Musical Magic in the Guardian

The Roland Cafe and Pure Detroit teamed up to launch a music series in the lobby of the Guardian Building tonight, bringing in some wonderful folk artists from the Lansing area, Frontier Ruckus along with Chris Bathgate...having Detroit's marvelously resonant Sisters Lucas opening the show.

I cannot say enough about the perfectness of this venue, I know of no better common space with the acoustic echo control built-in to the architectural design...and to have such musical beauty filling that cathedral-esque place was nearly overwhelming.

It easily rivaled some of the most acoustically perfect shows I've seen at our excellent Orchestra Hall and Music Hall...this is the birth of something truly beautiful.

Everyone seemed to grow into the potential offered by this grand space...



As long as we can get the police to agree. When we were leaving, at least three flatbeds were out plucking cars off the pavement...and I overheard someone tell the fellow responsible for it all, "I think they are towing your...car."

Damn shame. Sure was important to keep those streets in the financial district free and clear during the night hours. Way to go, City of Detroit.

They did announce that they would start enforcing parking laws at night now. It's amazing how many people illegally park at night in this city, when there are always free meter spots.

The Guardian is a beautiful building. I didn't know it was designed for acoustics too.

They incorporated horse hair into the ceiling of the former main banking hall when the building was first built. That absorbed some of the sound and eliminated the echo that such a cavernous space would normally have. Add to it the fact that there are so many non-flat surfaces in that large space, thus scattering the [[non-absorbed) sound, with the result being good acoustics.

The lobby area has Rookwood tile ceilings, and echoes are common in that part of the building.

They've also been doing jazz over the lunch hour--I heard Shahida Nurullah in there the other day and enjoyed her. Lovely venue.