6 minute read
Finding harmony
Story and photo by Rona Trachtenberg
Fairhaven Frets, a music store and instrument repair shop located at 105 Sconticut Neck Road in Fairhaven, opened for business on January 13, 2020
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The timing couldn’t have been worse, because two months later, COVID-19 hit and mandatory business closings were instituted. However, during this hiatus, owner Bryon Knight learned about the generosity and compassion of Fairhaven's musical community.
“Customers kept knocking on my door with instruments in hand, telling me, ‘I dug this from under my bed… you must need some work!’” says Knight. “This town showed me so much grace and kindness by standing outside my shop to purchase strings, straps, and other accessories. As the lockdown dragged on, people began asking for instruments, amplifiers, and suggestions for virtual lessons. Once we all began to get vaccinated and things began to get closer to normal, I wanted to do something to say thank you to the community that had supported my little business.”
That is where patron Dave Medeiros entered the scene.
In his youth, Medeiros taught himself guitar and enjoyed performing in the 60s with his high school friends in a group they called the Michaum Trio. In his adult life, he taught English and Journalism at Fairhaven High School for 34 years.
Thirteen years ago, Medeiros created a weekly Tuesday night guitar circle with some of his high school classmates. Since then, perhaps more than 100 different performers have come and gone and jammed together at the Northeast Maritime Institute in Fairhaven. During the pandemic, the group had to cease meeting at the school site. They picked it up again in the summer of 2020 at various players’ homes and businesses around town.
Medeiros was an early patron of Fairhaven Frets, even before COVID. He would come in every few days to see the progress of the little shop. Medeiros invited Knight and his family to participate in the “Tuesday circles” on occasion, and Medeiros thought, “Why not ask Bryon to host the circle?”
At the time, Knight didn't have the room in his 450-square-foot space to host more than six people. So, he decided to renovate his musical instrument repair and retail shop. He brought a little bit of his Arkansas hometown style to Fairhaven when he designed his expansion to include a replica of an entrance to a Southern shack, affectionately referred to as “The Pickin’ Porch,” complete with a butter churn, a turn-of-the-century clothes wringer, several washboards, and sign that reads “Life is better on the porch.” Today, the music circle meets at Knight’s store every Tuesday night. It is free and open to anyone who wants to attend, although space is still limited.
“We arrange the chairs in a circle,” explained Medeiros, “and we go around as each person performs. What a win-win situation this is. Many of us are re-discovering our musical roots. Bryon’s place is fantastic, and he is a wonderful host.”
Open mic, full heart
In March 2022, Knight expanded his community outreach to start a monthly open mic night, which takes place on the first Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.
“The open mic participants are made up of professional and nonprofessional performers. We have retired school teachers, banking professionals, kids taking guitar lessons, local music pros and touring acts. There are no auditions. If a budding songwriter wants to present a song that they just wrote, great! If someone wants to perform a dramatic reading of a Bob Dylan song, have at it! I only ask that the performance time is limited to around 10 minutes. The performers are selected at random by audience members, who pick a numbered ball from an old ukulele.”
Knight boasts, “There has been no shortage of performers. I cap the number at 15 acts per night. The signup sheet is at the door at 5 p.m. for a 6 p.m. start. We have a lot of repeat performances but with different material. There was a 15-year-old singer and a 91-yearold saxophone player. We’ve had Portuguese Fado singers, classical guitarists, English renaissance performers and theatrical numbers performed on that little porch. We regularly record performers for their personal use. With permission, we may publish videos later.”
I had the pleasure of attending the January 4 open mic night and found the setting to be cozy, intimate, and very entertaining. There were approximately 25 people in attendance, with 11 of them performing. There were story songs, original songs, and cover songs. There were solos, duets, and trios. One woman played her electric wind instrument (EWI), which was a unique experience for us all.
Medeiros played his guitar and told a story about where the song came from, in the vein of Pete Seeger, the storytelling folk singer. He explained, “This is a non-judgment zone. All kinds of magic happens here!” Indeed, as evidence, I got up the courage to sing my favorite sea shanty, Aboard The Spray, by Dillon Bustin. It was a fun, free night for everyone.
Knight continued, “The audience consists of my shop customers, music circle participants, friends of musicians and local community members who just wondered why the parking lot was so full! Since my shop is not designated as a performance venue and I can only seat 30 people, I don’t advertise. However, it is open to the public on a first come, first serve seating basis.”
Knight has had such a tremendous amount of positive feedback from his monthly open mic events and in the spirit of giving back to the community he has created a nonprofit organization called The Shepherd Center for Performing Arts. If all goes as planned, the center will be housed in the vacant church of the Good Shepherd property located at 357 Main Street in Fairhaven.
Knight explained that “The Center’s mission is to benefit the community with a large educational focus on the Performing Arts to include music, dance, theater, and cinema. You’ll be able to attend clinics on anything from jazz guitar to ballroom dancing and master classes on filmmaking, acting, and stagecraft. There will be an auditorium, but most of the performers will be local.” Knight continued, “We will have occasional touring acts as fundraising events but this facility is for the residents of Fairhaven and the surrounding areas.”
The open mic nights are free to anyone who would like to attend or perform thanks to the sponsorship of The Shepherd Center. Knight passes a little coffee can around to collect donations.
“Once again, the community has been very supportive. I feel so blessed!” he says.
