‘Do not talk during shows’: Hampton venue promotes respect for performers

Say you’re a musician who has poured the proverbial heart and soul into a writing a song, one that you’re proud to perform in front of a live audience.

But a glance at the crowd shows eyes focused on cellphones and mouths jabbering away, as if you didn’t really exist.

Singer John Vento has experienced that type of scenario too many times. So a sign posted prominently just inside the door of Steamworks Creative, the venue he operates along Route 8 in Hampton, informs all who enter:

“Please respect our performers. Do not talk during shows.”

As such, Steamworks serves as what Vento calls a community listening room, geared toward providing an optimal environment for folks who take the stage.

“They’re not here to make money. They’re here to perform and create a connection with an audience, especially singer-songwriters who have a story to tell through their music,” Vento said. “To have an audience that’s focused on the music and the lyrics and the message you’re trying to deliver: That’s a very powerful thing.”

He’ll cite his attendance at a Pittsburgh concert by John Oates, half of (Daryl) Hall And, as a primary motivator for what became Steamworks Creative.

“The average age in that audience had to be 60 years old. But there were no chairs, and there were no tables. It was jam-packed,” he said. “And it was a horrible experience.”

On the way home, he told fellow concertgoer Ron Esser — “Moondog,” proprietor of the tavern and performance mecca of the same name in Blawnox — about an idea for some empty space in Hampton on which he was paying rent:

“I’m going to put a post of Facebook saying, next Friday night, open mic, BYOB. And there will be tables and chairs.”

And so on Jan. 26. 2018, Vento performed with Jim McCullough, a fellow member of Nied’s Hotel Band and also the leader of Jimmy Mac and the Attack. Also appearing was Oakmont musician Doug Edgell, whose talents gained him an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” with his band Sleeping Giants.

“The place was packed,” Vento said. “And away we went.”

‘The Steamworks family’

Nearly five years later, the walls of Steamworks Creative are covered with photographs of the venue’s multitude of performers, with the cream of Pittsburgh musicianship mixed in with some up-and-comers.

“That’s the other part of this, to bring a creative stage to people who otherwise wouldn’t have one,” Vento said, giving as an example a songwriting high school student who contacted him recently. “We’re going to welcome her and support her, and treat her with respect.”

A couple of the younger performers at the venue were Michael Titus Jr. and Leone Shanti, who debuted their autobiographical composition “On Our Way to Third Grade” with the backing of some veteran musicians including Cherylann Hawk, Leone’s mother.

Hawk, in fact, has been a Steamworks mainstay since her first show there, joining with Vento as Edgell’s “special guests” just two months after the venue’s opening. She also served as a sound engineer and often is a guest for Pastor Greg Spencer’s Steamworks Spirit Station, held each Tuesday.

“People are quiet while you’re singing. It’s not like a place where people are just showing up and socializing, and talking while you’re singing,” Hawk said. “Everybody is so wonderful. They’re like family. They’re the Steamworks family.”

That’s pretty much the mindset, as an exceptionally dedicated group of volunteers maintains the listening room, doing everything from monitoring the sound system during concerts to cleaning up afterward, to updating the list of events on a TV screen to let everyone know what’s on the horizon.

‘The right way’

Along with his Steamworks Creative and Nied’s Hotel Band projects, Vento works with Esser in pursuing the mission of Band Together Pittsburgh, the nonprofit they founded in 2016:

“We envision using music to inspire and enrich the lives of those on the autism spectrum, enabling integration with family, friends and society as a whole.”

Vento also is promoting social awareness through his song “Sweet Cheslie,” which was released in October. The inspiration was the January suicide of 30-year-old Chelsie Kryst.

“She had everything going for her: Miss USA, a model, a TV personality,” Vento said. “And she jumped off a 60-story building.”

He collaborated with writer Matt Wohlfarth and musicians Shane McLaughlin, David Granati and Bob Zigerelli to work on the tribute, for which Hawk provides backing vocals. The accompanying video features Karen Hoteck, who 12 years ago “lost someone very near and dear to me to suicide, and I’m still reeling from the repercussions.”

She encourages viewers with negative inclinations to call 988, a nationally available suicide and crisis hotline.

All of that is in keeping with Vento’s straightforward self-assessment:

“I’m just a music guy who tries to do things the right way.”

For more information about Steamworks Creative, visit steamworkscreative.com/events.