HOME, SWEET ODEON
Lobster bisque simmers in pots on the stove and freshly washed linens hang on the lines outside, readying for dinner for The Nelson Odeon’s next performers, The Suitcase Junket and special guest Zack Dupont.
Helping to make musicians feel at home has been a priority for Nelson Odeon co-owner Linda Schoenfeld. “It can be horrible for them,” she says of the artists’ travels on the road, “so I try very hard to make it very comfortable.”
In 2009, Linda and her husband, Jeff, purchased the century-old historic Grange building two doors down from their home in the small town of Nelson, New York. They had no sense of what they were planning to do, except invest in their community. Then someone suggested they turn it into a concert stage, and so in 2010, Linda and Jeff opened this intimate musical venue that many visitors say transports them back in time.
At the Odeon, audience members are treated to the talents of songwriters and musicians who aren’t accustomed to an attentive audience, often playing in bars or other locations where they compete with TVs and alcohol. The connection to the performers is immediate at the Odeon, partly due to the building’s small size and incredible acoustics, but perhaps also because of the personal touches the Schoenfelds bring to each show, whether it’s the cakes Linda bakes from scratch or the stories Jeff tells before introducing acts onstage.
If you were to ask Linda how her homemaking efforts contribute to the Odeon experience, she might dismiss the question in favor of describing how lucky she and Jeff are to hear the music. Pry a bit more, and she’ll tell you how some musicians insist on washing the dishes after a shared meal because it’s a comforting, normal activity for them to do on the road, and how she and Jeff now know many of them like family.
Helping to make musicians feel at home has been a priority.
And the Schoenfelds welcome them like family, too, offering the artists beds in their home after performing, and sometimes staying up late into the night after a show—playing Jenga, trading laughs and enjoying the camaraderie that comes from their shared love of music.