Every Monday night, Brandon Durkes takes the stage in front of a crowd of eager listeners at the Jazzhaus, 926 ½ Massachusetts St. He isn’t a famous musician and he hasn’t sold any records, but by the crowd’s energetic reaction, you would never guess it. As soon as the music begins, all eyes and ears focus on him, and bodies begin to sway from side to side.

No matter one’s skill level or style of music, open mic nights provide musicians with an outlet to share their music in a convenient, low-pressure environment.

The Jazzhaus hosts two open mic nights every week. Join their house band, the Spanktones, Mondays at 10 p.m. for an open jam session, featuring a variety of sounds including rock, blues, funk and jazz. If you prefer softer sounds, attend the Acoustic Jam Session Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

On each night, the place is filled with college-aged music fans. The patrons’ interest and enthusiasm is enough to make any performer feel like a rock star. Simply walk past the Jazzhaus on one of these nights and you’ll be sure to hear the music and cheers emerge from inside.

Durkes, Topeka junior, became involved in open mic nights at the Jazzhaus when a co-worker became aware in his interest in music and suggested it. Because he’s taking a semester off of school and works full time, Durkes says performing at open mic nights is something fun he enjoys doing for himself. He suggests anyone interested in performing try an open mic night. “It puts you up in front of people and you have to perform or you’ll look stupid,” he says.

Lawrence is a hotbed for musicians. Open mic nights allow musicians to get exposure without having to book an actual gig, which can be very difficult.

“You have to start somewhere, and you’re not going to start your career headlining the Granada,” says Jerett Fulton, owner of Mixtape Meditation, a local recording company.

If you’re a beginner and looking to perform in front of just a few people, head to Cross Town Tavern, 1910 Haskell Ave. The bar holds open mic nights Fridays at 7 p.m. While most of the patrons are old enough to be your parents (or grandparents), as they bob their heads to the music and whistle and cheer at the end of a performance, their fervor for the music is undeniable. Get the crowd really hyped up and some might show you their moves on the small dance floor, complete with flashing lights and a mini disco ball.

When Andrew Conner moved to Lawrence from South Dakota to attend KU in the fall of 1999, he was instantly drawn to Lawrence’s music scene. Conner says he saw open mic nights as the ideal way to play in front of large crowds and that the open mic nights at the Bottleneck were a few of the first times his band, Ghosty, ever performed in public. “We brought as many of our friends as we could,” Conner says. “It’s one of those things that people just root for you. For a lot of the people, it was the first time I got to play for them.”

After a few open mic nights, the Bottleneck eventually offered Ghosty a gig. This, coupled with their success at KJHK’s Farmer’s Ball competition in 2001, set things in motion for the band’s future success. “Things really started to get going,” Conner says.

Fulton says that open mic nights are a helpful tool in assessing an artist’s potential because they test an artist’s originality, confidence on stage and preparedness. “You can tell whether they put everything they have into what they’re doing. There are too many people that waste a lot of patrons’ time because they only think they want to share their craft,” he says.

Though Ghosty’s success is largely attributed to open mic nights, Conner warns that performing a few times will not lead to instant success. “People find out pretty quickly that it’s an uphill battle no matter what if you’re playing music,” he says. “The good still outweighs the bad if you really love what you’re doing. If the reasons why you’re playing music are for the glory or recognition, you’re leading yourself to disappointment. I play because I can’t help it.”