Contributed by Shyla Consalo
It’s a cool and crisp Friday evening. Convalesce, a new local band formed at The Spot, brings their gear inside The Gathering Grounds Café. David Jenkins, vocalist and guitar player, starts setting up his guitar amp as new and familiar faces fill the venue.
Like each first Friday from September to May, The Spot is about to begin with attentive ears and free pizza provided by Knik Pizza. However, tonight the event is better than ever, with attendance almost doubling over the last two months.
"We started with a couple kids, now we’re up to 15-20 a night”, mentioned Jerry Wessling, staff member, guitar player, and local school teacher at Teeland Middle School. “We’re excited about the possibilities!”
The Spot, in its second year, provides free music mentorship and a place to play for those that are 25 and under and substance free. The Spot is an organization built to help battle against the substance abuse stigma that attaches itself to teens and especially musicians. The organization is modeled after the success Iceland has experienced after introducing consistent community activities for youth.
“You don’t have to drink or smoke weed to have fun making music” said Michael Consalo, The Spot’s director. “I battled addiction for years and music was a huge part of my recovery.”
Michael, a Human Services student at UAA’s Mat-Su College, has been working hard with local schools, coalitions like Thrive Mat-Su, Recover Alaska, and My House to provide a place for youth to play music, without being in a bar. “If you want to perform music in Wasilla or Palmer, it’s probably at a bar”, Michael continued. “Not to say that bars are bad, it’s just not for everyone.”
Michael’s goal is to help create a more diverse music scene, one with hip hop, punk, metal, poetry, and one that is supported by the community. “Get out and pack your local music venue, we need that more than you know.”
As the night continued for The Spot, multiple artists approached the mic and performed anywhere from 5-20 minutes for their peers and other patrons. Live videos were shot and can be viewed on the The Spot’s Facebook page, for those that couldn’t attend. Next month’s event will be hosted by Devon Shaw of UTN, May 3rd, from 6-9pm.
In September, The Spot will be making some changes. First, the hours of The Spot will change to be more of an after-school program, with transportation being provided from a couple local schools, to The Gathering Grounds on the first Friday of each month. Additionally, in an effort to be more sustainable, The Spot will be hosting a fundraiser on July 13th at Settler’s Bay Golf Course with an all ages open mic, prizes, live music, and a silent auction with authentic autographed 70s and 80s memorabilia. Finally, there may be an opportunity for The Spot to expand into Palmer, once a location and funding have been secured.
