About 100 people are gathered in the dark basement of the Fremont
Abbey Arts Center—not a bad turnout for a cold Tuesday
night—and everyone is giggling and singing and waving their hands
in the air. From behind an electric piano, Late Tuesday singer Tara
Ward leads the enthusiastic crowd in a joyous sing-along of the Flight
of the Conchords song “The Tape of Love (Sticky Stuff).” It’s exactly
the kind of unexpected moment Nathan Marion wanted to inspire when he
founded the Round nearly three years ago, after growing bored of going
to rock shows.
Since 2005, the Round has been quietly operating in the shadows of
Seattle’s vibrant music community. Originally, the monthly series
happened pretty much anywhere he and his volunteers could find a
space—the Bathhouse at Golden Gardens, Nectar, even a private
backyard. This February, the Round finally settled into a permanent
home in the basement of the newly remodeled Fremont Abbey Arts Center,
where Marion works, and the project has also branched out to other
cities, including Portland and Tacoma.
But as the venues changed and the Round began to grow, the project’s
mission has stayed the same: to create a warm, inviting space for
musicians, painters, and writers to come together and share their
talents with an intimate, open-minded audience—and to
embrace the surprises that may result from such an equation.
The way it works is simple: Each month’s installment features three
musicians (they’re welcome to bring a small backing band if they wish)
who take turns performing one song at a time. There are no rules or
expectations—local songwriters use the night to test out new
material on acoustic guitar or piano, cover favorite songs, invite
their fellow musicians to jam, or take requests from the audience. It’s
unpredictable and unscripted.
“On paper it sounds like the most uncomfortable experience
possible,” says guitarist Eric Howk of performing at the Round.
“Everyone up onstage the whole time, no real rules or organization. But
it works! And it is comfortable. It’s really fun watching this thing
that we were all a little unsure of come to life so naturally.”
The same evening as Ward’s Flight of the Conchords sing-along, John
Van Deusen, frontman of local trio the Lonely Forest, surprised the
crowd with a stellar acoustic guitar version of XTC’s “Statue of
Liberty.” Neither of those moments would ever have happened at an
average Late Tuesday or Lonely Forest show.
After a round of songs, there is poetry. I know what you’re
thinking: “slam poetry, ugh.” It is definitely an acquired taste, but
Marion works with Denise Jolly of Youth Speaks and Seattle Poetry Slam
to find some of the city’s best talent—the performers (including
Buddy Wakefield and one of Marion’s favorites Danny Sherrard) are
always at least tolerable if not surprisingly enjoyable.
While all of this is happening, a couple of painters diligently dab
at their canvases on the side of the stage. The audience can watch the
painting take shape over the course of two hours, and if they like what
they see, the work is generally available for sale after the show.
It’s a simple idea, to fill a room with all different kinds of
art—music, poetry, painting—but it’s one that doesn’t exist
anywhere else in the city. If the Round wasn’t done well, it would be a
free-loving clusterfuck of open-mic clichés. But Marion keeps it
from looking like amateur night by bringing in strong talent and big
personalities—past performers have included local stars Howk,
Mark Pickerel, Damien Jurado, Shane Tutmarc, Jon Auer, Jen Wood, and
Robin Pecknold.
“I do work hard to curate the artists involved, so that they will
have a good energy onstage and hopefully some playful camaraderie,”
says Marion. “It’s definitely a challenge to find three songwriters who
know each other and will make for an intriguing performance, but most
of our artists come in through word of mouth. We rarely book someone
based on e-mails or press kits.”
For now, the Round still remains a Northwest secret. But in another
three years, Marion’s baby could be a national institution—one
that’ll hopefully keep music fans from having to suffer through one
more boring, run-of-the-mill open-mic night.
“The concept is definitely spreading to other cities,” says Marion.
“We have had two Rounds in both Tacoma and Portland, and there’s
interest in Vancouver, BC, and Nashville. I just heard our first East
Coast Round is happening next month in Lebanon, Pennsylvania!”
The Round celebrates its third anniversary on Tues June 10, the
Fremont Abbey Arts Center, 8 pm, $7–$12, all ages. Performances
by Laura Gibson, Scott Erickson, and
Ben Katt.
