Michigan-made Music and Excellent Coffee Featured at Lapeer, Michigan Cafe'

     River Street Music Café, in downtown Lapeer, Michigan, is more than music and excellent coffee. In many ways it is a second home for the musicians and artists living in the Lapeer area. Owner of the café, Jaime Marvin, has successfully added a touch of magic, elevating her business above the corporate franchises that now dot the urban landscape. For those seeking excellent coffee, outstanding food, and a comfortable setting; River Street Music Café is a treasure. A great café requires ambiance and atmosphere; it requires the things that cannot be purchased at Gordon Foods.
      The open floor plan, complete with sound stage, reminds one that in this place, things are meant to be heard. The music, laughter, and conversation (sometimes about buying rare coffee for $300 a pound) are shared. The conversations at the counter are as diverse as the patrons. If you sit at the bar or one of the tables close to it, and listen, you will hear about what musician is playing where. You might find out what new work an artist is creating in their studio. Conversations laced with double-entendres, and not-so-politically-correct comments, add laughter to the time shared. For those that have only experienced the corporate world of coffee; River Street Café is a place born of a hundred year old tradition.
      In the late 1800s, Impressionist artists in Paris found haven in the cafés to talk about new movements in the art world. The coffee house emerged as a place for creative thought. Places like The West End in London, Greenwich Village in New York, and North Beach in San Francisco, have birthed visions that have changed the backdrop for the arts. Perhaps because age is not a factor at a café; young and old meet on common ground. There is no rite of passage, only the price of a cup of coffee, and an open mind. Youth reminds the experienced to look at things in a new light, and experience shows youth what might be built on.
      The staff at The River Street Music Café is attentive to the individual needs of its patrons. This insures that the camaraderie in the open space does not intrude on someone’s objective. The person that comes in to study, or read, to write, or to sit with their own thoughts, may want a quiet refuge. Tables sitting by large windows, away from the bar, provide the distance that might be needed for private conversation or solitude. The crew, that seems to intuitively know what is needed, punctuates everyone’s time there with a smile.
      The café is only a part of the whole facility. In addition to the café, the sum of the Lapeer business encompasses a school of music for all ages, and a music store featuring a wide variety of instruments and accessories, in addition to repair services. They also founded the aptly named School of Rock, which offers guidance and a venue to bring musicians together to form bands. Some bands are for fun, and some aspire to greatness, in both cases this gives the students the option to experience playing in a band.
      In the music store veterans and aspiring musicians will find a large assortment of instruments. John Kaiser, who handles a large portion of the retail sales, provides customers with a wealth of knowledge about instruments and equipment. At the café for Friday night’s open jam sessions, John can be found offering the encouraging words that help new players get on stage for the first time. When he hears about aspiring song writers he is quick to help them find a place, on songwriter’s night, to share their work. This is sometimes more difficult to do than most would think!
     Some of the most talented artists that I have met are often shy and even insecure about their work. They are always striving to reach the next level of excellence, and often cannot see where they are at that moment. It is because of this that many gifted people have difficulty finding their way to the stage. The team at The River Street Music Café: Jaime Marvin, John Kaiser, and Ryan Ceja help them find the courage to put themselves out there. Then it is the people in the audience that give them the support and encouragement to keep getting better. This holds true for the seasoned musician or someone just starting out, and it is why you can find my daughter, Taylor, and I in attendance on most Friday nights.
      Last Friday night’s performance was by a group that had found the courage to call themselves “The Old Farts and Fossils”. I’m happy to say that their music was better than the name. At this point if they are reading this, I hope they will find a smile. The Old Farts and Fossils, made up of local musicians, demonstrated something that I found impressive; they all were willing to take second stage to showcase another player. It was friends playing together, and it took me back to a time when music was about sharing with family and friends. Those times when we would play without ego or insecurity, just to be doing something we loved. For that, I’m thankful to Keith Davison, and the other guys in the band. It is always good to remember one of the reasons we started playing music in the first place.
     The bands and the soloists that perform at River Street Music Café do so out of love for music. They do not get paid, and often are performing at a paying gig somewhere else later that same night. The hat is passed and tips are welcomed, however the gratuities collected are often donated to the café by the musicians, showing their appreciation for the venue and the opportunities that exist there. This tradition again was played out by The Old Farts and Fossils after they performed for a full house last Friday.
I cannot express how important Friday nights at the café is for the community. It is one of the few places I can take my fourteen year old daughter to hear live music. Yes, she is sometimes bored with it (she is fourteen), as the music is not necessarily what she is accustomed to listening to. It is however live, and only at a live performance are we able to experience those moments of perfection that will never happen again. It is our time, a father-daughter moment, made even better by our friends at the café.
      There is more I could write about the inspiration and talent growing at the café at 454 West Nepessing, and about owner, Jaime Marvin, and her passion for music that is quickly becoming legendary. I could write about the years she has devoted to making the River Street Music Café a center for creative thought. I could tell you about the baristas; Jessie Szuber, and Erica Shantz whom never fail to light up my morning making me smile, while they are making the best coffee around. I could tell you that their creative menu, and fresh ingredients, promise that you can enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch, in addition to your espresso, but I am hoping instead that I will just see you there.

I am reminded of my daughter quoting Winnie the Poo, “Home is where you feel safe.”

I believe we all can feel safe, and at home, when we find and recognize our own unique kind. So for all my misfit friends; let’s have another cup of coffee. I’ll be at my second home.

 






     The Tin Man