With the first strum of his guitar and croon of his deep voice, Kyle Keller immediately quieted a crowd of 30 swaying bodies.
“I know you’re grieving, but that's just the way life goes,” Keller sang in an emotional performance of his original, “Funerals Shouldn’t Cost a Thing.”
Seated in the back row, 33-year-old Xanna Prentice sniffled, lifting her shirt to wipe her nose. She lightly placed her head on her friend’s shoulder and stared across the audience at Keller.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than in this moment in time with all of you,” Keller said.
Its walls wrapped in local artwork and draped in soft, neon lights, the Gainesville Fine Arts Association welcomed each performer on April 12. No attendee spoke — they just listened.
Keller was opening The Listening Room, a concept expanding Gainesville’s live music scene with intimate performances, hand-picked spaces and the promise of an attentive audience.
“It gives the art a chance to breathe,” said Orlando-based artist Jordan Foley, who performed after Keller.
“It really is so intimate”
Playing live music in small spaces isn’t a new concept. Living room concerts and DIY shows are deep within the framework of live performance. But a room without the distraction of a cell phone, football game on the TV or chatter of friends is rare for a performing artist.
“It’s a kind of new way artists are touring and performing with intentionality,” said 41-year-old Stirling Myles, the creator of The Listening Room.
As a previous touring artist himself, Myles wanted to close the gap between performer and audience. By intentionally choosing smaller, quieter spaces, his goal is to provide more engaged experiences for both the artist and their listeners.
The Bull in downtown Gainesville hosted the series’ first show on June 7, 2024.
Myles likes to describe the venue as a “commonplace that moonlights as a bar.” For just $2 at the door, guests invested their time and promised silence.
After performances by Thymn, an indie folk-rock artist, and Empty Hands Music, a humanitarian and hip-hop musician, Myles received “immediate great feedback,” he said. The Listening Room was gaining traction.
Over two years later, the concept continues to grow as new spaces open their doors to host. Nightjar GNV, The Lynx Books and Santa Fe College’s Lyceum Concert Hall have joined GFAA and The Bull as listening rooms.
Having accomplished similar work in Toronto, Myles recognized the need for more safe and welcoming spaces in the Gainesville music community. Each Listening Room performance hosts one to two 30-minute openers and an hour-long main act.
“Gainesville has such fertile soil of creativity that whatever you decide to plant in it, it'll flourish,” Myles said.
As The Listening Room continues to establish itself and bring popular artists to the area, ticket price has increased. The average show is now around $20, with all proceeds going to the venue, sound engineer and artists, who take about 80% of the profits.
“Even in a full room, it's not a crowd but a shared experience,” Prentice said after the show she caught in April. “It really is so intimate.”
Meaningful connection
Prentice has now attended two Listening Rooms shows, her first being at The Bull.
“The places chosen to host are the best,” she said, recounting her previous attendance at the bar.
Owner Jacob Larson credits that in part to The Bull’s inclusive ethos.
“It’s a place where people can become their most authentic human self,” he said — not only through the shared experience of song but through the art adorning the walls and poetry of human conversation.
Small-scale performances in unique spaces can better allow artists to connect with a crowd — and vice versa.
Stelth Ulvang performed at The Bull in October 2025. With a three-day break from touring with The Lumineers, for whom he plays instruments like bass and piano, he rented a car from Atlanta and drove to Gainesville. Some attendees came intending to see his solo artistry, while others stumbled in after hearing the buzz of his guitar from First Avenue.
“At these smaller shows, people have a little more energy,” Ulvang said. “They're not wrapped up in the zeitgeist of a band to show up to something. They're there with true curiosity.”
Ulvang remembers everyone he spoke to after his Gainesville performance: a Tampa student studying music law, someone whose father designed the baseball jerseys for the Philadelphia Phillies, four aspiring musicians. The intimate gathering allowed for genuine connections and lasting conversations.
“I think people really do strive to have a meaningful connection with people when they're performing [in a smaller venue],” Ulvang said. “On the bigger stage, it's not necessarily me connecting with people individually, as it is like entertainment of a larger scale.”
Mississippi-born Spencer Thomas played his first Gainesville show through The Listening Room. His ‘70s and ‘80s classic sound, blended with a taste of Southern soul, rocked The Bull at the Sept. 12 performance.
After “nice upfront interaction” with the crowd, some handshakes and friendly conversation, he left satisfied with his performance and about $140 in profit.
“It’s fine for my first time playing in Gainesville,” he said, reflecting on the first of his potential Listening Room appearances. “I’m definitely hoping to return. That’s Tom Petty land.”
The Listening Room became a registered nonprofit in January 2025 through Music GNV, an organization that creates opportunities for Gainesville’s music community with live performances, apprenticeships and recording grants, and Self Narrate, a Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to sharing personal stories for empowerment.
The status makes Myles’ role purely voluntary. He also serves as the Director of Development for Heartwood Soundstage and juggles another full-time job.
Myles remains humbled and grateful for the support. He hopes to bring attention to Gainesville’s music venues and introduce new audiences to their missions.
Next steps
The Listening Room will kick off its third season Sept. 25 with Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Santa Fe’s Lyceum Concert Hall.
“Billy’s an artist that I did not ever anticipate being able to work with,” Myles said after announcing the show.
Even though Gainesville’s music scene is Myles' primary focus, he also organizes Listening Room shows beyond Alachua County. Foley and Keller performed in Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Palatka as part of the series.
“Success to me is seeing more and more people take chances on seeing someone they've never seen before,” Myles said. “Success would be to see [The Listening Room] grow but keep its integrity, so artists get paid fairly. I want this program to be sustainable and outlast my work in it.”
Local singer-songwriter Jordan Burchel described the feeling of sharing music with a room full of new people as a “cool drink of water” — a refreshing way to detach from the craziness of life and connect.
“It's this one little thing that we got to share among strangers and some people that know each other,” Burchel said. “That's only ever going to be that one thing.”
The Listening Room was Keller’s second performance of the day after he played at the Santa Fe College Spring Arts Festival in the afternoon.
“Knowing this was coming is how you survive,” Keller laughed.
Others, like Nashville-based Nathan Evans Fox, enjoy the challenge of winning over a crowd, simultaneously facing critics and making friends. Fox followed Keller and Foley as the main act at the April 12 show.
As 10 p.m. rolled around, Fox’s solemn country sound sang goodbye to The Listening Room’s second season. Attendees squinted as the overhead lights flickered on, seemingly sad the peaceful night had ended. They roamed the gallery one final time, throwing away empty plastic cups once filled with white wine and laughing at Foley’s merch featuring a one-eyed “deerclops” smoking a joint.
Many thanked Myles for another wonderful show.
With a firm handshake and some hugs, Myles said goodnight to the audience. His bright blue eyes appeared satisfied as he sincerely repeated, “Thank you so much for coming. I am so glad you could make it.”
The neon lights illuminating the room peeked through the glass wall onto the sidewalk, piercing the night’s darkness. As each attendee slowly shuffled out, the gallery that had once echoed with song now stood in complete silence.
Reagan Poland is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
