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Acoustic musicians come together

The Commuter

Thursday, November 5, 2009

By Lauren Naone
The Commuter

Looking for somewhere to escape a bad case of the Mondays? Or just in need of a place to enjoy good food and music? For about a year now, musicians of all ages and musical backgrounds have been returning weekly to Block 15 for Acoustic Roots Music Jam.

Every Monday night from 8-11 p.m., musicians come together at the Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery to enjoy the company of new and old friends while playing music. The Acoustic Roots Music Jam allows the musicians to collaborate their acoustic talents, while providing free entertainment and a good vibe for the restaurant.

On a recent visit, a mixture of up-tempo and mellow bluegrass music filled the restaurant over the chatter of dining customers. The casual setup of friendly musicians consisted of two guitar players, a man on the fiddle, a woman playing the stand-up bass and her husband on the mandolin.

As the night progressed, the group took pauses between songs to enjoy some food and drink of their own. According to the musicians, this is how a jam usually works. One by one, they were joined by more people, each with their instrument of choice. This included a man and woman both on the violin, a man with a banjo and another guitar player.

“Sometimes the group gets up to 20-something people,” said Block 15 hostess Libby Lebourveau, who has been working the past few Monday nights. “It’s always nice to have live music, and the musicians are all really nice.” While waiting to be seated a group of people applauded the cover of Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil.”

“Some people are really cognitive of the music, and others just drink beer and watch football, not really paying attention,” said Lebourveau.

Most of the musicians have met through jamming at Block 15, participating in separate bands on a regular basis outside of the Monday night jams. There were a few musicians who do have connections beyond the jams.

“We’ve been playing music for longer than we’d care to admit,” said guitar player and vocalist Sam Holmes of his old friend from high school and fiddler, Steve Speth.

“I love getting to play with my husband,” said Betsy Yochelson. Betsy plays the stand-up bass, her husband Theron Yochelson plays the mandolin and both sing. Traveling from Sweet Home to play with their friends may be a little far, but for the Yochelson’s, “it is so worth it for once a week.”

Getting the chance to play together weekly provides these newfound friends with more than just an opportunity to perform music. “I have learned a lot from playing with these people,” said Holmes “The more you play, the better you get. You see something and you learn something. That motivation helps you learn.”

Whether you have been playing for 30 years or are just starting out, this warm group of people has no intentions except to have a good time. The music jam at Block 15 is a welcoming and low-key environment for anyone to join. This event is simply musicians coming together to eat some food, have some drinks and do what they love — make music. For information on other jams similar to the one held at Block 15, visit the Wooden Nickel in Sublimity, and Guthrie Park in Dallas.

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