PREVIEW: LUNA Anniversary Show
10/21/2024 at Mount Ida Preservation Hall, Troy
“For the last 12 months, Natalie Seagriff has been hosting a revolving door of local musicians in a uniquely intimate setting, allowing them to break down their songs to their naked cores, thus connecting with an audience in a new way.”
One year ago, Natalie Seagriff came up with the idea for a monthly live music series centered around the full moon. Just in case you may have done a double take, I assure you that’s not a typo; I was in fact referring to the big thing in the sky the cow jumps over every now and again.
Natalie’s initial concept became LUNA: a night of music and healing, and for the last 12 months the series has been hosting a revolving door of local musicians in a uniquely intimate setting, allowing them to break down their songs to their naked cores, thus connecting with an audience in a new way.
“The feedback I've gotten is that artists don't often get to perform in venues where they can connect with the audience that much,” Natalie tells me. “It can be intimidating too, because it is extremely vulnerable for them. They're not just performing at a bar where people are talking and maybe half paying attention to what's happening. It's very focused. There's a lot of special qualities about this specific series that I don't think you normally find.”
The full moon theme lends itself well to an intimate performance in an acoustically rich space. Photos of LUNA events from the past year show performers standing within a semicircle of candles, the audience members seated mere feet away. If that sounds rather meditative, it’s by design.
“The full moon, in and of itself, is all about releasing things that maybe hold us back,” she explains. “Patterns, blockages, any number of things. It's very much about healing – healing the soul, healing our energies. All those things became very paramount in the concept.”
Natalie is aware this might seem a bit niche; she insists however that the event itself is far more accessible than the concept might lead you to believe.
“I've been doing some tarot card pulls, but at this point I don't want to get too ‘niche’. I want it to be accessible to a pretty wide range of audience – not everyone has a comfort level with that. But again, it's an evolution. It's seeing how things get received, and experimenting in that way.”
Part of the series’ natural evolution was an unexpected venue switch earlier this year from The Studio in Troy to the current venue, Mount Ida Preservation Hall, a historic Gothic-style church building on Congress Street in Troy. The change was a blessing in disguise for Natalie, who boasts about Mount Ida’s incredible natural acoustics and beauty.
“The ambiance is such an important part of this series. The candlelight lends itself very well in a church environment, and we are still able to maintain an intimate connection with the audience even though it's quite a voluminous space.”
Natalie’s goal for curating her lineups was always to feature artists who were interested in connecting with an audience via both songwriting and storytelling. Last October, she began her series by serendipitously hosting local folk singer Belle Skinner, who is one of the eleven artists returning for the huge one year anniversary show this Monday night.
“We have a huge lineup – it’s pretty much everyone that participated in the past year. We're going to add some extra elements for the anniversary show, but we’re still trying to maintain that focus on the artists.”
Other artists include an eclectic mix of local talent including Hold On Honeys, Carolyn Shapiro, JB!! aka Dirty Moses, and many more, all coming together to celebrate one year of Natalie’s unique series. Reflecting on the past twelve months of hosting these shows, Natalie first and foremost feels an overwhelming sense of pride.
“I’m also humbled,” she adds. “I did not expect this to evolve the way it has, and for it to have had the support that it's had, not just from the venues and the community, but also the artists. I’m presently booked through February of 2025, and it's getting to the point where artists are asking me to be on it, and that's a big deal to me, because it means that it's been resonating with people in a positive way.”
LUNA: a night of music & healing will be celebrating its one year anniversary with a special slate of performances at Mount Ida Preservation Hall this Monday, October 21st. Tickets are available at the door, or in advance right here.
