For a few years now, The Strutt has almost invariably held an Open Mic every Tuesday evening from 8pm to close. It’s a fast moving, well-oiled hyper-fest of 15-minute acts ranging from absolutely baffling to drop-dead amazing.In short, it’s usually a recipe for a good time.

Now The Strutt is a welcoming place by nature, and so it only makes sense that at the open mic, it’s real easy to come down by yourself with a guitar (or without one – the house provides a backline of standard gear) and end up playing with a full band. This ‘jump-in-and-jam’ mindset is one of the many ingredients that, in my opinion, consistently puts the Strutt’s open mic a cut above the rest.

Well this ingredient, for the last few weeks, has been a feature of the end-of-the-night on Tuesdays. Essentially, a host of the Strutt’s usual suspects grab the stage about 1am or so. At this point, the drums start thumping a beat specifically engineered to get a body moving. This is the first sign that a Jungle Jam, as it has been lovingly christened, has come under full swing.

Next, the bass and guitar jump in with anything from southern foot-stompin’ to afro-cuban groovin to cha-cha to whatever might strike the fancy of the impromptu orchestra. Then, the auxiliary instruments ice the cake with strange percussion and andassortment of ornamentation. Finally, the remainder of the bar – patrons and staff alike – get out of their seats, push the tables to one side, and dance like nobody’s watching. Of course, nobody is watching. Everyone else is busy getting down.

The 21st century scholar and philosopher G. Clinton once said this, on the subject of health, wellness, and the general existential crisis that each of us is faced with on a daily basis: Free your mind, and your ass will follow. Now I don’t have a medical degree, but I have been watching a lot of House, so I feel safe to say that if you’ve got the night free and can stand to get a little less sleep for a night, you should come on down to the Strutt open mic. It’s for your health.