appreciative audience and celebrates the incredible talent that exists in our own community.
Hosted by Ypsilanti’s own Rochelle Clark with featured performances by Nandi Comer, poet laureate for the State of Michigan, and bass player Gwenyth Hayes.
Alcohol will be available for purchase for ages 21+ with ID.
A native of Michigan, Rochelle Clark’s music has been described as raw, honest, and beautifully vulnerable. She writes and sings about real life, joy, struggle and human tragedy – you can’t help but feel for the characters in her songs. Leaning heavily on personal experience, she connects on an intimate level that resonates with her audience. As one-half of the acclaimed Americana duo, The Potter’s Field, Rochelle’s powerful vocals have been captivating audiences in Michigan and throughout the Midwest for years. Drawing on her roots in folk, americana, and country, Rochelle has found a sound that is uniquely her own.
Nandi Comer is the current Poet Laureate of Michigan. Informed by her experiences growing up in Detroit, Comer writes and performs literary pieces that incorporate the history of the city, while also examining race, gender, sexuality, and class. She is the author of American Family: A Syndrome (Finishing Line Press) and Tapping Out (Northwestern University Press), which was awarded the 2020 Society of Midland Authors Award and the 2020 Julie Suk Award. She is a Cave Canem Fellow, a Callaloo Fellow, and a 2019 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellow. Her poems and essays have appeared in Callaloo, Crab Orchard Review, The Journal of Pan African Studies, and others. Nandi has served as a writer-in-residence in Detroit Public Schools and has worked in collaboration with organizations, including YArts and InsideOut Literary Arts Projects. She serves as a poetry editor for Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora and is the co-director of Detroit Lit.
Gwenyth Hayes, a bassist, song stylist, vocalist, and recording artist hailing from Ann Arbor, captivates audiences throughout the Metro Detroit area with her distinctive performances. Gwenyth’s unique reinterpretations showcase a fusion of classic tunes and soulful covers & originals across various genres, and are centered by her sultry vocals, groove-infused bass lines, and tight instrumental arrangements.
Her modern approach to music serves as a conduit for reinventing popular soul, jazz, soft rock, and blues standards, infusing them with a sensual and contemporary vibe. Gwenyth’s sound resonates with diverse audiences, aiming to evoke nostalgia for many generations to come.