NOTHING IS COMMON ABOUT THE COMMON GROUND CAFÉ By Sheree Sonfield

If you haven’t been to an outdoor concert at the Common Ground Café, you haven’t experienced the soul and beginnings of McCall’s music scene. 

 The café is housed in a cozy older building with wood floors and sits in an unlikely location on Colorado Street behind a rental equipment business.  Owner Brian Thomas has a surprisingly large and eclectic selection of CDs for sale, something for many and varied tastes.

The Common Ground is the first place in McCall where I experienced the magic of great outdoor music.   I recall several warm summer evenings morphing into cool mountain temperatures as the summer sky faded and the stage lit up. 

I remember the beginning of the Common Ground’s popular outdoor music shows a few short years ago, which started inside.  We heard musicians who travel the coffee house circuit and, much to the delight of the audience, local musicians who showed up would often be welcomed to join in.

Many of those performers added new CDs to my private collection, which I still enjoy today.

Later, when the outdoor stage was built, bigger names were brought in to perform for us – and that’s ‘all good’, because it expands our horizons and music knowledge while providing a unique outdoor evening experience. 

The indoor space is a wonderful venue for art events and classes, and is still one of the best locals’ meet-for-coffee spots. The Thursday night “Alive at the Grind” performances are a comfortable place to greet friends or relax, while people of all ages gather in the family-friendly surroundings to enjoy dancing on the sand dance floor.

I look forward to this summer’s line-up on Thursday evenings.  During a recent visit, Thomas was so busy making the schedule that I didn’t get his typical response with a complete musician “bio” for each date, but we can check out the Thursday  “Alive at the Grind” details and café business hours on his website:   www.commongroundcafe.net

Music provides balance to our lives, and I thank you, Brian, for bringing us such good entertainment to our small mountain community.

Alive at the Grind at the Common Ground Café, McCall Idaho (Photo courtesy of the Common Ground Café)

Addendum/Update: August 4, 2010:  After many years of building the Common Ground Café music and café business  to the center of local music that it is now,  owner Brian Thomas is offering the business for sale or lease. Contact Brian at commongroundcafe@hotmail.com for further details.

Sheree Sonfield is a photographer and writer in McCall, Idaho, see her work on www.shereesonfield.com

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