Flaco’s Open Mic: Tacos, Tunes and Togetherness

Flaco’s Tacos, located at 1116 W. Granville Ave., hosted an open mic night Feb. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Arranged by local musician Phineas Gleber, locals convened for a night of music, laughter and delicious food. 

Gleber, a 27-year-old teacher and musician living in Old Irving Park, grew up around music as his dad was a musician and he’s been playing the drums his entire life. 

The musician also shares family connections to Flaco’s Tacos, having previously worked at the business for five years before he decided to pursue his music career full time. His brother, a member of the management team, contacted him about using the empty space at Flaco’s that used to be an ice cream shop. 

“He was like we’re thinking of an open mic, and I’ve been to enough that I can kind of probably fudge my way through it the first couple weeks,” Gleber said. “My favorite experience is meeting new people and hearing their own music.”

Gleber opened with a cover of “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and closed out the night singing a cover of Pearl Jam’s “Last Kiss.” 

Gleber plays guitar for local band Uncle Pigeon, which he formed with three other musicians who regularly attend Flaco’s open mic night, including 25-year-old Karl Kirkpatrick, the band’s guitarist and vocalist. 

Kirkpatrick played a slew of original songs, including “Appetite,” “Landscape Painting” and “Making a Living Alone.” Kirkpatrick’s new EP, “For a While Now,” released March 7.

“It’s nice to be able to perform in a lower stakes environment but still feel like you get the practice,” Kirkpatrick said. “You can test new material and I’ve learned so much whether I knew it or not just from performing.”

Following Kirkpatrick was his childhood friend and bandmate Joey Acopiado, a 25-year-old musician living in the north suburbs of Chicago. Acopiado is the lead guitarist for Uncle Pigeon as well as a vocalist alongside Kirkpatrick. 

Acopiado’s huskier tone and twangy guitar tunes made for a captivating performance of both original and well-known tracks. He sang an original titled “Today,” which was recently released on his first solo EP “Live at Wayarson Studios.”

Next up came Liam Poe, a 25-year-old trade specialist who lives in Ravenswood, who said his girlfriend introduced him to the band eight months ago and since he’s attended some of their other shows.

Poe brought laughter and sincerity into the open mic space with improvised instrumentation and an interactive presence. In his final set, he called Kirkpatrick up to sing an unplanned duet while Gleber played the cajon, amusing the audience and prompting cheers from the margarita-holding crowd. 

Gleber said he loves when new musicians stop by the open mic night and showcase their talents. 

One such musician, Charlie Burgess, who recently moved from Michigan to Chicago, joined the event with his ukulele and harmonicas. Gleber said Burgess first heard about the event two weeks ago after spotting a sign for it on one of Flaco’s windows. 

Gleber said he hopes Flaco’s will keep the open mic night going so more musicians like Burgess can find a home away from home at the restaurant. 

“The sound setup’s immaculate,” Poe said. “For a person who’s interested in local music, something like this is exactly what you want.”

Flacos’ open mic is free to attend every Wednesday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at its Granville location.