By Steven Jackson
Staff Writer

THINH NGUYEN/Assistant Photo Editor Compass recording artist Pierce Pettis made his third visit to the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series when he played at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship July 8. The Alabama native entertained a crowd of 70 people with songs from his most recent album, 'Everything Matters.' Pettis also performed songs from his four previous albums, including 'You Move Me,' which was recorded by Garth Brooks on his hit album 'Sevens.'

The historic hand­ hewn church house that is now the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship building has no pulpit, pews or preachers tonight.

Absent is the drone of a church organ and hymns sung in unison.

But there is music.

Tonight, the worshiping congregation has been replaced by about 50 spirited folk fans in folding chairs, and a traveling troubadour from Massachusetts is carrying on a tradition that runs as deep as the red Alabama clay that has cradled the white building for more than 125 years.

Singer/songwriter Cliff Eberhardt is the modern­ day version of a medieval bard, making a living traveling from state to state, bringing his songs, the news of the day and his own take on life.

Until two years ago, however, there was no venue in Alabama dedicated to supporting original acoustic music and this kind of grass roots approach to making a living in music.

Auburn residents Katie Smith, Jay Lamar and Mary Littleton were folk music fans and were tired of having to do their own traveling just to see performers play the music they had fallen in love with.

"We found out there wasn't much involved in starting a concert series. We were the first folk venue in Alabama," Littleton said.

"We didn't do it to become music promoters. We just wanted the music in town," Smith said.

The Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series was started in March of 1996 and has since served as a one­ night­ only performance hall for names like Ellis Paul, Lucy Kaplansky, Kate Campbell and Bill Morrissey.

"These people are famous in places like Boston or New York," Littleton said. "But they don't get played on the radio, and nobody around here has ever heard of them. I can't tell you how many artists have come down here and said, "I have never been in Alabama before today.'"

Sundilla concerts are held about twice a month in a quiet, smokeless atmosphere where an audience of 50 to 100 people is close enough to see the performer's shoelaces.

More importantly, the audience can hear the words and see the lines on the faces that are as unique as each performer's stories and style of expression.

Lamar described the setting as "an intimate place where performers really engage with the audience." She said, "I think that makes it a whole different experience than going to a bar, because there aren't any distractions. You're there to listen to the music, and they're there to share their work with you."

The not­ for­ profit volunteer series has been called "a mecca in a desert."

Mike Green of Fleming, Tamulevich and Associates handles the booking in this region for artists like Eberhardt and Greg Brown. He said, "There are tons of places like this in the Northeast and on the west coast. In the Southeast, they are few and far between."

The name of the series, itself, is embedded in the history and heritage of Auburn. Lamar said Sundilla was named after a Creek Indian who owned land in east Auburn. She said, "We wanted to be in touch with the roots of this area, and music is an expression of our humanity, really - the experiences that we all share in being rooted in a place and time," she said.

The effort to bring this kind of music to Auburn began with a phone call to Smith. She got a call from songwriter Steve Young who wrote the Eagles' song, "Seven Bridges Road." She had interviewed him a few months earlier. He asked her to suggest a place to play in Auburn.

Smith said she took his tape around to area bars and wound up at Bottcher's where, "they were very nice, but they said, "This guy needs a place where people will listen.'" So Smith and her sister, Lamar, decided to hold an outdoor concert at the University's Center for Arts and Humanities at Pebble Hill.

"A hundred and fifty people showed up with kids and blankets," Smith said. "At that point, we realized that there really was an audience for that kind of music."

The three women set out to find a reliable place to hold additional concerts. Smith explained the series was modeled after house concerts. People invite musicians into their homes and charge admission to their friends.

"None of us had houses we could pull that off in," Smith said. "But we were all members of the Unitarian Church ... We already knew the room was great and had nice acoustics. Mary went to the board and asked if we could use it for concerts and they said, "sure'"

"It really wouldn't have happened without the Unitarian Church backing it up, " she said. "We wouldn't have a place to do it, especially not that nice of a place."

Some of the performers who take to the red­ carpeted, foot­ high stage perform regularly in much larger theatres and at festivals, but Smith said there has been a huge demand from performers wanting to play the smaller venue.

Green said, "Those are the kind of gigs that the performers love even though they don't tend to make a lot of money doing it. Apparently it is a really special series. People love doing it."

In fact, Smith said the performers are taking a chance on making money at the door.

"We don't guarantee them anything because it would come out of our pockets. The only thing we do guarantee them is that the people who show up will be appreciative. That just seems to be enough," she said.

Smith said, "(Texas songwriter) Emily Kaitz sat at my dining room table and started crying and said, "We're not used to being treated this way. We're not used to people sitting and paying attention.'"

The artists do receive some guaranteed perks for their trek into the heat of the South.

The Sundilla volunteers make sure the performers are fed and have a place to sleep - usually in their homes.

Smith said, "Because they're on the road and in sterile hotel rooms, a lot of them like to be at somebody's house and have a home­ cooked meal."

Since the artists stay in the volunteers' houses, the women have gotten to know the performers well. "We've made friends with these people," Smith said. "When they come back through, it's like having family come back through."

Littleton added, "Every one of them has a fascinating story."

The audiences at Sundilla shows seem to be growing, but they tend to be mostly non­ students or people familiar with the artists. Smith said she would love for more students to attend. "I think part of it is they may not be aware of it. We may not have done a good enough job getting the word out."

Green has his own explanation. "People who aren't familiar with the music can have a stereotypical impression of what folk music is. They think it's sitting around and singing "Michael Row the Boat Ashore.' They don't realize that there's incredibly exciting and sophisticated music happening in this circuit," he said.

Littleton said, "There is so much out there. We want to have a little more classical, some stuff that's a little more country, some that's a little more folk ... to get a taste for all the kinds of music going on out there that most people in Auburn would never get to hear - especially not live."

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