The bistro of ballads: The Acoustic Café
By Kristin Nehls, Assistant Entertainment Editor
January 30, 2008 | 12:02 a.m.
Escalator rides can hardly be more intriguing than the ones Wednesday afternoons in Baker University Center. Heads peek over the railings to hear the gentle chords and crooning voices that are escaping from Ohio University’s newest music venue: the Acoustic Café.
For one hour on Wednesday afternoons, Baker Center’s second floor theater lounge is transformed from a dull and ordinary lobby area into a quaint and inviting music venue that offers free musical performances. Hanging paper stage lights, a fuzzy, flowered rug and a backdrop of nylon curtains are all just a few aspects of the Acoustic Café that contribute to its overall charm.
Just as its title implies, the Acoustic Café is consistent in presenting purely acoustic performances. With inspiration from shows such as MTV’s Unplugged, or Storytellers, the Acoustic Café has a softer and more laid-back feeling -- one that coincides with the less-intense moods that are relevant during the middle of the afternoon.
A new type of audience has been formed in the creation of the Acoustic Café. It consists of people who would otherwise be meandering mindlessly from class to class, passing through Baker as a means of transportation. Now, however, passersby and students find themselves stimulated and engaged, if even for a moment, as they watch the performers, and soak up the momentary melodies from third and fourth floor railings and from escalator rides. “Considering [this area] is one of the most visible spaces in the building, we thought we could maximize the number of people able to see and hear the music,” said Julie Kesterke, a Graduate Assistant at Baker Center and the coordinator of the Acoustic Café.
While an escalator ride may be the more eccentric way to watch a show, the Acoustic Café has its own designated tables set up in front of a small performing area, allowing interested onlookers to pull up a seat, have a quaint lunch, do a bit of homework or simply enjoy a legitimate performance all within the span of lunchtime.
While putting on a show in the middle of the afternoon is surely unconventional, Baker Center coordinators were fully aware of what they were doing in creating the Acoustic Café. “We wanted to create a program that livened up the building during non-traditional programming hours providing students, faculty, staff and other guests of the building an opportunity to attend programs that they may be too busy to attend on our usual programming nights [Thursday, Friday and Saturday],” Kesterke said.
Many argue that the success of a small venue with performances in the middle of the afternoon is next to impossible. However, the Acoustic Café’s most recent performer, Dean Fields, acclimated to the unique nature of the venue despite being used to a more typical, late-night concert scenario. “The venue was actually quite cool. There was a great vibe for the folks who stopped to take a listen, [and] it was also out in the open so other folks who were on their way to class, lunch or wherever could stop briefly or just take it in as they passed,” Fields said.
Despite its unusual timing, the Acoustic Café typically has a surprisingly large turnout, and the general consensus of the Café’s effectiveness is positive. “The Acoustic Café provided a very intimate and relaxed setting. Having shows at Baker Center provides a super convenient place for students to watch music. Plus I did not find the busyness of Baker Center to make the music less effective,” said Ohio University freshman Samantha Grieser.
Perhaps coordinators did not expect students to embrace the concept of the Acoustic Café so readily, given that the main complaint of the setup was a lack of chairs and tables for all of the curious spectators.
So far, the Acoustic Café seems to be OU’s best-kept secret, but it does not seem likely to stay that way. With a growing crowd each week and consistently positive feedback, the Acoustic Café is sure to do anything but die down. “We have been receiving e-mails from local musicians asking to be part of the series if we continue it into the spring. With that in mind, we are definitely considering continuing the series into the spring if it continues to be a success.” Kesterke said.
The Acoustic Café conveys what any passionate musician constantly tries to prove: quality music does not need fancy lighting or elaborate stage tricks in order to be effective. Quality performances happen in dorm rooms, on park benches, at street corners and, most recently, on the second floor of an Ohio University student center.
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