On the intersection of 15th street and Ritner, Arturo Stable’s living room-turned venue sits on the corner, boasting performances every Tuesday. Stable has found a new way to share music in an intimate setting with his surrounding South Philly community. After moving from New York City to Philadelphia, he’s a respected and seasoned musician in the Latin music community. Stable’s philosophy and goal for the series are simple, “To create a venue for the neighborhood. People come and cook and play and it’s just a good meeting point for artists and people that love music.” He has branded and founded this as the “Notsolatin” Concert Series with Patricio Acevedo (who owns the house), where every Tuesday is a new musician/performer/band with the house band performing every Tuesday night.  The admission for the concert is a $5 suggested donation and food and drinks are provided for the guests, where one is free to bring a dish as a potluck.

When it comes to selecting a new act every week, Stable says he looks further than just Latin music, which gave the series its name “Notsolatin” wanting to create a fusion between the musicians and concertgoers. 

“I also think that’s why I wanted to create a space- and that’s why we called it Notsolatin… we want to encourage a fusion, incorporate [different artists and genres]. You go to North East [Philly] and you have the Latin people that never come down to Center City. I’m from Latin America but I have traveled all over for many years and I have incorporated in my music many elements from different places. I like for different people to get to know each other and share their culture, whether you’re Latin, American, [whatever it may be]. “

 – Arturo Stable on the creation of the series

The first performance was by the Ian Sadock trio, with Ian Sadock on piano, Colin Killion on drums, and Shane Aaserud on bass. The trio set the mood for the night. Sadock’s composition and performance was intense and intricate, with the communication between the members clear and intimate. We saw how this trio performs and interacts as a unit, which is a unique experience in a small, intimate venue.  This performance gave Sadock the opportunity to debut his original song, Cerillo, which was explicitly written for the event.

“The space reflects that almost as a small and sacred room for the audience to join the three of us as we travel through destinations both familiar and distant, comfortable and not. As it was, music should be a communal experience.”

Ian Sadock

Following the trio, the Notsolatin in-house band consisting of Arturo Stable on percussion, Alex DelCourt on bass, and Dariel Peniazek on guitar. The relationship between the musicians and the audience was something special, as it seemed that the concert goers were performing right with them. Stable started the set with a cup of wine and barefoot, allowing the audience to feel right at home with him. Rather than a large venue, it was satisfying to experience the visceral reactions from the audience. As each musician performed their solos, we could hear the audible reactions from the audience, creating a special relationship between the musicians and audience, something that is quite rare to experience. The intimate venue forces you to present with the performers.

This was an exciting and unique experience to included in mainly as a first-time goer to the series. You become familiar with the Arturo Stable, his goal and his band. To socialize surrounded by quality music and those who appreciate music is a unique, special and fantastic experience and one that I look forward to attending weekly. 

If you would like to attend, the Notsolatin concert series is weekly every Tuesday night, located at 1440 W Ritner St, Philadelphia, PA 19145 admissible with a $5 suggested donation. To see the show schedule and concert times, follow Arturo Stable’s Instagram HERE.

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