Book of the Week (11/6/2023)

Stone Church Meeting House: Stories From the Early Years of Music Making on the Hill by Laura Pope, editor (MindStir Media, 2023)

THE MAKING OF A LEGENDARY MUSIC ROOM

In 1970, three young men with dreams to open a coffeehouse chanced upon a fire-damaged stone building atop Newmarket, New Hampshire's Zion Hill, a few miles from the state university. They repaired it, pulled together bits and bobs to furnish it and opened the doors to the Stone Church in December of that year.

Their instincts and timing couldn't have been better. A few weeks after opening, they began their Sunday Hoots, featuring a free roast beef dinner and beer for musicians, an irresistible draw for established and emerging performers from near and far that resulted in a weekly, day and night of non-stop, live music. More than 50 years later, the music magic continues.

This collection of stories from founders, owners and performers samples a small slice of history dating to the music room's first 25 years, starting with the first wave of acoustic folk, bluegrass, and blues acts, to heralded singer-songwriters, a second wave of acoustic performers and a diverse groundswell of 80s and 90s bands.-- Publisher's blurb