When you think of an open mike night at a bar or coffee shop, you may think of a guy sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar, strumming along to his latest song about how his girlfriend dumped him, or worse – covering the Dave Matthews Band. Sporadic clapping from the audience after he finishes each song. At least, that’s what I think of.

Myke Billings, a local musician who plans and hosts the evening, has been running the show since spring of 2005. Billings has promoted the night through a combination of the Internet and word of mouth, and with good results. After a summer break, Open Mike Night came back last September bigger and better than before. Now Billings has a full schedule almost every Wednesday, allotting 15 minutes for any brave soul who wants to get up and perform.

A typical night will go something like this: First, Billings will warm up the crowd with some of his loose-limbed, jazz-influenced solo work, apart from his full-time gig as front man for local funk band Overdub. By 9:30, most of the evening’s onlookers will have gotten their drinks and settled down (or not: the event is open for those 18 and over, though they must pay a cover charge and wear a bracelet). The crowd is lively and responsive, and the atmosphere is casual, so nervous first-timers should not fret about bad vibes. People come to hear music and hang out, that’s all.

Billings, who’s friendly nature and goofy sense of humor fits in well with the easygoing spirit of the evening, then introduces someone like Adrian Wingard, who shuffles on stage and takes a seat, quietly thanking the audience. He then launches into what is usually an entirely improvised, Leo Kottke-esque guitar composition, alternating between intricate finger-picking, mightily strummed power chords and simple melodic lines.

You might next hear a band – any number of local musicians may have thrown something together in the past few weeks, and want to try their hand at playing out. In the past few months there’s been a punk band playing what sounds like carnival music, a stripped-down performance from local indie-emo sensations Belmondo, and some jam sessions featuring everyone from deranged drummer Paul Bosse to sax man-knob twiddler Les Rhoda.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess. Sometimes it’s Mary Holt, who spends her days as program director at UMaine’s WMEB 91.9 FM, and her nights as a piano-playing chanteuse, performing both her own songs and delicate covers of Tom Waits and Neil Young. Or maybe it’s Sarah Theriault-Cotton, an impassioned songwriter and guitarist from Bangor with a torch singer’s vocal style.

Could even be 2Phat, a.k.a. Justin Bragg, who makes his own beats and raps about going to the Irving Mainway, and growing up in Hermon. Or it might be the quirky Jason Unterreiner, who plays a battered acoustic guitar, and is accompanied by his own prerecorded drum and bass arrangements, along with his pet turtle Loopy who plays keyboard (like in “Calvin and Hobbes,” Loopy is stuffed, and only Unterreiner can hear him talk and perform). Howie Day has even been rumored to stop by.

Or it could be someone totally new to the scene, who’s heard about Open Mike Night and wants to try his or her hand at playing in front of a chill crowd, and maybe meeting some other musicians to collaborate with. College students, longtime area musicians and even the occasional artist “from away” have all stepped up to perform. That’s the beauty of letting anyone up on stage for 15 minutes to do their thing – it creates a real sense of musical community. And that’s what Billings, along with most musicians in northern and eastern Maine, have been hoping to have for a long time.

Open Mike Night at Soma 36 on Main Street in downtown Orono starts at 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday night. If you want to perform, email Myke Billings at myke@myxstudio.com at least 24 hours in advance to secure a slot. Emily Burnham can be reached at eburnham@bangordailynews.net.