North Mountain Brewing Open Mic Review: A Phoenix Listening Room With Great Community
Updated: Sep 3
A brewery open mic can mean playing in the corner of a noisy bar while people watch sports and barely notice the musician performing.
North Mountain Brewing Company in Phoenix has found a much better balance.
You still get the brewery, full menu, bar and wait staff, but Tuesday's open mic happens in a separate space called the Barrel Room. Once you walk inside, it feels much more like a dedicated listening room.
Emma and I have attended this open mic more than once, and our most recent visit on August 25, 2026 gave us a good reminder of what makes it special: professional sound, strong musicians, original music and the kind of spontaneous collaborations that can only happen at a good open mic.
Quick Details: North Mountain Brewing Open Mic
Address: 522 E. Dunlap Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85020
Open mic: Tuesday. Signup: 4:00 PM Music: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Signup method: First come, first served on a whiteboard
Host: Glen Gardner Set length: Two songs, 10 minutes or less
Cost: Free Stage: Raised stage in the Barrel Room
Sound: PA, microphones and instrument hookups provided by Glen
House acoustic guitar: Available
Drums/piano: No regular house drum kit or piano
Food: Full menu with table service
Drinks: Brewery, full bar and nonalcoholic options
Parking: Free rear parking lot
Atmosphere: Dedicated listening room with a strong singer-songwriter and folk presence
Best for: Singer-songwriters, acoustic musicians, duos, small groups, beginners and experienced performers.
North Mountain Brewing's current events calendar confirms Tuesday open mic signup at 4:00 PM with music beginning at 5:00 PM. I would recommend arriving at signup time because the list can fill, especially during Arizona's cooler months.
Signup Starts Early, So Plan Around Phoenix Traffic
The signup list goes out on a whiteboard at 4:00 PM and is first come, first served.
From our experience, this open mic becomes especially popular from roughly October through May when more seasonal residents are back in Arizona.
If getting on the list matters, I would arrive close to 4:00.
That can create one challenge for musicians coming from the southern Valley.
On our latest visit, traffic from the south Mesa and Chandler area took us around 45 minutes. By the time we arrived, most tables were occupied, although there were still a few seats near the front.
If you already live in Phoenix or North Phoenix, this is a much easier open mic to work into your week.
Glen Gardner Helps Make This Open Mic What It Is
Glen Gardner hosts the open mic and runs sound.
Glen hosts several events around the Valley and is one of those people other hosts trust when they need someone capable of stepping in and running an open mic properly. He is a professional musician, retired radio host, and also one of the hosts of the Desert Vibe Podcast.
But credentials are not really what makes Glen good at this.
He makes people comfortable.
Glen is charismatic, funny, and welcoming. To me, he has the energy of some distant uncle who should have been at every family reunion, even though nobody is entirely sure how he is related to anyone.
He also knows sound.
Glen brings the PA, microphones, instrument connections, and an acoustic guitar performers can use. The raised stage comfortably handles several musicians, and we watched multiple groups collaborate during the evening.
The Barrel Room Is Actually a Listening Room
This is probably the biggest reason I like North Mountain Brewing.
The open mic is separated from the main brewery atmosphere.
The Barrel Room has round tables with plenty of seating, stage lighting and no televisions competing with the performer.
You still have wait staff available if you want food or drinks, but the people in this room are primarily there for music.
The crowd tends to skew a little older and includes many experienced, professional and retired musicians. There is a particularly strong folk and singer-songwriter presence, although we have also heard rock, blues, country, pop, alternative and jazz.
That talent level can seem intimidating to a beginner.
But this is still a beginner-friendly room.
Glen takes a lot of the pressure away, and most experienced musicians remember that they once had to play their first open mic too.
Originals Are a Great Fit Here
Covers work perfectly well, but this is an especially good room for original music.
A large portion of the crowd consists of singer-songwriters who are also testing their own material, so they understand what it means to put a new song in front of people.
Emma and I performed one original and one cover during our latest visit.
For our original, “They're Comin' for You (Wolves),” I used my loop pedal. Glen had no issue incorporating it into the sound setup, and Emma used the wireless microphone he provided.
For our second song, we played one of our favorite covers, Peggy Lee's “Fever.”
Then things got more interesting.
Our friends George and Georgia, another duo we have performed with in the past, spontaneously joined us.
It was not planned or rehearsed.
It simply sounded like fun.
And it was.
That kind of last-second collaboration ended up becoming the theme of the night.
Dolly Parton's Music Brought the Room Together
We attended on August 25, 2026, the same day Dolly Parton died at age 80. The news naturally followed a room full of musicians into the open mic that evening. (reuters.com)
Several performers incorporated Dolly songs into their sets.
One of the standout moments came when local musician and fellow open mic host Clydene was joined by guitarist Hannes and vocalist Georgia to perform “Jolene.”
Clydene joked that the song is not necessarily her favorite from a lyrical standpoint, but people wanted to hear her and Georgia sing it together.
They absolutely nailed it.
What made the moment special was that nobody had arrived expecting to create a Dolly Parton tribute.
Musicians simply started collaborating.
That is when an open mic can shift from a series of individual performances into something closer to a community jam.
It was a sad day for music, but Dolly's songs immediately gave the musicians in the room something to share.
Food, Drinks and Easy Parking
North Mountain Brewing offers a full food menu along with its house-brewed beer, full bar and nonalcoholic drinks.
There is wait staff inside the Barrel Room, so you can order without abandoning the music.
Emma and I only had Sprites on this visit. We did not eat, although plenty of food passed our table and looked and smelled good.
For people with significant food sensitivities, I would review the current menu beforehand because we found fewer obvious options that worked for our needs than at some restaurants.
There was no requirement during our visit to purchase food or drinks in order to perform.
Parking is also easy once you reach the brewery. There is a free lot behind the building with a short, stair-free walk inside, which makes load-in simple.
Tuesday Open Mic Can Lead to a Saturday Showcase
Musicians should know about another opportunity Glen hosts at North Mountain Brewing.
The brewery currently lists a Saturday Local Music Showcase beginning at 3:00 PM, and Glen's schedule lists it from approximately 3:00 to 5:00 PM.
Instead of two songs, showcase musicians can get a much longer performance opportunity. From our experience, performers may split the afternoon and receive roughly a 45-minute set.
Emma & James Music has played one of Glen's Saturday showcases, and we had a great time.
If you have enough material for a longer performance, attending Tuesday's open mic is a good opportunity for Glen to become familiar with you and what you do.
That makes this open mic more than a place to practice two songs.
There can be another opportunity waiting behind it.
Would We Go Back?
Yes, and we already have.
The only reason Emma and I do not attend more frequently is geography.
Getting from the southern Valley to North Phoenix in time for a 4:00 PM signup means competing with rush-hour traffic. Since the open mic has a limited window ending at 8:00 PM, missing signup can mean missing your chance to play.
But if you live in Phoenix or North Phoenix, I would put this one high on your list.
Who Is This Open Mic Best For?
North Mountain Brewing is particularly good for singer-songwriters, folk musicians, acoustic performers, duos and small groups, although a wide range of styles are welcome.
It also works for beginners who want a supportive environment but are ready to play for people who genuinely listen.
And if your goal is becoming more connected to Arizona's music community, that may be the biggest benefit.
We went there to play two songs.
We collaborated with friends, met musicians we had seen before but never formally introduced ourselves to, and expanded our circle within the Arizona music scene.
That is one of the recurring lessons we keep finding while exploring open mics for Desert Vibe.
Sometimes the two songs are just your reason for walking through the door.
About the Author
James Mattison is a musician and blog writer for the Desert Vibe Podcast. He is one half of Emma & James Music, an Arizona-based husband-and-wife music duo performing mostly original music with select covers that fit their soulful, guitar-driven style.
Emma Mattison is known for her expressive vocal style and also manages the website, social media, marketing and online presence that help Desert Vibe reach listeners and musicians across Arizona.
Together, Emma and James are exploring live music events around the Valley for Desert Vibe's “What's Vibin' in the Desert” segment, sharing firsthand reviews designed to help musicians understand what to expect before trying a new open mic.
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