The shred of the guitar and cadence of the drumbeat could be heard from outside Heartwood Soundstage’s listening room, where audience members spilled into the standing-room-only concert. Though the music sounded almost professional, the stage was commanded by a posse of pint-size performers.
Comprising three 12-year-old musicians, Gainesville indie-punk band Youth Ambulance is already booking local music festivals. But their debut performance was at the same kind of open mic night, just six months earlier.
Local nonprofit organization We Rock Gainesville hosted its first Teen Open Mic of the year on Wednesday at Heartwood Soundstage. The event featured 10 musical acts from local musicians ages 10 to 17, including four debut performances.
Founded in 2013 as Gainesville Girls Rock Camp, the nonprofit hosts week-long summer camps for girls and gender-expansive youth. But during the academic year, young musicians of all genders and genres can participate in the organization’s recurring Teen Open Mic nights.
Elizabeth Davis, co-director of We Rock Gainesville, is responsible for organizing the performances at each open mic night. Young musicians are encouraged to reach out via Instagram or email about a month in advance to perform.
“What it does is get them into the process of learning how to advance shows and speak to producers directly,” Davis said. “It’s a stepping stone to get them to act professionally and start doing their own thing.”
Bands like Youth Ambulance have been working with We Rock Gainesville since lead singer Vera Podlesnik participated in the organization’s camp last summer. Their first performance as a band was an open mic hosted by the organization.
“They pretty much gave birth to us,” Vera said.
Multiple young artists made their debut on Wednesday, including Paramore-inspired girl band 4you, led by singer and P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School senior Aubrey Pardue. The best part of their first performance was inspiring younger girls, Pardue said.
“We just love bringing joy to people’s faces,” Pardue said. “There was this little girl in there who was so happy that we were all girls performing, and it was so precious to see.”
Performances ran from 6 to 9 p.m. Although each act was given a general 15-minute performance slot, the lineup was informal. Guests funneled in and out as acts transitioned, and artists often spoke directly to the audience.
“We deal with stage fright, but that’s what an open mic night is for,” Davis said. “It’s a way kids can work through that kind of stuff, and we see kids get stronger and stronger as time goes on.”
The Teen Open Mic was a particularly valuable opportunity for first-time performers such as Youth Ambulance’s Elliott Hamilton. It was his debut performance as a bassist for the band.
“I play trombone at school, so I sit in the back of the band and nobody sees me,” Hamilton said. “And now I’m standing up there playing bass and I’m like, ‘oh my god, everyone is just staring at me.’ But I just looked at Vera the whole time and it was OK.”
For first-time performer Alexander Campen, the Teen Open Mic was an opportunity to keep playing the instrument he loves in front of a live audience.
“I was pretty nervous but also pretty not nervous,” Alexander said. “But being onstage, all the nervousness just kind of went away.”
The organization hopes to keep the momentum going by providing more opportunities for musical training throughout the school year, Davis said. One of its long-term goals is to find a permanent space for after-school programming, gear storage, and musical practice. We Rock Gainesville does not currently have a brick-and-mortar studio.
“Even grown-up musicians come across the practice space conundrum, and it’s even harder when you’re a kid,” Davis said.
But this kind of improvement is contingent on growth. The organization works with the City of Gainesville Department of Parks and Recreation for partial funding, but continued growth of the organization’s programming requires grants, independent funding and publicity, Davis said.
“We’re always looking for new ways to achieve our goals and serve more kids in the community, but that’s impossible if nobody knows what we are doing,” Davis said.
Brandon Felg, director of nonprofit MusicGNV, expressed a similar desire to support We Rock Gainesville’s community music efforts.
“We don’t have a future music community unless we have teens who are involved in and understand how to play shows in the world like adults,” Felg said.
In the meantime, We Rock Gainesville will continue to host youth music events for seasoned artists and debut performers alike. The next Teen Open Mic will be held in May.
“Nobody listens to kids these days,” Davis said. “So I think it’s really important that we help them know that their voice does matter, and there’s people who want to listen to it.”