Lucy Gellman Photos
At Lyric Hall, Alex Nicks was crafting her song in bits. A sunset falling over New Haven. A senpai with half a pancake for a face. A big, cavernous room across which two characters might be able to see each other. Scratch that. A hallway. No. A more abstracted space, with enough breathing room for the song to exist on its own, punctuated by bouts of laughter and Anthony Duff’s beat boxing from the corner.
A sax came in from a dimly lit corner of the room. A shaker from the far left, followed quickly by the pitter patter of hands on bare legs. Nicks smiled as an impromptu orchestra bloomed around her.
“That was great,” Adam Christferson said from her right side, strumming his guitar with one hand as he scribbled the lyrics in his notebook with the other. “I’ll take anything that you say as long as you sing it with me.”
Duff murmured in agreement from the corner. Nicks giggled, and gave the song another chance.
A month ago, she wouldn’t have been caught dead singing it, or singing in public at all. Thanks to a new songwriter’s workshop and open mic night Mondays at Lyric Hall, that has changed completely. Leading the effort is Christoferson, founder of Musical Intervention. He has pioneered “Awesome! It’s a Songwriter’s Workshop/Open Mic Night” as a kind of extension of Lyric Hall’s Permission to Fail, mixed with informal arts advocacy, a relaxed atmosphere, and an hour-long music lesson.
Across the country, workshops like this are taking place in college rec rooms, high school auditoriums, and dimly lit cafes, as students and professionals alike get their grooves back with the beginning of the academic year and the ageless angst that comes with it. Some critics (ahem, Harold Bloom) see them as the breeding grounds for a certain, particularly dangerous and catchy strain of mediocrity. Those that embrace them, channeling Anis Mojgani as they urge those around them to shake the dust, have learned that there is no substitute for fostering a sense of community for anyone who wants to participate.
Christoferson lives his life in the second sentiment. So do those who come. As they sing and perform together, their message is clear: You cannot underestimate the value of a safe space. When it is running effectively, the parts come together in perfect harmony.
To find out more about Lyric Hall, visit the venue’s website. For more about Musical Intervention, click here.
