Downtown Sebastopol's new soundscape
The owners of two new music lounges, Wax Poetic and Kindred, say their businesses will bring more music, night life and foot traffic to downtown Sebastopol
Two new music-centric venues are set to change the face of downtown Sebastopol. Located only a half-block from each other on different sides of Sebastopol Avenue, Wax Poetic and Kindred are poised to complete a “music corridor” linking Hopmonk and Laguna Lab.
Wax Poetic opens in the old Main Street Theater
Wax Poetic is already open for business. Located in the Crawford building at 104 N. Main St., it is the brainchild of longtime local music promoter Daniel Spicka and his partner Tashina Lemons — with the help of numerous friends including Sarah Bendinelli.
Described as a Curated Listening Room and a Sound Society on its web page, the venue offers tiered memberships that allow monthly access to members-only events, in conjunction with public, ticketed events. The higher “Selector” level membership tier offers members input into Wax Poetics’ programming, along with the option of hosting their own member’s night events, with the venue’s extensive vinyl collection and sound system at their disposal.
“Our regular programming is coming into focus,” Spicka said during a recent conversation in the venue’s attractive new lounge. “We’re doing that to dovetail with the membership program.”
In a nutshell, Spicka brings the music vision and know-how to the venture, while Lemons brings the dance moves and the life to the party. She spent two months meticulously outfitting the lounge with couches, chairs, tables, artwork, as well as new paint. Then Spicka moved the vinyl collection and the vintage hi-fi system in. The result? The “fishbowl” lounge—as Spicka refers to it, due to its panoramic windows—looks, feels and sounds perfect.
But while the bartop shines, the venue won’t be selling alcohol.
Bendinelli, a good friend of the couple’s, describes herself as an “adviser, supporter and cheerleader” of the endeavor. She said that Wax Poetic centers around music but, importantly, also around the idea of third places.
“People are really looking for a space to go that’s outside of their home, that’s outside of their work and that probably isn’t a bar or isn’t in front of a screen,” Bendinelli said. “The concept of Wax Poetic is that it’s a room that’s built around the thing that people really miss, which is paying attention, being together, doing it intentionally, listening to music.”
The venue isn’t a typical 9-5 business—its hours will remain limited and varied, often relegated to the evenings. Recent events included a Sneak Peek and a Grand Opening, while future events include a Sunday midday, family-oriented funk music dance party called Family Funk; Sunday evening Sound Soaks; weekly intentional listening get-togethers where people listen to curated albums; and Friday night Open Decks with guest DJs. But the sky’s the limit, so to speak, on what can be done with the space. Wax Poetic has the on-site theater at its disposal — for in-house or private events.
When mention of a possible movie night was made, Spicka replied, “A monthly movie night could happen.” He also mentioned growing interest in a regular post-Peacetown follow-on. Gazing out the window at the intersection of Main Street and Sebastopol Avenue, he summed up a common sentiment among locals: “Here’s to revitalizing downtown!”
To learn more, make inquiries, buy tickets or become a member, visit: waxpoetichifi.com.
Kindred: A new concept for Jasper’s
Just half a block down the street in the Jasper O’Farrell building at 6957 Sebastopol Ave., the Kindred remodel is busily underway. When the Sebastopol Times last wrote about Kindred in May (“Spinning Vinyls and Rotating Chefs,” by Rollie Atkinson), the music-centric drinks-and-food venture being built in the former Jasper O’Farrell’s space was due to open in July. But with extensive upgrading still in progress, the opening date has now been moved forward to September.
Owner Kevin Farnham is a strategic design entrepreneur who has lived internationally, DJ’d, and knows music well. On his first visit to Sebastopol to look at real estate, he passed Jasper O’Farrell’s, noticed the “For Rent” sign on its front window, and got to thinking. In short order, he bought a local farm and decided to open a multi-faceted, music-centric business in the unoccupied venue.
Kindred will include three interior lounges and three communal tables, with two wood-fired ovens and more tables on the back patio. It will be open Tuesday-Sunday. The all-vinyl sound bar remains the central concept, with the cafe open in the morning, then Happy Hour running as late as allowable on weekdays and till midnight on weekends, with counter service for drinks and local farm-to-table food—Farnham’s own farm being one of the suppliers.
All the while, the retail side of the business will be running strong: 3,000 vinyl records in bins on opening day; plus bottles from the drinks program—wine, cider, beer and vermouth—and packaged coffee and tea to go; books about music; audio gear including cartridges, headphones and accessories; plus a few pre-configured home stereo systems, T-shirts and other Kindred goods. Everything in the store will ship from the website, too.
When Kindred opens in September, it will feature significant upgrades and renovations, including a new kitchen, a new electrical system, a re-envisioned back patio and a high-end sound system.
The sound system is, in fact, Farnham’s favorite aspect of the endeavor.
“Our speakers are being built by hand in Berlin from redwood milled here in Sebastopol,” he said during a recent interview. “The wood leaves home, becomes something new and comes back to play records for the town it grew in.”
His hopes for Kindred?
“I hope it becomes a gathering place,” he said. “We’re all-ages by design, and open morning through night. Coffee early, records all day, food and wine in the evening. Downtown needs more reasons to linger, and we want to be one of them.”
He added, “The support from this town has been the best part of the process. Our planning approval was unanimous, and neighbors stop by the site every week to ask questions and offer help. It feels like a barn raising. That’s the spirit we want in the room when we open.”
Farnham invites comments, suggestions and inquiries from the community, and can be reached directly at kevin@kindred-sound.com. Visit Instagram at kindred_sebastopol for updates.
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