Historic Sixth & I Synagogue to Host Concert Series
On the surface, religious institutions and indie rock bands are strange bedfellows. Give it a bit of thought, however and you’ll realize that the two camps have much in common: a desire to attain some form of transcendence, an often evangelical following, beards. So maybe putting on an indie rock show in a place of worship isn’t such a strange thing after all. And if there’s one house of prayer in the city that’s made a name for itself as a host of unorthodox events, it’s the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. As you might recall, the Synagogue has previously played host to the likes of sex guru Dr. Drew and Israeli hip-hop crew Hadag Nahash. So when we heard that the folks at Sixth & I had decided to start putting on indie rock shows, we barely batted an eyelid — at this point Devendra Banhart almost seems like a safe choice.
The programming at Sixth & I isn’t the only thing that’s colorful about the Synagogue; as many of you will know, the building at 600 I Street NW also has an interesting story to tell. Built as a Synagogue nearly a century ago, the building was sold to an African Episcopal Church in the 50s during the great urban exodus, only to be reborn in 2002 as an alternative, non-denominational Synagogue (or as they put it, “A cultural center and gathering place for the local Jewish community”).
There’s no denying that D.C. could use more venues — especially of the small to mid-sized variety — but the space at Sixth & I is more than just another venue. The Synagogue plans to host shows in its main sanctuary, which — as much as we love the 9:30 Club and the Black Cat — is a world away from any rock club that we’ve seen. Upon first walking into the Sanctuary, you’re immediately struck by its size (the official maximum capacity is 910) as well as its ornate decoration. The room is circled by elaborate stained glass windows — many of them dating back to the early 20th century — and filled with original wooden pews. If you look up, you’ll see a magnificent dome that looks like the inside of an oversized Faberge egg. And as you might imagine, there’s a lot of room in the space for sound to reverberate: every whisper seems to dart around the room before returning to its place of origin.
As impressive as the Sanctuary is, we still couldn’t help but wonder if it’s really a good location for rock shows. Couldn’t the Synagogue be creating the potential for some serious damage? “We’ve had Matisyahu here — it was packed,” Synagogue spokesperson Abby Cantor told us. “There were even kids crowd surfing to the front of the stage.” Having hosted similar events in the past, the staff at Sixth & I seems pretty confident that they can handle whatever rock fans dish out; in turn, they hope that show goers treat the space with due reverence. After all, it is still a place of worship.
Unfortunately, the seemingly delicate Sanctuary isn’t the only potential problem with the Sixth & I concert series: the idea to turn the Synagogue into a regular venue was borne of a partnership with Live Nation — the Clear Channel spin-off that, to many in the indie community, represents all that is wrong with corporate event promoters. Couldn’t the folks at Sixth & I have gone the DIY route, especially when a similar institution — the First Unitarian Church in nearby Philadelphia — manages to book bands the old-fashioned way? “We’re a very, very small staff,” senior outreach associate Michelle Weiner said of the Synagogue’s staff of four. “We really have to rely on partnerships in order to book shows.” To Live Nation’s credit, they seem to have done a good job so far in terms of booking artists that are appropriate for the space. And while the Synagogue is very happy with the partnership, they won’t rule out the possibility of working more directly with artists in the future.
As we reported earlier this week, the first show in the series, next week’s scheduled performance by Icelandic quartet Amiina, has been cancelled, due to illness (the band hopes to reschedule their U.S. tour in the Spring). Luckily, psych-folk surrealist Devendra Banhart is still on for the first of October and given the often spiritual nature of his music, we’re just as excited to see him interact with the space as we are to hear his new songs. Then, in November, atmospheric electronic act múm will take the stage and we fully expect them to fill every inch of the Sanctuary with sound. Don’t like any of the performers in the initial lineup? Don’t worry, the folks at Sixth & I seem pretty confident that this is just the beginning. “If you don’t like what we have, give us a suggestion,” Weiner said. “We’re not afraid to try anything.” “As a matter of fact,” Cantor added, “the more cutting-edge, the better.”