John Moreland, Ken Pomeroy & Justin Bloss
Saint Cecilia's Listening Room
February 23, 2024
One of my favorite shows in the last decade took place at Old Church Center, a chapel venue that was originally a Methodist-Episcopal church in Perkins, Oklahoma. Jared Tyler and Monica Taylor joined Sam Baker on the tiny stage for a magical night: there was a potluck, the acoustics were incredible, and the space was intimate. And, most importantly, the crowd was reverent, enraptured. They were there for the music—for the camaraderie too, but it was a silent fellowship. I remember feeling something in me break open. I’d found a church for me.
Until last weekend, I hadn’t experienced anything quite like this in Tulsa, though some shows at the Woody Guthrie Center Theater and LowDown have come close. Cue Saint Cecilia’s, The Heights’ new listening room housed in The Parish Church of St. Jerome, which is still an operational Catholic church.
The trio responsible for this addition is Carl Carbonell (marketing) and Mike and Taylor Williams (booking), who’ve rented out a 200-capacity room in the church with a goal of participating in Tulsa’s great musical tradition, their website says, “by offering a corner for the quieter, softer expressions of song and performance. A place to hear.” Their tagline: “Hear, here.” As Carbonell, a fairly recent transplant from Salt Lake City, put it in an Instagram post announcing the new venue, “for the shows where word and melody steer the ship, our harbor will remain calm.”
Opening night proved Carbonell right. The listening room kicked off its tenure with a stellar lineup of Oklahoma songwriters: Justin Bloss (Tulsa), Ken Pomeroy (Moore), and John Moreland (not that an intro is necessary: Tulsa). Night one, from the outside, seemed to get going without a snag. The music started right at 8:00, and immediately the crowd, including last-minute standing-room ticketholders, was entranced.