Booking bands and putting on shows is standard operation for a music venue, but 5 Points Music Sanctuary in Roanoke has a broader mission encompassing education, therapy and advocacy.
Tyler Godsey has been in a pursuit for as long as he can remember.
“I chase music and I chase concerts my entire life. And, I chase those moments in the middle of a show where the crowd’s in sync, the lights are perfect, the band’s on point, the breeze hits the crowd just perfectly. It’s that moment that we all look for at a concert and I chase it like a wild dream.”
Godsey’s passion for music is all the more amazing because of a personal challenge.
“I, myself, am largely deaf, I have never passed a hearing test in my entire life. I have hearing aids and I don’t wear them as much as I should.”
This has not stopped Godsey from pursuing his dream, which is coming to fruition with 5 Points Music Sanctuary in Old Southwest Roanoke.
“I feel like this is just like the most happening space right now. Am I picking up on that vibe? Cool…”
That is mandolinist Jenni Lyn, who performed this summer at 5 Points.
The 90 year old church building has been used sporadically for concerts and other functions over the years, but Godsey began in earnest to book national, regional and local acts in January of this year.
Godsey’s wild dream of connecting people through music has added inspiration because his children, a boy and a girl, are also deaf. He was reminded of the beauty of sound after his son’s cochlear implant surgery.
“We turn on his ears for the first time and, uh, the most powerful moment in my life was the first I was able to hear my wife tell my son she loved him.”
Part of the mission of 5 Points is to serve those with hearing challenges, through music therapy classes and cutting edge technology to give all audiences a rich experience.
“SUBPACS. And, they look like vests that you put on. And, they send very rich, deep vibrations into the vest so that a deaf person can feel the music in ways that they never would before. They might not be able to hear it in a way you or another person in the audience might, but this allows them to experience it.”
Regardless of how far he takes 5 Points Music Sanctuary in its mission, Tyler Godsey knows where it all begins for him.
“The power of sound, those vibrations of just those three words ‘I love you,’ are so immense and so powerful that it starts right there.”
Godsey hopes to book upwards of 80 concerts per year at 5 Points Music Sanctuary. Upcoming shows reflect the eclectic nature of the venue with Larry Keel, Stanley Jordan and an intimate singer/songwriter session with 5 regional musicians.
WEB EXTRAS:
