For a singer, it is the perfect venue!
Of course, I am referring to St. Luke's Episcopal Church at Van Ness & Clay Streets in San Francisco.
For starters, the acoustics are amazing!
Especially for a voice that is in dire need of a bit of reverb (boosting echo) or sweetening.
The notes in this wondrous inner sanctum joyously float out and soar into the exquisite mystical realms!
The space is not half-bad for acoustic guitar-playing, either.
On Sunday evening, I popped in to catch St. Luke's "Open Mic" night which is free and open to the community-at-large.
Each week, articulate enthusiastic host - Roem Baur - invites performers to trot down to the parish to express their God-given talents and entertain music-lovers young-and-old alike.
The evening's festivities start up every Sunday eve with a set by one talented artist booked in advance.
Then, on a first-come first-serve basis, local talent will grace the stage.
Unlike other venues, a piano and guitar are provided, and ample supplies of cool refreshing water!
Over the weekend, I caught a gig by Nathan Denim (spelling?) - a singer/songwriter - who reminded me somewhat of a young Billy Joel.
The down-to-earth outgoing mid-twenties dude demonstrated a flair for lyric-writing.
Unlike pop forty tunes - that tend to follow a strict Billboard-style formula - Nathan's tunes are rich with intros, musical interludes, and catchy choruses.
In fact, it struck me that the up-and-coming talent (with an album soon-to-be-released) might do well at writing material for the stage (Broadway, in particular).
"Dean" - a country-and-western singer - was a bit nervous and flushed in the face before the rapt audience (who hung on every masculine note).
However, once he gets comfortable beyond the footlights, I expect that his talents will soar!
I am going to predict that one of these days his original songs will end up a hit on the top 40, alright!
For a fun, down-to-earth night out, check out St. Luke's.
The bill-of-fare is quite entertaining, and I expect you'll rustle up a few new friends along the way, if you throw caution to the wind and venture out.
See 'ya there!
http://www.thetattler.biz
Guitar acoustics excel @ St. Luke's
Guitar acoustics excel @ St. Luke's
