On May 30, All Saints Episcopal Church in San Leandro will host the world-traveling bluegrass band Dirty Cello, along with guest fiddler Michael Lu. The evening promises to be a fun, foot-stomping good time. And while this is not a religious event, it could certainly become a holy experience, depending on the intensity of the musicians and the acoustics of this redwood sanctuary.
It’s just the latest production in a fresh new concert series put on by Not Loud Concerts, a collective of local musicians whose mission is to showcase unique and fun spaces for people to enjoy music that’s “not too loud, not too long and not too expensive.” Says founding member Jason Eckl, “We want to create a concert experience that is enjoyable and intimate, without all of the bad parts of traditional arena concerts like blaring volume, uncomfortable seats and never-ending encores.”
At a Not Loud Concerts event, you can expect the sound system to be “light and pleasant,” with an average duration of approximately one hour, in a venue that is “comfortable and safe” with plenty of parking. Says Eckl, “Seeing the Beastie Boys at the Oakland Coliseum is definitely fun when you’re young, but as you get older you want a different experience.”
Eckl and friends have been informally hosting these concerts for the past five years, playing at churches, museums, clothing stores and in lobbies. They look for venues that can seat 50 to 150 people. Each performance has a theme, with stories and trivia, to help engage the audience. And, as a special treat, each ticket holder receives an email link to a high-quality recording of the show two weeks after the event. “It’s a snapshot of the concert and a nice way to share the experience with people who can’t attend,” says Eckl.
Not Loud Concerts is primarily a labor of love. All proceeds from ticket sales are split with the partnering venue. In the case of All Saint Episcopal Church, the money will go towards their food pantry program. The remainder will go to the musicians and the “tech crew”—student volunteers from Cal State East Bay who help with setup and running the sound system. Says Eckl, “It’s an opportunity for those looking to work in the music industry to gain valuable work experience.”
Not Loud Concerts aims to produce one show per month for most of the year, with each event taking place in a unique space. “They’re all different little gems,” says Eckl. “I love watching how the audience reacts when they enter these beautiful spaces. We’ve had shows in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, where there are trees in the lobby. And All Saints Episcopal Church doesn’t look like much from the outside, but when you walk in you’re transported into this beautiful redwood box.”
For more information, visit notloudconcerts.com.
