Hendershot’s hosts open mic series Beats, Rhymes, & Life
Before it was a community event for Athens-based emcees, poets, rappers and freestylers, “Beats, Rhymes, & Life” was the title to the 1996 album by band, A Tribe Called Quest.
However, on the second Wednesday of each month, the title belongs to a part of the Athens community. On July 12, audience members bore witness to the musical community as participants faced blistering stage lights, and their peers' eyes locked onto their every move as they took to the stage for Hendershot’s open mic night.
Montu Miller, who hosts the event at Hendershot’s, said the event “seems like it grows every week.” He continued by highlighting that there are regulars and newcomers alike participating at the event. The Shaky Leg Trio has become a staple for the show, providing live music with a piano, guitar and drums.
One of the first participants was an anonymous poet who attends the University of Georgia. During her first time broaching the stage, she recited her writings that explored the physical state of adults, tying these back to their raw emotions.
After, ȼlark ȼounty, a local rapper, took the stage.
“My experience at Beats, Rhyme, & Life was amazing,” ȼlark ȼounty said. “It’s always nice to have a night to celebrate people and the diversity in our talents. Some people rap, some people sing, some people come up and recite powerful pieces. You never know what you’ll get, it’s exciting.”
As the night progressed, many acts came up and down the stage’s stairs, celebrated by the audience and their peers alike. A sense of community emanated through the walls of the dimly lit bar, creating an experience for any music lover in the area.
“It can be nerve-wracking to get up on stage the first time and, most of the time, in front of people you don’t know and spill something that you wrote, like a poem or a rhyme, and that isn’t easy,” Miller said.
After watching dozens of new performers overcome this fear, Miller claims that once you do it, “nothing can stop you.”
