Focus in a Busy World: The GrapeVine Listening Room

One of the topics that I enjoy researching in my spare time is human attention and the ability to focus. If you spend enough time online you'll find articles, anecdotes, and studies that talk about how we live in a time where our attention is being pulled in every direction. One of the common assumptions is that because we have so much portable technology and such easy access to our friends and our entertainment, we lose the ability to focus on what is in front of us. We force our brains to try and listen, watch, text, type, talk, walk, etc. all at the same time. Some of these tasks can be done at the same time, but the true tasks that we enjoy and want to absorb deep into our bones cannot be done at the same time. Multitasking, the studies tell us, simply doesn't work well when it comes to higher level tasks. What are we to do when presented with so many tempting things to focus on?

Enter the GrapeVine Listening Room in Clive, Iowa and you will rediscover your focus.

If you're going to see a live show of a local band, you'll most often find yourself in a bar. These bars almost always have televisions, loud conversations, and kitchen noise. Most of the time, that's fine, we don't mind that. I frequently go to places like that to listen to the bands I like. The GrapeVine is a different kind of venue. They serve wine by the bottle and the room (yes, it's a single room) holds about 35 people with a small stage at the back. You immediately feel cozy upon walking in, especially with a big, comfy couch over on the left side of the room. 

There are no televisions. There is no kitchen. It's a listening room.

I saw my first show there last night and it was fantastic. My friend plays keyboard for a great local roots rock band called Brother Trucker and they were performing there last night. You are expected to be in your seats and ready to go at 7:00 sharp. No cell phones allowed, no conversation during the performance. Just listen. One of the owners told us exactly what to expect and what the rules were before the band started playing. Three of my friends and I brought some snacks to share at our table. We poured our wine, ate some snacks, and relaxed. Then the show began.

First of all, Brother Trucker is a fantastic band. I see them frequently and they know how to rock. But the best part about seeing them at the GrapeVine is that they are literally right in front of you, packed together on the small stage, and they're not blowing you out of your seat. They've got the volume just right. Because you are so focused on the band and nothing else, you get to hear all of the lyrics. You can pay close attention to how the bass player changes the way he plucks his strings, the different movements in the eyes and feet of the lead singer, and the movements and gestures of the lead guitarist. I've seen my friend play the keyboard many times with these guys but this was the first time I actually was able to see his hands as he played. There were unique ways his fingers touched the keys as he played different songs.

This place worked so well because your entire attention, everything you are, was focused on the band. And the lead singer gave each member of the band an opportunity to tell a story, pick a song to play, and give back story on what the songs meant, where they came from, and the unique relation each song had to someone in the band. You could see the band as an organic thing, watching the players watch each other for cues, keeping the time with their feet in different ways. It's one thing to see a band live, but it's another thing to experience it in full focus like this. It's as if you are part of the band, sitting just above their shoulder as you gaze around at the creation of the music.

If you live in the Des Moines metro area, heck, if you live in Iowa, you should come to the GrapeVine and check it out. It's a small place in a big, busy, attention-hungry universe. But it reminds you of how important it is to focus, to pay attention, and to rediscover something you love so much.