It’s Tuesday night and only one person is lingering on the sidewalk outside the Fremont Abbey, eating a ham and cheese hogie. The Round is about to begin in the basement of the restored church just off Fremont Avenue and 43rd Street. Just past the double doors, two women in narrow glasses are taking “donations” as an admission and marking right hands with a magic marker. College kids and adults with backpacks and mustaches line the walls and give one dollar for a cup of coffee or tea at the small kitchen on the left side of the room. Down the hall is the green room, just bigger than a broom closet. The ceiling is low in the performance area. There is a beam quietly threatening the polite men and women sitting in fold-out chairs waiting for the show to begin.

At 8:30, the Round begins with Laura “Piece” Kelley, a beat poet with towering curly hair and a Buddha t-shirt, staring at the ceiling and reciting a free-form poem; the singers and musicians remain silent, holding the string on their guitars to ensure no one hears even the smallest bits of feedback from them. The Round is simple, but unique. Three singer-songwriters—tonight’s line-up includes Eric Anderson of Cataldo, Daniel G. Harmann and the Troubled Starts and Shelby Earl—sing one song each to make up a round. In between each round, poets recite their work. And, as everything goes on, one or more artists paint on the right side of the stage. Tonight, Danae Clark is painting 8″ x 8″ blocks of paper while listening to various audience members’ hearts with a stethoscope.

Tonight is the 48th time folks have gathered for the Round. It is also an EP release party for Daniel G. Harmann. His EP, Our Arms, is being handed out on plastic, credit card shaped internet coupons. Those who cash in their coupons will ultimately be dissappointed, as the songs take on a new and energetic life in the basement of the Abbey, the creative guitar and drum work bounce off the brick walls of the basement venue. Harmann’s vocals have a semblance of vitality on certain parts of “Knob Creek Knee.” “Dee” carries on a little too long, but this audience is patient. No one moves and the only applause comes from gentle, appropriate hand claps.

The dark lighting, the small audience, the short stage: everything screams “Storytellers.” The situation almost demands that these artists share how their songs came to be. But no one does. Anderson does swear a bit and makes some sarcastic comments before starting “Acey From a Deuce” and “Five Years.” The closest any artist gets to an explanation is the red-headed Shelby Earl, who talks about her desire to rep all the fellas “who are working really hard for their ladies,” as the introduction to “Don’t You Cry.” And even though artists did not spill any guts, the Round did offer the chance for a bit of improvisation and collaboration. Harmann’s band, the Troubled Starts, supplied some impromptu backing bass and shuffle-snare for Anderson’s future release, “Prison Fight” (though Anderson did have to regulate, asking for “a little less on the drums, dude”). Cataldo’s keys player (who also plays for Hey Marseilles), Phillip Colbernick, supplied some ambient hums and rhythms to songs he had never heard before. But the biggest improvisational contribution came from Seattle Rock Orchestra cello player, Emily Peterson. Her on-the-spot layering gave the night’s reflective folk-pop songs an extra hint of sensitive personality.

With most of the heart-inspired rounds completed and the evening coming to it’s 10:15 PM close, Kelley stepped up to the microphone and delivered “Street Smartz,” a rap that will appear on her upcoming album of the same title and speaks of the legitimacy of hip-hop culture and all of its tenets, including, “the dee-jay, the emcee, the b-boy and the graffiti artist.” “Peace,” she said and exited with her cup of red wine. Anderson concluded the final round with “The Things You Need To Know,” an emotional tune about things falling apart. As a “surprise” Anderson and Earl sang the Casey Chambers country ballad, “Rattlin’ Bones” per the request of Earl’s niece, who sat in the third row on the lap of her father.

The Round takes place the second Tuesday of every month. Look out for Round 49 next month and Round 50, featuring Damien Jurado and Jesse Sykes, will be taking place at the Triple Door on the first Tuesday of July.

Photo by Anne Dixon