Since it opened last spring, the Café at Oberlin Music has become a space for students to perform and display art.
Jim Dawson, who graduated from the Conservatory in 1986, returned from Japan to open a store. He converted a space that had no interior walls, no heat, electricity or running water and dust an inch thick on the floor into a charming café and classical music store.
“I could see there was so much potential in the space,” Dawson said. “The bricks and high ceilings are so beautiful.”
Almost as soon as the café opened to the public, students began asking Dawson if they could use it as a performance space.
“We don’t audition [people],” he said, “but I talk with them about their music beforehand because we like to keep it more jazz and folk than rock.” He discourages performers from using microphones and amplifiers whenever possible.
At first, Dawson tried to institute a cover charge so that he could pay musicians. “Oberlin is just not a cover charge kind of town,” he explained, adding that most musicians would rather have a large crowd than a few dollars in their pockets at the end of the night.
In addition to musical acts such as sophomore Bill Ward, junior Ryan Kotler, sophomore Alec Scott, the Obertones, Nothing But Treble and Jug Free America, Oberlin Music has also been host to poetry readings and a short, one-act opera called “Implications of Melissa.” This past week, People of Color organized their poetry/prose coffeehouse in Oberlin Music.
“I’d love to have more of that kind of thing,” Dawson said.
A variety of student and professional work decorate the bare brick interior. Two pieces by former Oberlin professor of art Paul Arnold hang in the main space and scarves decorated by sophomore Megan Hart adorn adjoining walls. Dawson says he would like to have more art to exhibit in the café, but that he unfortunately lacks the time to go in search of artists.
Dawson also welcomes Conservatory instructors like Milan Vitek, who wish to use the space for afternoon classes. The Conservatory has embraced the space, using it for private receptions and recently providing the café with a mahogany Steinway piano.
Dawson and his staff recognize that the café serves as a study space for many students so they try to keep Monday and Tuesday nights quiet.
Most acts play on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights.
“I like the energy created by the mixture of people here — College and Conservatory students,” Dawson said. “I wish there were more town residents who came.”
He has tried to keep the Oberlin community informed about performances at Oberlin Music by sending a list of acts to the Chamber of Commerce to post on their community events calendar each week.
“The store is already sort of an odd mix,” he said, “and I like the idea of a community space.”