St. Paul’s University Catholic Center, Madison WI
Photo by Zane Williams
I played piano here often.
In fact, this was one of my first “adopted” rehearsal spaces.
After hours.
The church was always open. 24 hours. I liked that. So I lived here a lot. It was my sanctuary. A place where I asked questions, cried, sang and waited. No. I wasn’t a member. I kept a low profile. It was on the UW-Madison block. So they were accustomed to people my age hanging out from time to time.
The open room and 100% stone interior provided an amazing natural reverb for both my vocals and piano. The room was always lit just like this. I liked that. It made me feel less embarrassed about praying. And it felt cool. Like a cave. Safe.
I played this exact piano. Not sure what ever happened to it……..that piano was one of my friends. The way that the sound bounced around when I played and sang. I can hear it in my mind now. I learned a lot about the science of acoustics in this room.
I remember working on one of my first songs, “He’s Like the Wind” on that piano. Let me tell you. It sounded way better in that stone room. Memories.