Jeff Weber is the Cultural Arts Director at New England College on Main Street in Concord. The performance center at NEC was voted by the editors at New Hampshire Magazine as the Best Performance Space in N.H. this year. The editors may have got a bit carried away on the voting, but the space is very nice, very fresh and is starting to attract artists and poets and musicians to come in and do their thing.
The potential is unlimited.
Weber, from Webster, is a smart man and understands that in order to build a thriving community and a vibrant downtown, you need the arts and dramatists and culture. Lots of culture. Not just more parking spaces.
Sound Check caught up with Weber and learned that the capital city of Concord could learn a thing or two from another state capital: Austin. And that we all should go and see Southside Johnny once in our lives.
1. You have a wonderful space available for all sorts of artsy doings at NEC on Main Street. Give me your vision for the spot, Jeff.
I always envisioned the performance space at New England College – Concord to be a place where musicians and singers and songwriters and poets could share their talent with an intimate, respectful audience in a listening room environment. I think our Main Street venue offers artists and audiences alike a unique alternative to other Concord venues.
2. How have the live musicians worked out so far and who stands out to you?
We’ve been very fortunate to have established three repetitive music series: a singer-songwriter series, a blues series and a new series that is more jazz oriented. Additionally, we’ve hosted performances by touring musicians and regional artists. Watching Concord’s own Delanie Pickering grow as a musician and live performer with her Bluesday series on our stage has been an amazing experience. It is fun to watch the appreciative audience and to watch veteran bluesmen like Erik Ray and Arthur James share the stage with her.
3. Are you looking forward to the finished product on Main Street? I’m digging it.
It’s an exciting time to be on Main Street in downtown Concord. There are sidewalk cafes, and in the evening the pedestrian traffic has increased and it feels alive at night. I’m looking forward to having the construction project done and really watching downtown Concord reach its potential.
4. The 25- to 35-year-old artists in Concord, in my opinion, are the prominent force behind Concord no longer being referred to as the “Capital in a Coma.” Your thoughts?
There are a lot of talented artists in Concord, ranging from musicians to visual artists. Successful cities value the positive effect art has on their community, not only for those that reside there, but it serves to attract visitors. The presence of art helps to grow a local economy.
5. What can you take away from your recent trip to Austin, a thriving Texas town, that made you think of Concord? Could Concord learn anything from Austin?
Last month, I had the opportunity to see my son, Texas-based singer-songwriter Graham Weber, perform at one of the top listening room venues in the country, Austin’s Cactus Cafe. Austin is known as the “live music capital of the world” for a reason. On any given night there are so many live music shows to choose from, and that’s in addition to live theatre, improve, film, etc. Austin, like Concord, is a state capital, and years ago the city came to understand how the arts can put a community on the map and make talented people want to live and work there. There are certainly lessons to be learned from places that have embraced artists.
6. So if you were offered to see J. Geils, Southside Johnny or Blondie – and you had to choose one – where you heading?
Last week, I saw a great live show in New York City – Southside Johnny and the Poor Fools featuring G.E. Smith, the former Saturday Night Live bandleader. There were seven excellent musicians on stage putting on a rock n’ roll clinic for two hours. You’ve got to appreciate the impact a show like that has on its audience.
