So my girlfriend called me on Friday and said, “Hey Sora, I found this place that serves Sunday brunch and has an Open Mic every 2nd Sunday of the month and guess what it’s in the East Village (which is not far from where I live!) do you want to go? ” I said, “Sure, let’s do it!”

So here I am standing in front of Pangea which is located at 178 2nd Avenue between 11th and 12th Street.

Here is what the inside looks like…

So what I proceeded to find out after ordering my Hamburger and Home Fries (so yum!) was the Open Mic which was masterminded by the very gracious, charming and welcoming Sue Matsuki (a masterful Cabaret/Jazz singer who can be found at www.suematsuki.com and whose photo is below – while singing us into an introduction of today’s Open Mic ) was a 3 part experience.

What I learned was that the first set of the Open Mic had folks who signed a piece of paper left on their tables and then put them in a hat. Sue then drew the names randomly which I thought was very democratic and they got to perform with the really excellent back up on stage…

which included Gregory Toroian, Jazz pianist, Skip Ward on the bass and David Silliman on the drums.

Now the second set included singers who were specifically selected by Sue and the third set “was all Sue.”

I wasn’t able to stay for the second and third set because I had a prior commitment but I plan to send all my friends there. It’s an awesome way to spend a Sunday afternoon and Sue is the “best”!

So Here are some of the lucky folks whose names were drawn out of the hat for the first set and the names of the songs that they sang.

Scott Raneri-Big Time

Mark Corpron – Come Back to Me

Maria Corsaro – Lush Life

Sue Mack – September by Steve Sieck (who was in the house)

If you love to be entertained and would love Sunday brunch along with that performance experience go to www.pangeanyc.com or call 212 995-0090 and make a reservation today!