The Last Acoustic Night of 2011
If it’s schmaltzy to say, “Thank goodness for Mike Shackelford,” then we accept the schmaltz. We’re sentimental about living in a small, coastal town, where neighbors wander over to the park for an open-mic style Acoustic Night each month on a Sunday evening – May through October. The city of Atlantic Beach sponsors the free event, where everyone is welcome, people are friendly, and a diverse group of musicians are warmly received. It’s Mike Shackelford, a longtime beaches’ favorite musician, who organizes the monthly affair. He arranges the musical lineup (get on Mike’s mailing list if you want to play) wires the porch for sound, arranges the casual ‘stage’, and keeps the approximately two-hour affair moving along seamlessly, while the rest of us just show up at Adele Grage Cultural Center (and Bull Park, for kids who are too antsy to keep it quiet and listen) with a beach chair or blanket. We get to hang out for a couple of hours of good music with nice people and a sea breeze. Let those kids free in Bull Park: it’s a win/win for everyone.
The white, homelike Adele Grage’s covered, wraparound porch is the stage on Acoustic night. The expansive lawn has a cozy spot under the palms with a bit of a rise – the perfect gathering spot for us to watch and listen. It had to have been designed for outdoor concerts, the way it accommodates a group. We like to hang out among neighbors even if we don’t know their names, and even if they really aren’t our neighbors. We enjoy listening to music from people who are passionate about playing. We love that Acoustic Night is for anyone who wants to give it a go. Mike Shackelford makes everyone feel welcome. There’s always a diverse group – new, familiar, and those who come from time to time – who take the stage for a song.
Guitarists and singers often help each other out, with vocals, or strumming backup. New musicians can practice their stuff here because it’s all good: everyone’s friendly and the supportive, small-town mood is evident to anyone who’s been to an Acoustic Night. Sometimes people stop who’ve been on the beach all day Sunday, and stay for this surprise concert under an early evening sky. We’ve listened to vacationing musicians who’d seen the sign and simply walked up, hoping for a spot, and Mike Shackelford worked them in. Last spring a guitarist who’d signed up for his first performance enlisted a visiting family member to be his vocalist. She sang a lusty ballad, he played, and we loved it. Acoustic Night’s just an enchanting occasion for anyone who comes. One after the next, we’re treated to music from people of all ages; it’s so great to watch people do what they love, in a charming little park, by the sea.
We think it’s blissful; just another reason to love where we live.
But you don’t have to live here to perform at Acoustic Night or come out to enjoy the concert. People do come from other parts of town. We chatted with several performers from elsewhere last Sunday, while they waited among us for their turn to go on.
It was the final Acoustic Night of the year, and it was chilly. We wore our hoodies; some of us had football blankets, while others were unfazed by the autumn chill and brisk breeze. It was fall, all right, and the weather change felt good to us. The first musician opened the show in daylight. Terry Whitehead and his friends Melanie Lee and Dave Knopsider, the trio featured in our video closed the show well after the sun set and all the day’s light was gone. The porch lights went on, and their gentle finale closed the 2011 season.
Thanks for the music, musicians and Mike. We’ll see you in May.
