The Listening Room Connects Hudson Valley Music Lovers
By Julia Halsey
Deborah Lopez was sitting front row at a Ray LaMontagne concert over 10 years ago, distracted by the chatter of rowdy, intoxicated fans and the beeps of smart phones. What was supposed to be a relaxing evening of music with friends turned into an unforgettable experience — and not for the right reasons.
“Live music started becoming more and more like that,” Lopez recalled. Years ago people didn’t have cell phones out all the time, and once people were able to be accessed wherever you went, they were. So now you have people picking up the phone and you’re in the middle of a concert.”
Lopez watched as concert-goers became less focused on the performer, and more focused on the tiny screen in their pockets. Frustrated that she could no longer enjoy live music like she used to, Lopez took matters into her own hands.
“I had some musician friends, so I started thinking that maybe I could invite some friends over to watch people perform and set some rules,” she explained. “I put the rules out on my studio door saying that there would be absolutely no talking or devices.”
A pleasant night with friends and music void of distractions quickly turned into a business for Lopez now known as The Listening Room.
“They thought that it was the greatest thing ever,” said Lopez, who was a photographer in Brooklyn at the time. It grew through word of mouth and people knew it as this really cool thing, so I kept doing it until I lost my studio space.”
Losing her space in New York City turned out to be a blessing when it brought Lopez to the Hudson Valley six years ago.
“There’s a lot of like-minded people upstate, people love the arts and are really interested in that,” she said. “People are just looking to create and foster an arts community, and it doesn’t have to be in New York City.”
The Listening Room just completed its third installment in its new location at Murray’s in Tivoli, a cafe by day turned into an event space by night. Built in an old church on Main Street, Murray’s 2,000 square-foot venue space is located upstairs in what is known as the sanctuary, which serves as the perfect space to hold a concert.
“The design aesthetic is perfect,” she explained. “The acoustics for singing are just amazing.”
The Listening Room’s most recent event on February 16th brought in around 40 people to see Matthew Perryman Jones, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter. For a small cover fee of $10, attendees experienced an intimate evening with all the enjoyment of live music, but none of the distractions that the big venues attract.
Lopez’s favorite part about The Listening Room is the way it brings the community together over something that they love.
“The ideal audience is our neighbors who want to listen to music, and who remember old concerts and just shutting everyone out to listen to someone and be transformed,” she said.
The Listening Room won’t be stopping anytime soon, and already has its next event in the works: An open mic fundraiser on March 29.
“This is going to be great because we’re really going to see who our neighbors are,” she said. “You don’t have to be a professional musician, you just have to love music.”
