Dayton Metro Library, WYSO, and the International College of Broadcasting are bringing the Tiny Stacks music series to library patrons for a third year.
This concert series, sponsored by Friends of the Dayton Metro Library, aims to connect local musicians, books, and patrons in one spot. The events are an invitation to the public to enjoy the rich, diverse musical talents of the Dayton area and check out all the Dayton Metro Library has to offer.
This year's lineup is:
- May 16: Frank Calzada & Friends at Electra C. Doren
- June 20: Mark Joshua at Miamisburg
- August 8: The Nautical Theme at Brookville
- September 12: Electrified Melons at Wilmington-Stroop
- October 24: Melina Marie at Huber Heights
All concerts start at 6pm. Learn more about the Tiny Stacks series at daytonmetrolibrary.org/tinystacks.
During this week's WYSO Weekend with Jerry Kenney, WYSO Music Director Juliet Fromholt stopped by the studio to talk about the next Tiny Stacks Music concert.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Jerry Kenney: Juliet, we're going to talk about Tiny Stacks. It's back!
Juliet Fromholt: It is. Thanks for having me, Jerry. Tiny Stacks is back for our third season, and that season is kicking off this Thursday, May 16, 2024 at the Electra C. Doren branch with music from Frank Calzada and friends, and we are so excited.
Kenney: So three years in, how do you think it's going?
Fromholt: Really, really well. It started off as kind of this wild idea, like, can we throw concerts in the library in the middle of the library?
Kenney: Unheard of in past decades.
Fromholt: A place that — for those of us my age — you had to be very quiet. Obviously, our friends at Dayton Metro Library want to change that perception.
They really view the library as a vibrant hub for community gathering for all kinds of things. Yes, reading and books and study, but also art and music.
And so we took this idea, got our friends at the International College of Broadcasting involved, and we rolled with it. It was a bit of trial and error as we went, and we've learned something with every single performance.
But I feel like in year three, we are really poised to start off strong with another season of music.
Kenney: And even in, year two, the attendance grew quite a bit, right?
Fromholt: It did. This is the type of event we do have some seating at the branches, but you can also wander in, you can stand, you can hear the music while you look for books or hang out with your kids in the children's area.
It's a casual thing. You don't have to come and sit quietly in your seat. You can drop in, check it out. And we have seen a lot of library patrons flocking to this event, or folks that are interested in the music, using this as an opportunity to reacquaint themselves with their local library branches.
Kenney: And a variety of music, but all family friendly, yes?
Fromholt: Yeah, all of our performances are family friendly, all ages, free and open to the public.
Throughout the series, you're going to see a variety of genres everything from modern folk, country, pop, hip hop, rock 'n roll, a little bit of everything as usual.
Kenney: Great. So who's on the roster for this time around?
Fromholt: So our first artist is Frank Calzada & Friends, if you're a WYSO listener, you've been hearing Frank Calzada's music.
I got to interview him a couple of months ago. Frank is part of our younger music and arts community. He's really been a leader in that space. He's a killer musician, channels that psychedelic '60s vibe, but also puts his own spin on it.
The cool thing about Frank is that music is a part of him and a part of his family. He learned to play the guitar with his mom. He has taken, an old songbook of his grandfather's and has brought those songs to life. On his three albums, you hear songs that his grandfather actually wrote that Frank is interpreting.
He brings Latin inspired melodies, which is part of his heritage combined with modern rock and roll. So there's a lot going on in his music. He's doing really exciting work.
He's got a great band, lots of amazing musicians collaborating with him, and this is going to be some fun, at the Electra C. Doren branch, especially because that is the only Dayton Metro Library branch that was not part of the remodel plan. So it's a little bit of a different space for us as well. So different vibe, different space.
