Alex's Place - Summer Nights for the Entire Community.

No one exists in a vacuum. We all value our connections with each other and the world around us. This is certainly also true of our teen population. 

Alex's Place at the YMCA of Martha's Vineyard, now in its second year, is the Island's premiere place for teens who live on , or are visiting our beautiful island. Although it is primarily a space for teens, it aims to build a bridge between our community and teens in a way that helps teens understand the importance of being connected to the world around them: not separate from, but a part of it all.

In the summer months especially, Alex's Place continues its outreach to our teens but also expands its connections to the entire community. Through events such as our weekly Community Open Stage, everyone, from Grandpa to the young-uns, can come together to try their hand at performing, or just relax and enjoy the surprises that Open Stage nights can bring.

We are hoping that the community will embrace the idea of an alcohol-free venue option. In the heat of the summer there are many options for your entertainment.  

Bring the Family - Alex's Place Events for everyone!

COMMUNITY OPEN STAGE
As far as we know, there is only one Open Stage upon which everyone has a moment, a chance to show their talents, an opportunity to be up there on stage under the lights. Alex's Place hosts a weekly Community Open Stage on Friday nights throughout July and August at 9 pm. This is truly an Open Stage - bring your talent; that special song, that poem you wrote, that story you want to tell, and share it with an appreciative audience. The coolest thing about an Open Stage event is that one minute you are the audience, the next you are in the spotlight. 

COFFEEHOUSE STYLE CONCERTS 
The Vineyard in the summer is known for the many varied and awesome concerts and musical events that take place just about everywhere. The choices can sometimes be overwhelming. Alex's Place offers and alternative to the dancehall, bar scene by resurrecting a time-honored tradition of the coffeehouse style listening room. 
Every Saturday night throughout the summer, Alex's presents top flight entertainment from not only the island, but also from around the country. These shows are set in our intimate, black-box styled performance space with a nice stage, awesome sound and lighting, and a comfortable candlelit air conditioned space, complete with tasty fresh baked snacks, fruit, coffee and tea. There are almost a dozen great shows planned - once again for the entire community. Here are some highlights.

July 13- Erich Luening and the Luenatics - Fresh alternative blues from one of the Vineyards popular performers - 9pm $10
July 20- Jemima James and Friends - Jemima's musical career spans decades from the New York music scene and beyond. Her profoundly deep and lovely lyrics harken back to a simpler time, when talent was not determined by how flashy the show was, but rather by the skill with which the phrase was turned, the instrument played.- 9pm $10
July 27 - Philly D and friends - A mulit-talents songwriter, member of the popular DCLA, Phil Darosa is deeply embedded into the fabric of the Vineyard music scene. It is rare to see Phil perform in an intimate setting like Alex's. This will be a special show. 9:00 pm $10
Aug 3 - Meghan LaRoque - Another incredibly gifter singer-songwriter, Meghan has performed at Alex's before with great acclaim. 9:00 pm $10

Some other highlights include:

Aug 10 - Ellis Paul In Concert - 14 time Boston Music Award Winner Ellis Paul returns to Alex's Place stage for his annual summer concert. A not to be missed American singer songwriter, Ellis Paul's music is renowned well beyond the singer-songwriter genre. His music has been featured in many top Hollywood films and on many television shows. He is perpetually on the road in true troubadour tradition, performing in venues of all sizes. Aug 10 $20 Advance, $25 Day of show.

Aug 24 -Amy Black - Another heavy hitter from the national singer songwriter scene, Amy Black's beautiful voice, strong lyrical style, and engaging stage presence make for a truly enjoyable night of music for the entire family. 

Aug 31 - Dayna Kurtz - There is no way to wrap up our summer concert series without an evening with bluesy, sultry, singer songwriter Dayna Kurtz. On the foot-heels of her critically acclaimed new CD "The Secret Canon Vol.2: Dayna will be performing with her keyboardist for one evening only at Alex's Place. Dayna performs internationally and is hugh in Europe where having a song on the radio does not determine talent or success. Dayna is difficult to categorize: one minute blues, the next, jazz, and all with some of the most beautifully written lyrics and instrumentation. Dayna is an island favorite - not to be missed. $20 advance 9:00 show.

Take a break from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Enjoy a show, have a cup of coffee, step up on the stage. Alex's Place is here for the entire community all summer long. We hope to see you!.

For  more information please visit our website at http://alexsplace.net.

To purchase tickets directly from Alex's Place at the Y you can either visit the Y Member Desk in person or purchase on line at:
https://ops1.operations.daxko.com/Online/3076/Programs/Search.mvc/sessions?program_id=53122&category...

You can also purchase tickets via ticketsmv.com at:
http://www.ticketsmv.com/search.php?venueid=599