 | | Crosstown Acoustic Cafe - that's the name of our new
coffeehouse. But to understand its purpose, I'll have to take you
back to another name and another time. The name is Bill
Haymes, a singer/songwriter who made yearly visits to the
University of Delaware coffeehouse on campus in the
mid-1970's. He had a profound impact on the dream of opening
the Crosstown Acoustic Cafe.
Bill Haymes is an accomplished acoustic guitarist, pianist and
mandolin player, but to me the greatest gift he had was sharing
a piece of himself with the audience. It has been said that his
performances, featuring his music and personal stories, are
more like a friendly interaction than a concert. It was this type
of performance that shaped my musical tastes during that time,
and to this day it is still the entertainment I enjoy best. My most
powerful and longest-lasting musical experiences came as I was
sitting in small coffeehouses, taking in the songs and stories of
both well known and obscure folk musicians of the time. It made
me want to play music, and when I was in those settings all
distractions faded away.
There were many places that accomplished this feeling in the
mid-1970's, especially in the Philadelphia area, where I resided.
Gradually, as folk music faded from the popularity it had
enjoyed during this time, these venues began to disappear. My
dream is to recreate the atmosphere where the audience comes
to enjoy a relaxing evening listening to acoustic music in an
intimate setting, and goes away feeling they have received
some insight into the personality and soul of the performer.
As I became more involved in playing Christian music (what
better story is there to tell?), I felt this was a great way to make
the dream a reality. The Crosstown Acoustic Cafe will blend
Christian Folk Music with some secular folk music to try to
recreate the vision I have described. Our hope is that listeners
will be moved by the music we present, and may be introduced
to the joy of knowing Jesus Christ through the music and spirit
of the evening. Join us.
Michael Boniello
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