LEWISTON – From the outside, The Cage looks like a typical bar in the heart of Maine, but listen carefully on Thursday nights and the breeze carries a harmonious mix of bass, guitars, drums, harmonica, keyboards and the occasional brass or woodwind out the front door.

Pack that with powerhouse vocals and the normally quiet downtown neighborhood comes to life as the Maine Blues Society hosts a weekly open mic blues jam that not only promises but delivers good music, good times and a great chance to catch some local acts in a totally different light.

“Jammers don’t want something fancy. The want a little hole-in-the-wall,” Maine Blues Society President Duanne Little explains as he looks out at the gathering crowd, some bearing musical instruments, some making their way to their favorite corner as they shout out, shake hands and sign up on the list.

“It’s not fancy. It’s not showy. It’s a place to come and play,” he said.

And play they do. From Chicago to the Mississippi Delta – speakeasies to honky tonks – musicians from as far away as Augusta and Kennebunk make their way to the small venue each week. According to Little, the weekly event is hosted by a different house band every couple months. This month, the blues society features Poke Chop & The Other White Meats from the Saco area.

“This is when you get people who never play together playing together,” said Ron Gill, a.k.a. Poke Chop. “At a jam night, you never know who’s going to show up.”

Gill explains how the tradition of jam sessions has deep roots in the blues. Years ago, musicians would gather midweek, when most musicians were free and had no other gigs, to play at house parties and juke joints.

And for musicians like Gill, his band mates and all the Thursday night jammers, the open mic session is a prime opportunity for them to test the waters, challenge their abilities and expand their melodic repertoire. One example would be local musician Tim Treadwell of Auburn, who often sits in with area rock ‘n’ roll bands when he isn’t working his day job.

“This gives you the opportunity to do something you might not always do,” Treadwell says after playing guitar during his set with the jam session. “You’re going to see a lot of combinations of people that you might not always see.”

He is but one of several area musicians who try their hand at the blues each week down at The Cage. For some – such as Gill – blues is their signature style. For others – such as Treadwell – it’s a craft and a reason to sit in each week with veteran players like Gill. And while rock may be the norm for Treadwell, he is quick to point out that some of his favorite rock guitar players often double as excellent blues players as well.

For still others, such as Sue Rosenbaum, it’s a matter of supporting local music. Her husband, Bob, loves to play guitar and the couple travels to Lewiston from Mechanic Falls for the open mic jam nights as often as their schedule allows.

Rosenbaum points out how there are few area venues that feature live music on the menu. She loves the sense of camaraderie found among the musicians who come out for the jam sessions.

“I like the mixture of the many different combinations together,” Rosenbaum says as she claps her hands and taps her feet to the beat. “It’s always different and you never know who you’re going to play with.”