Gusoline Alley sits unassumingly at 309 S. Center St., just down the way from Noir Leather. If you didn't know it was there, you might walk right by it. Gus's (as the regulars affectionately call it) is a gem of a dive bar.

And on the first Sunday of every month for the past seven years or so, it has hosted an open mic night. The open jam starts at 5 p.m. and usually goes till about 9:30 or 10 p.m.

The idea for having an open mic night came to fruition when musician Gino Fanelli and now-deceased owner Sam Stone discussed the idea. Right from the get-go, the event was a success.

"That’s basically how it started," Fanelli said. "It didn’t take long before it caught on, word traveled pretty quick. It’s been packed in there since the beginning."

You'll want to get there early Sunday for the open jam if you desire a good seat. The capacity of Gusoline Alley is 86, and it's always full to the brim with musicians, artists and music lovers.

Currently, open mic night is hosted by Fanelli and Niko Pittman. Both are very talented musicians who are in the band Gino Fanelli's Red Hot Sugar Daddies. You can catch them during brunch every Sunday at D'Amatos in Royal Oak.

"I love open mic," said bartender Carrie Marotich. "There is a nice diversity. We've had everything from acoustic Misfits songs to bluegrass, rockabilly, country — and lots of originals have debuted here." 

"It is always a nice surprise," she said. "Gino and Niko open with some beautiful jazz, and then it's a blank canvas for the others to fill in."

A number of local musicians come out on the first Sunday of the month. Musicians who have performed here in the past include Emily Rose, Jake Tobias and Melissa Behring of 7 Million Jigawatts, Bernie Staples of the Rickety Nelsons, the Motor City Sidestrokers, the Milroys and Rudy Varner, who is an upright bassist.

Renowned musician Jack Scott has also played open mic night. He's best-known for hits through the years such as "The Way I Walk," "What in the World's Come Over You" and "Burning Bridges."

Behring, lead singer of 7 Million Jigawatts and an avid open mic night performer, loves open mic night.

"I really look forward to it. Gino and Niko are great hosts," she said. "It's a rare opportunity to have a few laughs with my friends and sing a bunch of old songs that make me happy. I'm always meeting new musicians there. It's a really encouraging environment."

On top of being a musical evening, other performances and art have been welcomed during open mic nights.

"Jimmy Doom comes up and does spoken word, he does that pass-the-hat thing where you put whatever topic you want to hear about in there, and he riffs on it," Fanelli said.

"Open jam doesn’t have to be about music, it can be anything," he said. "Angel Busque brought her paintings. She did a painting of Gusoline during open mic, and we had her put her paintings up on the bar. I said bring those things in here, let’s sell some of these. It’s about everything, as long as it works." 

Fanelli's view on the event is that it really creates a sense of community among the local artists.

"I’ve met great people through this thing," he said. "I’ve met so many people that I’m dear friends with now because of the open jam.

"It definitely creates community. That night has brought musicians together that are now in bands together."

Fanelli also emphasizes the importance of the patrons. "This night would be nothing without the patrons. That’s the big thing about Gus’s, the biggest reason why it works," Fanelli said.

"They have open arms to the artists who come here, and they show them respect by acknowledging them playing. It’s the people who aren’t musicians that sit there and listen to the music and embrace it and clap and acknowledge them. I couldn’t reproduce this open jam anywhere else."

The next open mic night at Gusoline Alley begins at 5 p.m. Sunday.