Porches, yards and patios across San Juan Bautista became stages Aug. 29 as Play Music on the Porch SJB returned for its third year.
This year’s event—which featured more than a dozen intimate live performances by local musicians on a walking tour through town—drew its largest crowds yet.
Inspired by the national Play Music on the Porch movement, the free event invites residents to stroll from location to location as musicians perform in neighborhoods in San Juan Bautista. Started locally three years ago by Steve Harris and Bruce Gilsenan, the event has grown from a simple neighbors-playing-for-neighbors gathering into a community tradition.
This year, a new organizing team stepped in after Harris retired from coordinating the event. Co-chair Dan Clifford, a San Juan Bautista resident and musician who has performed all three years, said some locations that previously attracted 20-30 people drew more than 150 this year.
“For a town the size of San Juan Bautista, that’s significant growth,” Clifford said. “There is an incredible concentration of musical talent in this town and the surrounding area, and we want people to experience that.”
That talent has deep roots. Mission San Juan Bautista was historically known as the “Mission of Music,” and music continues to be woven into the town through its artists, performers, venues and community gatherings.
For musician and porch host Bella Kerbs, that everyday connection is what makes the event unique. Kerbs performed with her husband, Luke, and drummer Robert Locke-Paddon before a crowd of more than 150.
“The guy playing guitar is someone you saw getting his mail at the post office that morning, the girl singing is someone you saw picking out her veggies at Windmill yesterday and the guy playing drums is someone you saw at the coffee shop,” Kerbs said. “The connections are layered and there are no hierarchies. You quickly see that music is a human thing.”
First-time attendee Bonnie Martein felt that connection as she walked from porch to porch.
“It was uplifting and inspiring to see so many people coming together with such joy and enthusiasm,” she said.
Co-chair Kimberly Farley said visitors came from as far away as the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento.
“We wanted to showcase our local talent and bring the community together,” Farley said. “I also hoped to show that our small town is thriving and encourage more people to visit and support San Juan Bautista.”
Organizers are already looking toward next year, with plans to pursue nonprofit status and work with local businesses and city officials to continue growing the event.
