Preserving Monterey’s History, and Its Live Music Venues; Plus “Back-from-Iraq Tunes Attack” on Wave Street
With the popular Monterey Live suddenly shut down, music aficionados are reminded to support those local live venues that remain. Among these, and surely no less at risk of closing, is Wave Street Studios.
Like Monterey Live, which was housed in the historic Casa Sanchez adobe on Alvarado Street, Wave Street Studios was also established on a historic site: the Quock Mui House on Cannery Row. Building the studios here was a nearly insurmountable obstacle. But Wave Street Studios successfully, and elegantly, preserved this part of Monterey’s history while also intensifying use of this property alongside a city stretch of the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. now Wave Street needs music fans to help preserve one of Monterey’s remaining intimate live music venues.
Wave Street’s musical performance schedule is inconsistent at present, but keep an eye on their events calendar. every concert I’ve attended at Wave Street has been top-notch.
Wave Street has featured many excellent artists, and they cover diverse musical ground. Wave Street concerts have ranged from hip-hop to Western Americana, including soul musician Simon Russell, jazz artists Stephanie Nakasian and Hod O’Brien, and pop performer Josh Fix.
As was Monterey Live, with 100 seats, Wave Street Studios is an intimate setting. Wave Street started offering public concerts in 2008, and it doesn’t yet have the more comfortable seating of Monterey Live (feel free to bring a seat cushion). the venue has not announced any plans for regularly featuring extensive food service, or any alcohol service. They do serve over 80 types of tea, plus other beverages and limited snacks. Catering is an option at this venue, which means wine and food has been served at some of their concerts. (They also offer facility rental for corporate and private events.)
The focus at Wave Street is live performance recording (their affiliate is LiveNetworks.tv), and concert-goers are part of the live studio audience. the place is aesthetically and technically outstanding, and of course, it’s free of that bar vibe that can be a detraction for many music lovers.
As the Wave Street Studios Web site states, the artists are here to create a live performance DVD and are putting on the very best show they can. Coupling excellent musicianship with the fine architectural design and top-of-the-line technology of this venue, their Web site boast is a valid one: “the experience of seeing an artist in this setting and under these conditions is in a class of its own.”
Stephen Covell Plays Wave Street
Featured on Sunday, 6/7/09 at 7 PM, is 26-year-old Stephen Covell, a native of Pacific Grove, with his “Back-from-Iraq Tunes Attack.” Covell serves as a US Army medic in Iraq and is on leave from his second tour there. But that won’t be the theme of this show. As his Web site says, “If there’s much darkness in me, it doesn’t seem to want to be a part of my music.”
Covell’s musical influences include Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews, and John Mayer. to keep closest track of him these days, go to Pure Volume or his Facebook page. He also blogs, and a 5/20/09 post corrects some misinformation published in that day’s issue of Stars and Stripes.
Covell had a very enthusiastic audience, myself included, for his earlier gigs at Monterey Live. Wave Street, with only 75 seats, may sell out for this show.
