Covenant News

'Intimate' Concerts Reaching a Younger Generation

SEATTLE, WA (June 10, 2005) - With critically acclaimed musicians appearing at Q café and Community Center, the outreach of Quest Covenant Church increasingly is being recognized as a venue for "intimate" concerts.

Nickel Creek, which won a Grammy for best folk album after being nominated four times, made a surprise appearance last week. Matt Slocum, formerly of Sixpence None the Richer, is performing tonight (Friday, June 10). In both cases, booking agents sought out the space.

The building is multi-functional. The café operates during the week, but the space is converted for use for Sunday services. It holds about 170 people comfortably. "It's an intimate setting," says Pastor Eugene Cho. "It's great for acoustic music."

Chris Thile, mandolin player for Nickel Creek, initially sought to perform a solo concert and arrangements were made only days before the appearance. The entire band showed up, exciting the fans who were lucky enough to get in. "They played an incredible show," says Cho. "There were a lot of rumors that they would show up."

Nickel Creek was formed as a blue-grass band, but now defies neat categorizations, having been influenced by the Beatles, alternative rock, pop and country. Alison Krauss, who produced both of the group's albums, refers to their sound as "just Nickel Creek music."

Cho got his own lesson in cross-cultural studies, saying he was surprised that "most of the people were fairly young" - he expected the crowd would be much older. Different crowds of all ages turn out for the various concerts and weekly open microphone nights, Cho says. The café generally focuses on local artists.

Crossing boundaries is the goal set for the café and community center, Cho says. He adds that the café and community center are "non-religious," but people know they are operated by the church. Various programs, including teaching computer skills to seniors and activities for children, are part of the regular schedule at the community center.

"It's definitely an opportunity to live our faith," says Jennifer Keuer, the café's manager. "It's a place to develop relationships and dialogue. It's a place that creates a conversation."

(Editor's note: to read a March 2003 Covenant Companion article about Quest Covenant ministries, including the café and community center, please see Qwest.

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