Trabant Chai Lounge Open Mic Night

by Bronwyn Doyle

According to Trabant Chai Lounge's Web site, the word 'Trabant' is German for satellite. The U-District chai lounge itself is very much like a cozy vessel of transportation into new and interesting territories.

It certainly packs the house with creativity on Monday nights.

Like a tiny crowded space capsule floating amongst a vast and empty sidewalk, the lounge harbors an eclectic assembly of bystanders, sprawled around in chairs next to a single table, on the floor, some of them, or on stools lining the front windows.

Around a line of waiting customers at the barista bar, the lounge's compact appearance gives way to a long adjacent room. At one end, sitting center stage on a high stool, is a petite young woman wailing words about love, vulnerability, nakedness, while strumming a giant, ocean blue acoustic guitar, its body as big as hers.

More people fill tables, play chess, study out of thick books, relax casually on bright orange couches situated unabashed against cool blue walls and gray concrete floor, chai and latte cups scattered everywhere. Those of us not as fortunate as to have found a seat amble about, seeking a few inches of floor space.

"This is a busy night," said Michael Trew, one of two baristas working the counter. "Every Monday is open mic, and it's really picked up here within the last year."

Trew continuously steams drinks for a growing line of people while openly answering questions about who performs here.

"We do have regular writers come in," Trew said. "It's about 50/50. Some nights it's mostly writers, and some nights it's mostly music."

One of the "regulars" is Rhoenel E. who kindly returns my broken cell phone that slipped out of a forgotten pocket hole. We decide duct tape will give it character.

"I'm a writer, but I've got writer's block, and haven't been writing for a while," said Rhoenel. What kind of stuff does he write? Oh, this and that, some stories, some poetry.

"I'm pretty much a regular," he said. "This is a great place to come to. Everyone is really friendly and supportive."

Rhoenel introduces another regular, Tess Jubran, who writes both music and prose.

"I'm looking for ways to improve my writing," said 20-year-old Jubran, who writes fantasy prose and poetry and has performed at the Trabant open mic since summer of 2004. "There's a lot of talent here tonight. You get a mix of people, sometimes more prose, sometimes more music, but it's usually a variety."

A second barista, Austin Zaletel, steps forward to sing a couple of his own originals with his guitar. Before singing, he points out that he hasn't been playing or writing much lately, so he might sound a little rusty, "but that doesn't matter because they're all my songs," he said. He sounds raw, genuine, a little like Doug Marsch from Built to Spill.

Afterwards, Zaletel says the musicians tonight had "taken over," but when there are writers reading their poetry and prose, "people really dig it," and vice versa.

"Here, there seems to be a healthy competition," said Zaletel. "You get talent of all types."

The Trabant Chai Lounge provides a supportive atmosphere for anyone wanting to try out their writing/musical talents. Keep in mind, it's in the U-District, so it's a venue for a younger crowd; but if you and your old 30-70 something buddies wanted to join in and share your talents, I'm sure the "kids" would drink it in, along with their chais and lattes.

The Trabant Chai Lounge is located at 1309 N.E. 45th next to the Neptune Theatre. Check out their open mic Mondays from 8-11 p.m. For more information, call 675-0668 or visit their Website at http://www.trabantchailounge.com.

Bronwyn Doyle is the Local Scene editor for Uncapped and currently works as a music teacher and freelance writer. She is organizing a summer "open mic sweep" for writers and will be making periodic announcements to the list, so keep your eyes peeled.