Playing to the House

by

Arts & Culture

Only one rule is strictly enforced at Raven House, an alternative music venue that is otherwise known as the living room of Ginger and John Smithwick. That rule? No talking during the show.

About four times a year, the couple opens up their beautifully remodeled Lansdowne home to the community for an intimate evening of private performances by both local and visiting musicians. They usually charge about $20 and split the proceeds among the performers and a local charity. Snacks are provided but guests bring their own drinks.

The couple are part of a growing number of dedicated, music-loving citizens who are offering musicians and audiences a meaningful alternative to the bar and club scene.

In most traditional venues, audiences must fight to hear through the clatter and clink of the bartender stacking up empty glasses and the shattering smash of empty beer bottles, not to mention the cacophony of other people’s voices shout-talking over the musicians onstage. These musicians must decide whether to confront the noisemakers, charm them into paying attention, or, most likely, just give up and try to tune them out. What’s more, there is little chance that the performers will go home that night with any significant amount of money.

For the Smithwicks, who have two young children, it’s not just the noise they struggle with at traditional nightclubs and other local music venues, it’s the late-night start time for most performances. That’s one reason Raven House performances start at 8 p.m. and often fall on a weekday.

So far, they have hosted Seattle-based Kenyan folk singer Naomi Wachira, Vandaveer, and most recently, a “round robin” style show, featuring local musicians Coralee Townie, J. Tom Hnatow, Scott Wilmoth, Robby Cosenza, Will Solomon, Todd Clayton, Maggie Lander and Warren Byrom.

Hosting a concert in their living room was not exactly at the top of their to-do list when the couple moved from Chicago to Ginger’s hometown of Lexington six years ago. With two young boys to raise, they were glad to have family and built-in community around them, but they missed getting out often to see live music like they did in Chicago. Ginger, a marketing strategist for top national brands, says the idea for Raven House grew out of a desire to connect with the music scene and the community in a meaningful way.

“We asked ourselves, ‘What is our goal?’” Ginger said, “and we came up with three. One is to support local musicians, the second is to foster community, and the third is to do good.”

Ginger reaches out to different charities, pairing causes with musicians in an almost curatorial way. For instance, half of the proceeds from Kenyan artist Naomi Wachira’s show went to Kentucky Refugee Ministries, with the other half going to the artist.

“There’s this perception that there is a disconnect between having fun and doing good, but we’ve found you can do both at the same time,” said Ginger.

As to the fun component, Ginger says that the half hour of mingling before or after the show in a home setting has sparked a lot of new acquaintances and friendships.

“It’s an opportunity to bring together people who may pass each other all the time at a bar or club but have never met to get to know each other,” she said. “It’s a lot easier when you’re sitting in someone’s kitchen.”

The personal touch is also part of the appeal for musicians. J. Tom Hnatow, a Lexington musician who has toured with the alt-folk band Vandaveer would know – the band has actually organized entire “living room” tours, performing exclusively inside homes offered up by hosts in various towns. It’s a trend that has been burgeoning nationally for several years – an article on leading indie-music publication Pitchfork last month called “Playing House” even highlighted several national start-ups, including Fanswell, Sofar Sounds and Concerts in Your Home, that are geared to connect musicians with amenable intimate settings around the country.

“The shows are able to have a little more give and take,” said Hnatow, “with stories, conversations, asides, all those things that would completely derail a club show because of the distance between the performer and the audience.”

While Ginger dives into the community-building aspects of the show, John, a dental supply rep, gets into the technical aspects, experimenting with different lighting effects and providing the occasional “shush” to anyone who forgets the no talking rule. This attention to nuance is all about cultivating the best experience for both musicians and guests.

“There is no PA,” said John. “That’s the magic in this – it’s as raw as it gets.”

“To take an amplification system away – something you could never do at a club – means that the audience is hearing things exactly as they actually sound,” Hnatow added.

No stranger to Lexington’s emerging alternative venues, Hnatow has also performed at Soulful Space, another unique venue that is aiming to provide a better experience for musicians and audiences alike.

Housed in the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, Soulful Space is a platform for local musicians to perform, sometimes in collaboration with visiting musicians, for an audience that is there to deeply listen, not drink or visit with their friends.

Good Shepherd church member, artist and BCTC welding instructor Shawn Gannon recalls going to listen to Warren Byrom at a local venue and barely being able to hear. The music was mere background, decoration, and not the central thrust of the evening. Gannon discussed the idea of opening up the church to musicians outside of the typical Sunday morning service with Father Brian Cole, and began gathering a team of volunteers, including folks like local musician Ray Smith, who has booked music at the more traditional local venue Willie’s Locally Known, to create Soulful Space.

Like the Smithwicks, Gannon and Soulful Space organizers are intent on paying the musicians fairly.

“We pay at least $200 per band member,” said Gannon. Any profits from the show go toward supporting the next show.

The event welcomes visiting artists, but there must always be a local component. When nationally renowned folksinger Caroline Herring played there, for example, the venue tapped on local musician Will Solomon to open.

“Even if we book Bob Dylan, he’s got to play with someone local,” Gannon said, only half-jokingly.

According to Cole, opening up his church as an alternative venue benefits the both the congregation and Lexington’s music scene as a whole.

“It is a joy to open this sacred place for all in Lexington who value live, local music,” he said. “Jazz, singer/songwriter folk, soul, blues, gospel – all these ‘joyful noises’ enrich our life here.

“We have been known for great traditional church music for many years,” he added. “Soulful Space grows out of those good roots.”

Good Shepherd is not the only church to provide a unique experience for musicians and audiences. The Listening Room at Maxwell Presbyterian Church is another alternative venue that continues to grow in popularity.

Maxwell Presbyterian Church member Grover A. Mollineaux, a self-described “musician in his second life,” curates small-scale concerts that showcase solo or duo performing groups. In May, for instance, the church will host classical guitarists Enrique Sandoval and Ricardo Saeb.

“I’ve had a tremendous response from performers not just in the area but outside of the area,” says Mollineaux, who says he hopes alternative venues like The Listening Room will appeal to touring artists as attractive stopping points between shows in larger cities.

For musicians like Hnatow, alternative venues are becoming an increasingly attractive way of touring and directly connecting with fans.

“I don’t see places like Soulful Space and Raven House as competition with traditional venues,” said Hnatow. “I think they’re very different beasts.

“For bands like Vandaveer, who have a smaller, but very committed fanbase, and are also a bit quieter than most bands, a house show is ideal for what we do,” he said. “It means that every cough, every noise, every everything we – or the audience – makes, counts.”

The Raven House

3229 Raven Circle

Write Or Die Poetry Slam

April 30, 7 p.m. In celebration of National Poetry Month, Lexington poet Bianca Spriggs presents a celebration of local and regional poets, who will compete for first, second, and third place cash prizes in an elimination-round poetry slam. This fast-paced event will offer spectators an opportunity to cheer on the spellbinding power of poetry delivered by seasoned spoken word artists. Special guest, Trinidadian poet, Roger Bonair-Agard, who has appeared on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” and is a multiple time National Poetry Slam winner, will feature and serve as celebrity judge. Tickets available at www.theravebhouse.brownpapertickets.com.

Soulful Space

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 533 E. Main St.

The Fairfield Four

April 23, 7 p.m. Best known from their appearance on the soundtrack and on screen for the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou,” a capella group The Fairfield Four has been singularly important in revitalizing and preserving the oldest style of traditional spiritual and gospel singing. Tickets available via www.brownpapertickets.com (search for Soulful Space).

tadoo Lounge

Smiley Pete Publishing,

434 Old Vine St.

Josh Nolan and Will Solomon

April 9, 6-9 p.m. Located in the offices of Smiley Pete Publishing – the tadoo Lounge is another series dedicated to showcasing Lexington’s musical talent in a non-bar setting. Free, all ages and family-friendly, the happy-hour-style event occurs on the third Thursday of the month, November - May, and also features local food vendors, affordable libations and other local vendors and small businesses. April’s edition features Lexington energetic, alt-country inspired songwriter Josh Nolan and folk/soul singer/songwriter Will Solomon, with food by Sav’s West African Grill.

The Swells

May 14, 6-9 p.m. A longtime staple to Lexington’s music scene, The Swells feature Chris Sullivan, Warren Byrom, Scott Wilmoth and a host of other members. The vintage, New Orleans jazz influence is strong, with additional influences ranging from Los Lobos to George Jones to Al Green. Also on tap: food from Red State BBQ, craft cocktails beer and other fun surprises.

The Listening Room

Maxwell Presbyterian Church,

180 E. Maxwell St.

The Listening Room

Nate Currin

April 10, 7:30 p.m. Singer, songwriter and storyteller Nate Currin has traveled the globe with his live performances, searching for genuine human connection. He has headlined more than 500 shows, been featured on MTV and has been awarded the IMEA awards for Folk Artist of the Year, Folk Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

Enrique Sandovol and Ricardo Saeb

May 1, 7:30 p.m. Classical Guitarists Enrique Sandovol and Ricardo Saeb will perform a broad range of classical compositions, including music from their native countries, Chile and Mexico. ss