Assorted ramblings from world of entertainment:

• Many venues host open mic nights.

Now there is Mike Night.

Girard musician Michael Kermec started the monthly gig as a way to keep making music — his day job as a mortgage loan officer keeps him from playing out on a regular basis — and to help those in need.

“I always donate the money (from playing music) to charity,” he said. “I know different guidance counselors at the schools who can connect me to families in need.”

He decided to create an acoustic music night with a core band — Kermec on guitar, Scott Austalosh of the Chris Higbee Band on keyboards and Gary Jones from the Vegas band on bass — and guest singers from other area bands.

“They each do a couple songs, maybe some things they don’t normally do,” Kermec said. “It’s sort of like a lot of friends coming over to the house and jamming.”

The first event at Crickets Bar in Youngstown featured the participants tackling songs by acts like Hootie & the Blowfish, Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty.

“A huge crowd came out,” Kermec said. “We had a lot of fun.”

Singer’s choice is the theme of the next Mike Night, which will be 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Leon’s in Howland.

Performing with the band will be Jimmi Migliozzi from The Fillbillys, Susie Jane from Absolute Acoustic, Sharon Luman from Fetish, Monica Pawlen from Vegas, Annabelle Himes from Guys Without Ties, and Dan Hulihan, Avonleah Wetzel, Isabella Grace and saxophone player Rich Rollo. Kermec’s 14-year-old son, Brody, will sit on bass.

There is no cover charge, but donations are accepted from the audience, and the band donates its fee from the bar owners where it plays.

“If we can bring in a crowd and people have a good time, we can donate a little more to the charity,” Kermec said. “When I started reaching out to musicians, everyone said, ‘Hey, I’d like to do it.'”

Proceeds will be donated to families in need at Christmastime.

• The Mahoning Valley music community will join forces to help one of its own Saturday with a daylong benefit show at Cedars West End in Youngstown.

Eric Tharp has played bass in local bands and regularly works the door at Cedars. An infection required his left leg to be amputated just below the knee and will keep him from being able to work for a while.

Friends in the music community organized Tharp-Aid to help with some of his expenses. Organizer wrote on the events page, “Eric was the one who ensured you got every single dollar that you could have. He is a truly beloved member of our community and right now he needs our help.”

Doors open at noon Saturday with the music starting shortly after that. Scheduled to perform are Album, Them Bastards, Kitchen Knife Conspiracy, Cold Concrete, Speedo Agreedo, Knife Fighters, Whiskey Pilot, We, Grizzzly, Smokey Honey Blues Band, Eugene Wilson and more acts to be announced.

There also will be a basket raffle, and all proceeds from the cover charge and raffle with go directly to Tharp.

• I’ve caught a few “Carpool Karaoke” segments from James Corden’s late-night show that have gone viral, but I’d never bothered to watch an episode of the spinoff “Carpool Karaoke” series that airs on Apple TV+ until this weekend.

The featured performers usually are current pop stars or music legends, well-known acts understandably picked to lure the largest possible audience.

On the Apple TV+ series, Corden is replaced by a celebrity passenger, and it turns out comedian Nikki Glaser and I share a favorite band — Wilco. So Glaser got to ride around Chicago with Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche as they sang Wilco songs, picked up a surprise passenger in Mavis Staples (leading the gang in a rendition of “I’ll Take You There”) and recreated the finale of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” by singing “Twist & Shout” on a parade float.

It was fun to see some of the guys from Wilco in a unexpected environment, and Glaser was giddier than a 4-year-old told she could spend Christmas Eve riding in Santa’s sleigh. Her unabashed fandom was charming.

I’m not going rush to watch episodes with Saweetie or Kesha, but I bet the family will be watching Sandra Oh with Duran Duran before the new year.

Andy Gray is the entertainment editor of Ticket. Write to him at agray@tribtoday.com