If you're an artist working on a new project or just looking to gain stage experience and feedback from a live audience, the Mission in Jefferson City welcomes you with open doors.
The Mission offers Mission Quest nights every other Wednesday, opposite of their Open Mic nights, and allows artists to use a full PA system, lights and sound technician to perform within a supportive environment.
"We want that Wednesday night stage to be a comforting supportive stage, so even if you have to start a song over or you hit the wrong key everyone can laugh about it. It's supposed to be a supportive and encouraging night for people," Mission owner Jenny Babcock said.
Having been a performer herself, Babcock realized the community needed a space for entertainers to experiment freely.
Even seasoned musicians who want to come in and try something completely different, come to the mission and give it a try and see what people think, she added.
However, you don't have to be an experienced performer to take the stage. In fact, nights like Mission Quest have helped performers grow as artists.
"What I appreciate the most about the Mission is the community," said Kate Beshuk, a 19-year-old acoustic singer/songwriter from Jefferson City, who gained much of her musical experience playing at The Mission. "It's like they almost took me under their wing and said 'welcome to the family.'
"They don't just love good music, they seek uniqueness and create an environment for musicians to thrive. It's something I personally love to be a part of and it's allowed other doors to open for me as an artist and it's also a great way to connect with the other local musicians."
Mission Quest also welcomes all aspects of performances. From comedy to poetry or if you aren't looking to become a professional musician and just want to jam The Mission makes their stage available.
"You can definitely come out here and perform in front of people and get feed back and kind of switch it up if people are telling you to, but if you want to play out this is definitely the spot to go," said Ben Roberts, who received positive feedback while he played freestyle rap on his guitar and took song requests at the April 25 Mission Quest.
"It's just about supporting the community," Babcock said. "If we're going to do live music five nights a week, it just makes sense that one of those be an outreach to the community."
Mission Quests nights are free and there is no age limit for performers although minors are usually asked to be accompanied by their parents. Performers are allowed longer performance times than Open Mic nights and are encouraged to spend up to 45 minutes to an hour on stage. Performance times are scheduled starting at 8 p.m., but those times can be flexible as Babcock is dedicated to helping performers experiment with their art. The best way to schedule a performance is by emailing The Mission at [email protected] with the subject "Mission Quest."
"Mission Quest is near and dear to my heart," Babcock said. "You got to have a place where people can come out and play and really the best place to do that is a venue that supports live music."
The next Mission Quest night is scheduled for Wednesday.