She drove eight hours from Phoenix, Arizona to attend the Wednesday open mic. The team pointed to her as the reason they keep raising the bar for artists who travel into town for the event.
History · Grammy Series, 400 person nights, OKC
2023
The year the room got too big for one city.
February opened with the first Grammy Series: four events in one week capped by the pre Grammy party at The Avalon with Crescendo Music, where 301 Icon won the night and earned a Sirius XM spin from DJ Carisma.
In July the For The Ladies art battle night drew more than 400 people in the SAB Gallery era. Then on November 30 the first Oklahoma City event with The OAKA sold out Castle Row Studios in a week, opening the second home the brand still returns to.
- First Grammy Series
- Feb 4
- Events in one week
- 4
- For The Ladies crowd
- 400+
- First OKC night
- Nov 30
The moments that mattered
2023, as it happened.
Ranked against the rest of 2023, so the founding era competes on its own terms instead of against the years that came after.
An artist waited nine hours in line for the open mic and called his manager at Warner Records to ask to work remotely so he could keep his spot. He won the first in line competition and delivered a great performance.
Trsun felt comfortable enough at the open mic to debut a song he had never performed, and the video of it went viral on his TikTok. He gained fans overnight and one of them sent him $1,500 toward a new laptop.
@trsuntheterminator
The first ever Pass The Aux in Oklahoma, in partnership with The OAKA at Castle Row Studios, sold out in a week. Artists called the feeling of playing their music across three studios a real good feeling, and the run back was booked before the recap dropped.
@the_oaka
10 photosTwo artists met at a Pass The Aux event, linked up the next day to make a song, rehearsed it, and shut down the open mic stage with it one week after meeting. The whole pipeline of the community played out in seven days.
The full year
Everything else from 2023.
29 moments in total, every one verified against the post it came from.
January 22 · grammy week
On Instagram ↗First Grammy Series: four events in one week
The first Grammy week takeover runs four events, closing February 4, 2023 with the biggest pre Grammy party in LA at The Avalon in partnership with Crescendo Music. Celebrity DJs and a Grammy nominated panel of judges headline the open mic.
February 9 · grammy week
On Instagram ↗301 Icon wins the 2023 Grammy Series
DJ Carisma awards the Grammy Series winner a spin on her Sirius XM radio show, and 301 Icon takes the crown. He later returns to bless the first open mic stage at Rolling Loud in 2024.
@301 Icon, @DJ Carisma
March 16 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Brett Haze flew from London to Los Angeles just to attend the open mic, after following SDFTP online for a year and sending the team his plane ticket months in advance. He performed a song in memory of a friend who passed away.
@br3tthaze
April 3 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Big Mike went from front row supporter at every event to hitting the stage eight weeks later, winning the open mic and $500 that night. He went on to co host an event during the Grammy series and earned a full three song set. His arc is the community in one story.
@bigmikethevirgo1
May 5 · pass the aux
On Instagram ↗Benson Price Jones played a song at an invite only Pass The Aux session with engineer Teezio in the room. Teezio loved the record so much he offered to mix it, and the finished song Losing My Grip came out months later.
@bensonpricejones, @teezio
May 10 · alternative
On Instagram ↗Downtown rock show with friendly mosh pits
Something Alternative returns downtown with a curated rock and alt lineup and fun friendly mosh pits. The photo dump afterward captures crowd shots the team calls crazy.
May 18 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Chvppy drove seven hours from the Bay Area to experience the open mic and recommended every artist make the trip. His interview became part of the growing library of artists traveling absurd distances for one stage.
@chvppy.music
May 19 · open mic
On Instagram ↗An artist bought a plane ticket from New York to Los Angeles just to attend the open mic, and he got to hit the stage. The team publicly debated guaranteeing a slot to anyone who flies in, a policy born from moments like this.
June 3 · open mic
On Instagram ↗He came to eight events in a row and his name stayed in the bucket every time, but he loved the vibe enough to keep returning. On his ninth visit his name was called, and he said the wait was completely worth it.
June 6 · for the ladies
On Instagram ↗SAB Gallery collaboration era
Ladies night partners with SAB Gallery Collection for a night of female performers, painters, DJs, and vendor pop ups. The art gallery collaboration becomes a signature look for the format through summer 2023.
June 13 · open mic
On Instagram ↗One artist spent 20 hours in line waiting for the open mic and won the first in line competition numerous times over the run of the series. The team crowned him a legend of the line.
June 17 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Richelle Gemini flew from Houston to spend her birthday at the open mic and manifested getting on stage to perform her spoken word. The room sang to her and the moment became a birthday tradition at SDFTP events.
@richellegemini
June 22 · alternative
On Instagram ↗Two stage alternative takeover at Madame Siam
The June 2023 collaboration event at Madame Siam runs all rock and alternative music across two stages with live DJs. Free tickets move fast and the crowd goes crazy.
July 2 · alumni
On Instagram ↗Flyana Boss: family since day one
As Flyana Boss go viral worldwide, the brand documents the receipts: they attended the first ever Something Dope event in 2019 and performed at the first ever Ladies night in 2020. Their first performance together as a duo happened at the second Something Dope event.
@Flyana Boss
July 2 · open mic
On Instagram ↗An artist discovered the open mic online while living 9,000 miles away in Mumbai, India. When he landed in Los Angeles he made sure to attend, got called to the stage, and said it was one of the best days of his life.
July 9 · for the ladies
On Instagram ↗400 plus people and an art battle
The July 2023 Ladies event draws over 400 people with an art battle, live performers, and tattoos. It sets the attendance high water mark for the format.
July 9 · open mic
On Instagram ↗She came to the open mic alone, got on stage with no friends in the crowd and no backing track, and shut the room down acapella. She left with more than 50 new followers off one song.
September 30 · alternative
On Instagram ↗Powrice and Elle Marie save the show
A wild September alt night ends with a shoutout to Powrice and Elle Marie Baby for saving the show. The caption promises more rock and alt shows, keeping the lane alive into 2024.
@Powrice, @Elle Marie Baby
November 16 · pass the aux
On Instagram ↗J Hill, CEO of the independent label that is home to Teezo Touchdown, gave feedback to 100 plus artists at a Pass The Aux inside the Grammy winning Creative Soundz studio. His advice to artists was to keep finding things like this, while Brittany B told the room to network horizontally.
@j.hill_, @brittanybmusic
November 22 · open mic
On Instagram ↗Vet attended eight open mics in a row without ever getting called to perform and kept showing up anyway. Nearly a year later he won a giveaway to open for The Pharcyde and Talib Kweli. A full circle moment for the most persistent man in the room.
@vetmusicofficial
November 30 · milestone
On Instagram ↗First Oklahoma City event with The OAKA
Something Dope partners with The OAKA for its first Pass The Aux in Oklahoma City at Castle Row Studios, and the event sells out in a week. Gorilla Zoe makes a surprise appearance at the January follow up, which also sells out.
December 2 · pass the aux
On Instagram ↗Metra skipped the line to play her music in all three studios at the first OKC Pass The Aux, collecting feedback and meeting dozens of artists. She became one of the names everyone mentioned when asked who stood out.
@itsjustmetra, @the_oaka
December 16 · open mic
On Instagram ↗The $300 best performance prize at the last open mic of 2023 ended in a declared draw. Fweago shut the stage down with a Latin track while Big Mike delivered a community favorite, and the judges split the prize between them.
@fweago, @bigmikethevirgo1
The archive keeps growing