Lewes, Delaware is now home to a blossoming community for original music, igniting a new creative spirit on the Eastern Shore. It's a place where artists find their stage and audiences discover new stories. Marissa Levy, Victoria Rioux, and Nate McCormick are the passionate forces behind the Listening Booth. A venue dedicated to cultivating a vibrant community around original music. I'm Jenny O'Connor for Delmarva Public Media. Marissa Levy, the owner and chief roadie at the Listening Booth, came from a vibrant background of music.
“At NYU, I was a music education major with a concentration in opera. I did not like opera, and I immediately started playing guitar and writing my own songs freshman year, so I got really immersed into that singer-songwriter culture”, said Levy.
After graduating, she moved to the Eastern Shore, but the contrast between the songwriting culture in New York compared to the Eastern Shore was dramatic. She quickly noted the limited number of music venues, especially those offering a platform for original local songwriters. As she continued to attend open mics to fuel her songwriting fire, she dreamed of opening her own venue to make a special place for these unique kinds of artists. And at one of those fateful open mics, she stumbled upon her now partner in crime, Victoria Rioux, who was also looking for a new opportunity.
“I had been talking about the pipe dream, because I didn't have the capital. My boyfriend's a musician, Tyler Green, and we were avid concert attendees, and so we were like, this is what we would do better at this venue. This is what we would do better at this venue. And then next thing I know, here comes Marissa and she says, I'm opening a concert venue. And I was like, hell yeah, let's do it”, said Rioux.
Driven by their shared love for concerts and Victoria's history in the restaurant scene. The two wanted to create a venue that incorporated both: food and a good time. What more could an audience ask for? And thus, the Listening Booth was born, but Marissa had yet another passion she wanted to add to the mix. During those pivotal years at NYU, she learned that she was a natural born leader and loved to share any advice she could with other aspiring musicians and songwriters. She then found a club where she could do just that.
“I ran a club at NYU called the Songwriters and Performers Society, which I basically was teaching other songwriters how to get their press kits together, how to put their CDs together, and I was literally a fraction of a step ahead of all of them”, Levy stated.
That passion for teaching remained inspiring her to expand the Listening Booth's mission to include educational opportunities. That's where Nate McCormick comes in. Nate is a local musician who has over two decades of experience in the music industry and has accumulated plenty of knowledge to pass on to his community. He has quickly become an important asset to the team, hosting the Listening Booth's weekly open mics, running sound design, and teaching guitar lessons for all levels of experience. And since working at the Listening Booth, he's discovered a new passion for mentoring.
“There's a certain feeling from getting somebody progress with teaching and things like that. I feel genuinely satisfied sometimes with the results of student progress or seeing classes”, said McCormick.
Just over a year old, the Listening Booth has come a long way, and the team is fulfilling their dreams of opening a sustainable venue where singer-songwriters can thrive and build community, as well as welcoming in new audiences and providing resources for artists to learn and record with high quality equipment. They overcame their biggest challenge of finding a permanent venue and are now focused on building and growing. And their goal has an incredible foundation, with a welcoming environment and a loyal audience that loves to love music.
“We're combating loneliness through the togetherness and bonds that music brings. When these guys get together and they connect, it doesn't matter about their political views or what happened to them in their day. They want to talk about nostalgia, and they want to talk about all these cool things that happen when they play guitar, when they get together with other people and play”, explained McCormick.
Marissa, Victoria and Nate on their ambitious journey of following their dreams have come out the other side and can agree on one thing.
“If we could be paid in joy, we'd be gazillionaires”, said Levy.
For more on the Listening Booth’s upcoming shows and their mission, visit listeningbooth.com. I'm Jenny O'Connor for Delmarva Public Media.
