Q: Looking at Magnolia Roots live schedule online, it appears most of the music/artists perform bluegrass, country and folk music.Ī: My original idea was to do what Hilly at CBGB’s originally set out to do – country, bluegrass and blues. We have three different artists that come in, and each do a 45-minute set of their originals. Brian Stephenson from Into the Fog hosts and that’s been really great.
MUSICIANS ON MAGNOLIA SOUNDTRACK SERIES
We also do Sundays that have become our singer/songwriter series once a month. An artist might be doing a bigger show on the weekend, but we can get them on a Thursday. We do Fridays and Saturdays and a lot of Thursday nights that have become ticketed shows. Q: Most of your shows are on the weekend, correct? Magnolia Roots doesn’t do a lot of weekday shows.Ī: Yes. Mike has a great handle on the local music scene, since he’s put on other concerts and benefits.
We found that successful and ran out of space pretty quick. Mike introduced himself, and I was like, ‘Look, we’re both trying to do the same thing.’ We started upstairs in the dining room. He originally started a group that was trying to get original live artists into different store fronts around Wake Forest. This is a collaboration between you and who?Ī: We teamed up with Mike Allen. Related Link: Sugar Magnolia Café makes a 20-year dream come true. With all the seats lined up waiting for an upcoming show, we glanced at all the fliers on the walls as we discussed how this all came about. We took the opportunity to head over to Wake Forest and spend a few moments with Sadel in the vacant lounge. Here at Magnolia Roots Music Lounge, most shows have a suggested donation of $10. Try to catch artists like Billy Joel or Elton John where you’re sitting front row and you’re probably spending over $500 per seat. It allows the musicians to interact with their fans in a very intimate setting.
There’s no backstage, per se, as band members have to disembark on a 6-inch drop off the stage and exit stage right to a small area roped off by a white sheet. Your VIP seating is a church pew that owner Howard Sadel said he had to cut down and make sure everything lined up so the pew was level. One is literally 18 inches away from the band, who resides on a stage 6-inches off the ground. Take for instance the front row of the music lounge. Selling out shows such as Jim Avett, Jill Andrews, Into the Fog and Fireside Collective, this small-capacity venue relies on its intimate setting. Since opening its Magnolia Roots Music Lounge in 2018, the downstairs basement of Sugar Magnolia Café in Wake Forest has been a prized destination for people looking to listen to bluegrass and folk music without annoying chatter and rambunctious patrons one can sometimes encounter while at your typical music venue. Editors Note: As of October, 2019, Sugar Magnolia Café and Magnolia Roots Music Lounge have new owners, Amy and John Stephens