The Haven offers a sanctuary of sound

The Haven, a small church downtown supporting local artists by providing them a venue, will remind you of your artistic friend’s Spanish Town shotgun house more than it will your place of worship. On a recent Friday night, Peter Simón steps behind a microphone to function as both pastor and confessor. His clear voice is pondering, lamenting, forgiving. “I don’t want to burn any bridges with you,” he sings, “or stay on this side alone.” Lit by a string of Christmas lights, Simón performs for the whole block—the retired ladies who arrived early to get the best seats in the house (that would be the couch in the back of the room), the young guy capturing the performance on his iPad so he can share it with his friend who got stuck at work, and the high-school ballerina so secure in herself she doesn’t mind sharing an evening with her parents. The other guests sit, comfortably and attentively, in mismatched chairs. They fill their bodies with beverages and snacks they brought from home. They open their ears and their souls to Simón’s clear, simple sound. Read the full story in this month’s 225 magazine here.