The clamor of people at The Front Room’s Friday night Open Stage might dampen the repetitive jams of student rockers, but you can always find at least one man tapping his foot behind the scenes.
“I don’t know if it’s part of my nature or something I’ve learned, but I feel that, if someone gets up there and they make an honest effort to express themselves musically, then I can find something that I enjoy, regardless of their skill level — no matter how many times I’ve heard that song,” said Bruce Dalzell, the organizer behind Baker University Center’s Front Room Open Stage nights.
Dalzell moved to Athens at the age of 9 and has been the operator of the weekly event for so long that no one really knows when it started. His best guess is 1989; however, he had hosted open stages before Baker Center was built.
His position there has allowed him to talk to many artists and even mentor some up-and-coming musicians, a few of whom have gone on to receive national recognition including Kim Richey, a country artist who has been nominated for two Grammys.
“He’s amazingly supportive (of local talent),” said Bill Rhinehart, an Athens musician and Dalzell’s longtime friend, adding that Dalzell always takes his time making sure the sound is perfect.
The open-stage guru has been recording and performing his own music since high school. His 15 albums, some of which are collaborations with friends while others simply feature Dalzell on acoustic guitar, are sold on his website.
One of his early groups was The Billy and Brucey Show. Dalzell and Rhinehart would switch off songs that they had written, either performing back and forth or opening for one another at the old Baker Center, which sits at the corner of Union and College streets.
“It was a good thing in general. We were able to create a new environment … where we were able to play with the most freedom and less hassle,” Rhinehart said. “All a performer had to do was show up with their instruments and play.”
The friends met when Rhinehart had just moved into town and decided to play at one of the open stages happening that night. He said a lot of people came and went throughout his performance, but Dalzell was the only one who stayed and listened to the whole show.
Dalzell said Rhinehart, whose musical style is unconventional at times, sometimes has trouble finding an audience, but Dalzell liked it and the two have been friends ever since.
Dalzell also does charity work in Athens, most notably recording CDs for Passion Works Studio. Students at Hocking College teamed up with a group of people with developmental disabilities to write poetry; Dalzell turned one of the poems into a song and ended up recording a whole album of poetry with other local artists. All proceeds went to Passion Works Studio.
Deni Naffziger Hackworth, the creative-writing teacher at Hocking College who started the students’ assignment, said Dalzell infects everyone with his passion, kindness and supportive nature.
“He’s really quiet and understated,” Naffziger Hackworth said. “He’s not a vibrato guy at all, he’s always the guy in the back of the room promoting other people — but he’s really talented.”
wh092010@ohiou.edu
