The I AM Open Mic event at the Bean Cycle is a quiet evening with aspiring artists and a comfortable environment. The event takes place on the last Friday of every month and has been going on for two years. Currently, it is run by a CSU graduate, Justin Youngk, who has been performing his original music for one and a half years and running the open mic event for the past year.

“The performances can be anything like covers, original music, poetry and storytelling,” Youngk said. “The important part is that the performers share what they love and share their energy with the audience.”

The Bean Cycle was not crowded that evening, with around twenty people in attendance and five performers, creating an intimate environment which encouraged the performers to share their passion for music and connect to their audience.

“[This event] is unique because it isn’t crowded” Youngk said. “The audience is quiet when people are performing. It’s really encouraging.”

The evening started off with guitarist and vocalist Holly Sargent, who has been singing and playing the guitar for five years and is local to Fort Collins. This was Sargent’s second time performing, and her emotional lyrics spoke to the audience during her performance. She encourages artists to stop by this venue.

“The first time I performed here, it went really well” Sargent said. “I had a bunch of friends and a good support system. This is a good venue to perform at.”

Anthony Cazza, one of the other performers for the evening, has been playing his guitar and performing for eight to nine years. It was also his second time performing at this venue, and enjoys the atmosphere that the open mic venue presents.

“Anybody can perform,” Cazza said. “That’s the nice part about open mic events. And it’s really helped me get back into performing.”

A couple local performers, siblings Matt and Jen Wood, both sang as Matt Wood played the guitar. They have performed at this venue seven or eight times, and the audience loved their harmonizing voices and beautiful music.

“I really like the atmosphere here,” Jen Wood said. “The people here are genuinely excited for performers.”

The I AM open mic event takes place from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bean Cycle on the last Friday of every month. This venue has an intimate performance environment that allows the performers to really connect to their audience and share their passion for their art.

Collegian Reporter Julia Trowbridge can be reached at juliatrowbridge@gmail.com and on Twitter @chapin_jules.