It was a Wednesday night around 7:15pm when I first arrived to Sip Coffee & Beer House, in Scottsdale, AZ. For those of you that have never been there I will try and paint the best picture I can of this hidden gem.
Even before you walk inside you can hear a mixture of the somewhat distant live music and playful chatter, but it seems to be coming from all directions. That's because it is. Not only is there a talented artist or group performing inside, but there are a few musicians outside warming up, or playing to entertain other guests.
Once inside it is clear why there is a buzz around this place. You feel the immediate warmth of familiarity and excitement seconds after walking inside. The same feeling you get when you return to a place you've been missing for a long time. Everyone is happy, there is warm yellowish lighting with creative photos and writing along the walls.
The best part was by far the crowd, you couldn't tell who came alone or who came with a group, because everywhere you looked people were all either enjoying the music or talking together. Whether it was over a beer, coffee or just water, you could tell everyone was having a great night.
You may be wondering is this place always this full? You can thank Peeramid Creative Studios & Ground Swell Artist Network for that. They have been putting on open mic nights at Sip and other venues for at least five years now. They evolved from a open mic slam poetry to now open mic for any form of creativity. When we asked Gabby Booth, Producer of the event & Founder of Peeramid Creative Studios, how she would describe this event she said this;
"You could say we are like an open garden, We welcome every thing from fully bloomed artists to those that are just sprouting. Our Mission has always been to cultivate a community of both like-minded and diverse people."
Below are some of the photos of the amazingly talented artists that came out to perform that night.
Davis Graves, Host of the open mic night sits in with one of the performers
Danny De La Huerta painting a colorful atmosphere during his set
Martín Daniels bringing many people back with his creative cover of "Backstreets Back"
Wolf Sanders, an employee of Sip Coffee and Beer, joins in on the session
If you are ever in Scottsdale or simply Phoenix, I highly recommend you check out Sip Coffee and Beer House in Scottsdale. Additionally, none of this wouldn't be possible without Davis Graves (host of the open mic night), Gabby Booth & Jon Renner both producers of the open mic night and founder of Peeramid Creative Studios.
For more information on Peeramid Creative Studios or Ground Swell Artist Network visit peeramidbuilders.com