Knoebel: Concert ‘shows off what we can do with this space’

A small and intimate performance Saturday night by artists Jon Stowell and James Bracken during Music at the Bank once again demonstrated the possibilities the downtown bank building holds.

The two singer-songwriters performed individual sets followed by a combined set to round out an evening that showcased a warm atmosphere filled with acoustic music.

“This shows off what we can do with this space,” Austin Area Commission for the Arts executive director Jennie Knoebel said before the set began. “I want this to be a music series.”

The enthusiastic, but small crowd was the perfect demonstration of what kind of musical acts the Austin Area Commission for the Arts would like to see if the rental of the bank building, 300 N Main St., works out as a new space for the Austin ArtWorks Center, something the AACA is still working toward.

The musical acts that would be featured at the bank building would be acts that don’t quite fit to the larger stage of the Paramount Theatre.

“For us, one thing is that it gives us a smaller venue,” she said. “Not every artist is a fit for the Paramount.”

It was something that wasn’t lost on both Stowell and Bracken, who talked about the atmosphere the bank building provided Saturday night. Their feedback along with those who have visited the building in recent months have really fostered more energy surrounding the building’s potential use.

“Everyone is so excited,” Knoebel said. “Every event we’ve had — yoga, the motorcycle show, this show — has been electric.”

“It’s so exciting,” she added.