We're very excited to announce a partnership between the CommUnity Zone and the Local Music Collective to continue our Listening Room Series, beginning this September!
These performances will take place on the second Wednesday of each month, with shows running from 7 PM to 9:15 PM. Each evening will feature performances from two acts, chosen from our incredible pool of local musical talents! Details on performers will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, so make sure to follow us there for updates.
These shows will take place in the Community Partnerships building, our home at 328 Market Street in Lewisburg. Our maximum capacity for seating is 80, so definitely mark your calendars and plan to arrive early on performance nights! Admission is $10 to support the artists, the Zone, and the Local Music Collective, with children under 12 admitted for free.
Our next show is on April 10 featuring Rebecca Jade and Leo Armbruster with Geoff Schneider
Rebecca Jade
My history with music is a long and windy road with lots of twists and turns and sadly, also some very long, dull periods where I just stared at the road and relied on cruise control. This leg of the journey, however, has by far been the most exciting and challenging. By that I mean the past 3 years.
I grew up with music being an important part of life. My parents were church goers and my mom was always doing some sort of music ministry or special music. Very early on (we’re talking toddler stage) I began singing with her and, maybe around 5 or 6 I would hear my mom singing her church melodies and I started plucking them out on piano. This led to me getting some lessons. I became more and more involved in music as the years went on. Began writing songs in elementary with piano and vocals. In high school I took an interest in a guitar my mom had recently purchased and it wasn’t long before I claimed it as my own and began writing songs with it. I was creating a lot with this new discovery. It was clear that music would continue to be something very close to my heart. In college I minored in music. Then after that on and off I did some worship leading at church over about a 15-year span. For the years my children were small I didn’t write or perform much as I was very focused on parenting and on making a living. There were years that were musically almost completely dry. I looked for other things to fill the void but I don’t think anything ever truly did. I realized that truth about 3 years ago when became a single mom living on my own. There was a lot of emotional pain from the divorce and music was the first thing I turned to for comfort and healing.
When I first started playing again it was more just to experience it again but very quickly it became something I just couldn’t stay away from for long. I found myself taking every opportunity I could to go out and find somewhere to play. In no time I was playing several gigs a month and it has continued that way ever since. I couldn’t be more thrilled about how well things have gone and with the extremely meaningful connections I’ve made with other musicians, friends I haven’t seen in years and of course many new friends. It blows my mind the depths of the relationships that have formed and the meaning my life has had since I began doing what I believe I was truly meant to do.
You can often find me at a local venue in Sunbury or one of the surrounding towns either supporting one of my musician friend’s performance or performing in one of the acts I’m a part of. Of course, the act I’m most passionate about is my own original project. I have a lengthy catalog of original songs, most of which have been written just within the last few years. I’m currently working with Luke Shellenberger at Blackberry Alley to get them recorded and released.
I’m blessed to have my daughter Rose, who will be 16 soon also join me on the stage with her amazing vocal talent and bass guitar. Ultimately it would be great to turn this project someday soon into a full band. This is in the works right now. Aside from my original music I also have a duo with another great local musician named Ed Krepps. Our act is called Jaded and we do some great, sometimes a little unexpected cover. Ed is on guitar and I’m on keyboard. We also do several gigs per month.
There are a few other acts that I’m also a part of and things I do musically. There aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the music I’d love to do. I have done studio work for other musicians or fill in here and there for live performances where there may be a vocalist, keyboardist or guitarist needed. I’ve even done a little percussion at times and that is a ton of fun. It’s on my bucket list to join a reggae band. If I get to play music every day for the rest of my life, I surely won’t have much to complain about. I’m excited to see what is in store for 2024!
Leo Armbruster (guitars) and Geoff Schneider (bass) have been playing music together for nearly two decades in various ensembles, most notably as members of the Folk Justice Band; in the short-lived trio Borderline with Mark Tomeo, and most recently a new iteration of Borderline with various friends Rick Marcera, Bruce Barr, Rick Buck and Ken Damelio in a changing cast of characters.
Leo and Geoff also collaborated on the recently released studio tribute album : BAY OF MEXICO: SONGS OF BOB HOLMES - out of the music-works at Kimbo's hilltop Studio in Kelly Township - along with 26 other well-known N. Central PA musicians and singers.
In their Listening Room set, Leo and Geoff plan to do selections from that album, which features the very cool songs of the obscure 1970's Boston folksinger/songwriter, Bob Holmes with whom Leo collaborated on during the creation of the recording. Armbruster & Schneider thank the CommUnity Zone for providing a beautiful space for the Local Music Collective’s Listening Room.
What is a Listening Room?
The idea of a listening room event is right in the name: To provide a space directly and exclusively for an audience to listen to an artist perform. Many musicians and other vocal artists find venues where they have to compete with other noise: the background chatter in a restaurant, patrons and orders in a bar, sports and even other music playing on TVs and over speakers. What a listening room provides is a space free from those distractions, and invites an audience who is present for one reason: to listen to the performance.
Listening rooms have grown in popularity for a wide range of artists, from acoustic singer-songwriters to spoken-word performances and more. They are typically held in relatively small spaces, and are often modeled to provide a more intimate experience than would be found in other settings. Refreshments may be available, but in all cases, the focus of the event is on the performance.
At the CommUnity Zone, our hope is to offer this deep listening experience for both local artists who want the chance to perform for a small, focused audience, and for the audience members who want to listen to the artist! We do plan on offering a selection of food and drinks at the events, and hope to have both curated events with established artists as well as 'open nights' when the stage might be open to anyone who wishes to perform.