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Let’s put on a show in the barn!
GateHouse News Service
Wed Aug 01, 2007, 05:12 PM EDT
Boylston -
Michael Rinker has spent his entire life in the shadow of the Bay Path Barn in Boylston.
“My family has had this place for 27 years. Growing up here really shaped me,” he said. Along with Joel Chalifoux, Krystal DiMatteo, Michan Griffin and art director Heidi Sears, Rinker formed Snake Hill Productions — named after a small Berlin hill where all the members spent a lot of time growing up — in 2003 to put events on at the barn.
Since that time, the group has presented a series of art festivals and music concerts.
“There’s a lot of crossover amongst the five of us,” said Rinker, a music teacher by profession who works at North Andover’s Franklin Elementary School and gives private lessons. “We all do promotion, work on the Web site and design the posters.”
The Bay Path, a country road turn from Tower Hill Botanic Garden, used to be a dairy barn with stables on the side. Rinker’s dad lived in Nebraska when he discovered the space while on a square dance calling tour of New England.
“When he came through here it was already a dance hall,” Rinker said. “He had seven kids, my mother was pregnant with me and he wanted to have his own dance club. The former owner’s husband had recently passed away and sold it to him.” It currently houses the Country Kickers line dance team while Mary and Tom Rinker, Sr. hold a full schedule of square dances and country & dance lessons.
His parents love the fact their son is adding his own chapter to the facility’s history.
“They want this barn to be used as much as possible,” Rinker said. “They use it six days a week — it used to be seven days a week. They finally stopped using it on Saturdays so we took that day over.”
That’s when you’re apt to find Guns of Navarone, a new ska band whose lineup includes Rinker and Chalifoux, holding their weekly practice session there.
The first Snake Hill Productions music show in 2004 featured The Outlook from Charlton, the Oak Street Jam Band from Shrewsbury, who brought 80 or 90 teenagers with them, and Rare Occurrence, Rinker’s band at the time.
“It’s a great place to hang out and listen to music,” DiMatteo said. “I used to dance here with my parents.” She said area homeowners love the fact their events are family-oriented.
One Up, Special Guest, Short Bus, Simon, the Black Rebels and Lander have performed at subsequent shows.
“We put out a big sign saying, ‘Music Show’ and throw open the big front doors,” Rinker said. They’re typically joined by 10 of their friends who serve as event staff, help with parking and security details and assist with concessions.
The barn’s back area is converted into a dressing room for musicians. Snake Hill Productions makes a laminated backstage pass as a special touch that lets the young performers feel like rock stars for an evening.
“Every band has told us how much fun it was to play here and how relaxed it was,” Rinker added. “We have a good sound system and colored lights to make it a professional show.”
DiMatteo, who studied audio engineering but currently works in accounting, is able to fine-tune her skills working with the sound system at Bay Path Barn events.
“I want to get back into working in a studio,” she said. “It’s hard to make a career of it starting out. You have to fall into something or show up when people are moving on.” She’s also getting experience in media relations and web design with the organization.
Art shows at the Bay Path Barn have featured fine art, paintings, watercolor and charcoal works.
“We try to set it up as a gallery,” Rinker said. “We hang these big white boards from the rafters so that when it’s set up, it feels like a gallery.”
“When people walk through, they can get a good impression of the artists,” said Chalifoux, a graphics designer who graduated from New England Tech in Rhode Island. “There’s great food, great music, beautiful crafts and nice art.” There’s usually a barbecue going outside and espresso brewing in the kitchen café.
The King Louie Jazz Band provides the music. Rinker’s “other” group has appeared at Gillette Stadium, Mechanics Hall and the former Ritz-Carlton in Boston. Those shows have taught the band to play at a level that doesn’t overpower audiences — a key consideration at art events where the artists depend on being able to talk with potential customers along the way to a potential sale.
“It sets a nice atmosphere,” Rinker said.
Two works sold at the most recent show in June, which featured art and crafts by Sears, Katie Margolus, Lauren Morrisey, Maria LaTorre, Linda Leroux-Griffin and Carolyn Fisher. The art usually ranges from $35 to $350 in price. The next Snake Hill Productions arts and music festival is scheduled for Oct. 13; they hope to include a pumpkin-carving contest.
Snake Hill is studying ways to turn the barn’s back area into an artist sanctuary with studio space and places to present art clinics, photography classes and music lessons. “Our mission is to support artists in the community,” Rinker said.
The Bay Path Barn is located at 110 Central Street, Boylston. For information on Snake Hill Production events, visit snakehillproductions.com. Brian Goslow is a regular contributor to MotherTown.
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