Common Fence Music takes shows on the road

PORTSMOUTH — Common Fence Music left the friendly confines of the Common Fence Point Community Hall last September and hosted some shows at Hope & Main, in Warren.

Now, renovations to the community hall are forcing the nonprofit to take all its shows on the road as it begins its 26th fall season. Other venues hosting Common Fence Music shows through the end of the year are St. John's Lodge, in Portsmouth, Portsmouth High School, and the Vasco da Gama Society's Fenner Hall and the Casino Theatre, both in Newport.

Finding substitute venues to slot in Common Fence shows was complicated. Asked when the fall schedule was finalized, Erin Young, Common Fence Music’s artistic director, said, "Honestly, like a week ago. It’s been crazy."

Despite the challenge, Common Fence Music lined up 10 fall shows, just one fewer than in 2017. And, unlike previous years, there will not be a lull between the fall and spring seasons, as the organization is booking shows throughout this coming winter.

"It was definitely a process because we had to find appropriate venues," Young said. "We love the atmosphere at the community hall in Common Fence Point, so we were looking for venues that would mimic that as closely as possible."

St. John’s Lodge and Vasco da Gama fit the bill, she explained. Just like the community hall, concert-goers can bring food and alcoholic beverages to St. John's, and they can bring food to Vasco da Gama hall, which offers bar service. Hope & Main, with stringed lights strewn from the ceiling, duplicates the intimate feel of the community hall. St. John’s, Vasco da Gama and Hope & Main are smaller than the community hall, which can hold up to 200 attendees.

The Casino Theatre, which has about 300 seats, and the Portsmouth High School auditorium, with about 500, allow the nonprofit to host larger gigs. The auditorium will host the Sweetback Sisters' 10th annual Country Christmas Sing-along Spectacular. Last year, the show sold out at the community hall, Young said, and the larger venue will better meet demand. A portion of the proceeds from that show will benefit the Kate Grana Music & Arts Association, which is raising money to renovate the auditorium.

Still, change can be hard. Young understands that some longtime patrons might grumble about the new, albeit temporary, arrangements.

"We knew we’d have to make some compromises," she said. "We’ll make do this year — and we’re still looking forward to it."

Filling alternate venues also presents an opportunity for the organization to expand its reach. Hosting shows in Newport, for example, could introduce Common Fence Music to people without the faintest idea where the Common Fence Point neighborhood is.

The organization will have plenty of time to make an impression on a new audience. It will continue hosting gigs outside the hall throughout the winter and spring, with the hope of returning to the community hall in fall 2019, according to Young.

The Common Fence Point Improvement Association, which owns the community hall property, off Anthony Road, has plans for a new facade, elevator, lighting and expanded parking. The overhaul is being made possible, in part, by grant funding, including $187,000 from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and $94,000 from the Champlin Foundation.

"It’s going to be an adventure," Young said of the coming months. "I hope people take a chance on coming out to some of these newer venues. I know people are very familiar with the hall and Common Fence Point, and I’d just like to emphasize that we tried to mimic that in some of these venues."

And for those who have never attended a Common Fence Music show, "this is the season for you to come out and see what we’re about because we may be closer to your neighborhood than before."

For a list of the fall shows, visit commonfencemusic.org.

— dgomes@newportri.com