by Seth Shapiro
Where music meets the soul is undefined, and yet it’s tangible. Riding my bike down “Slow Street” aka Page Street, in May 2020, I noticed a larger number of people gathered. Daily forecasts were bleak. The city shut down months before, and what was to come remained frightening and unclear. Despite — or perhaps in spite of — the uncertainty, I paused. In the space between the gatherers there was a feeling of palpable energy, of connection, of possibility, and, in the middle of it all, a cellist. Saul Richmond-Raykerd is a cellist with the Santa Cruz and Monterey Orchestras, a member of Luminescence, and a Haight dweller. He began a weekly outdoor concert series on Page Street in Spring 2020. Here are a few reflections from a conversation with Saul about this beautiful community experience he’s brought to the neighborhood.
About the Page Street Series
“I had been doing a lot of livestream concerts to try to keep playing and making music through all of this … and it’s powerful in it’s own way … but you don’t have the energy feedback that you have from a real audience and you can’t feel the impact you’re having on people as much. One day I [just kinda] wanted to go out and play on the front stoop for some people, and got some really positive feedback, and it felt really good for me to be able to bring music to people directly. We were pretty tense in that particular moment so I think it had even more of an impact on people, so I kept going and it turned into a weekly thing. I think the first seven or eight months I didn’t miss a week, and some weeks were two or three times. Early on it was very emotional because we were cooped up. There were no other live music or art outlets. I got a lot of emotional reactions, like I was feeling myself, just an outpouring; let the tension out, kind of therapeutic. It’s just become a really loving community. Once we got the porch concerts [and] the slow street, people are really getting to know their neighbors and sitting in the street and having a happy hour drink. We all know each other a lot better now and have unified around something, and that’s a powerful thing in troubling times.
About the Haight
“I grew up in Michigan. I’ve always been drawn to this neighborhood, its history, its location, the different live music you can find here. I think Club Deluxe is just an amazing SF institution. I love going over there … and being a part of a neighborhood that has that sort of history. Folks in the Haight who have been in the ‘hood a long time were like “Thank god we’re back to the old SF” … having music in the streets and having art to give to people that they felt was missing. It’s cool to think that now I’m part of that tradition a little bit.”
Hop on over to listen to Saul play on Page Street. Magical vibes in the ‘hood!
