CityView Magazine

32 | May/June 2016 art The Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra's Exciting New Plans Photography by Matthew Wonderly M usic comforts us all. It transports us, gives us goosebumps and reminds us we are not alone. You may have known that CAMEO Art House eatre, the local independent movie theatre downtown, plays films, but did you know they also have live music performances? Now you can experience live music in a venue that lets the music speak for itself. While showing films is at the heart of CAMEO, Chris and Nasim Kuenzel, the founders, share another passion, too: music. In April, e Parsons, Jon and Caroline Parsons, played at CAMEO. Jon Parsons plays the harmonica, guitar, mandolin, banjo and bass, while Caroline plays the keyboard, harmonica, guitar and ukulele. Last fall, dressed in costumes representing the American rural south, they played at the White House for a special Halloween event. Coincidentally, it was e Parsons who helped get this live music series off the ground. CAMEO partners with Janet Kenworthy of e Rooster's Wife, a performing arts non-profit based in Aberdeen. Caro- line had wanted to introduce Nasim and Janet because they were doing similar things in different places. Two years ago, Caroline told Nasim, "What [Janet's] do- ing with music is what you guys are doing with movies." Car- oline arranged for a lunch for all three of them to meet, and Nasim said that it took "all of five minutes" for a live music concert series to be decided. "Janet wanted the opportunity for her artists to have a performance and we wanted to bring live music to down- town Fayetteville. Once it started," Nasim said, "it has just been one awesome experience aer another." e small stage in their auditorium downstairs, which seats 126, allows for an intimate performance. e beer and wine and refreshments they sell in the lobby of the theatre can all be brought inside. Whether it's rock & roll, bluegrass, Irish, southern rock or a single guitar virtuoso, artists and The Sound of Fayetteville LIVE MUSIC AT THE CAMEO STORY BY ALEXANDRIA RAPPE AND ERIN PESUT | PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW WONDERLY

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