The Cactus Cafe was founded in 1979 and has been an important part of UT’s history and musical performance history ever since. According to the University Unions website the cafe has hosted famous musicians like “Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, Nanci Griffith” and more. The venue also boasts being mentioned by Billboard magazine as being a place “from which careers can be cut, that work with proven names and new faces.” The cafe hosts small concerts with local, national, and international artists as well as UT specific events where students can come and not just sing but also perform standup and showcase other talents (and if you’re lucky, offer free drinks and snacks too). However my favorite events at the Cactus Cafe are their weekly open mic nights.
I have been going to the Cactus Cafe since the beginning of my first semester here at UT and I’ve been consistently going to their open mic nights ever since. The Cactus Cafe’s open mic nights are hosted most Tuesdays and are always a treat to attend. The venue is small, meaning every seat is a good one, and is located next to the UT Union’s coffee shop tucked away in a little corner of the building. Inside there’s warm mood lighting, a bar, and a small stage. There’s a different collection of singer/songwriters every time, but if you go often enough you may see some familiar faces. I myself have a few people I’m always particularly excited to watch perform, but I find new favorites all the time. The artists range from UT students, local established musicians, and some performers just pacing through that wanted the chance to sing at the esteemed cafe. The performances are pretty simplistic: one song for each person or group and about 5 minutes of stage time total and often the accompaniment of a guitar or synthesizer. It’s not a lot of time to showcase an artist to their fullest, but it allows for a good number of slots for each show and the chance for many artists to demonstrate their talent.
What I love about attending the Cactus Cafe open mic nights is that every time I go, the performances are different but the feeling is always the same. I myself am not a musician and can’t count myself among the like minded and passionate creatives that have the guts to get up on the cafe stage. But it doesn’t take a musically inclined person to appreciate the vast amount of talent that gathers there every Tuesday. Many of the people sitting in the crowd are there to play themselves, and their enthusiasm and support for their fellow artists makes for such an inviting and positive vibe.