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Laura Oden / Press

“In the past couple years, Oden has returned to playing around town, mostly solo, with her acoustic guitar. She’s has also been instrumental in starting one of city’s newest music venues, the Anchorage Music Co-op, which this January started putting on monthly Artist Showcase concerts at Out North Contemporary Art House.”

“Co-founders Lonny Gransbury and Laura Oden said the Artist Showcase Series matches fans wanting to actually listen to local musicians (as opposed to just using them for background music at a coffee shop or bar), with musicians who are serious about honing their craft.”

“Laura Oden, the Co-op's co-director, said Anchorage badly needs a true listening room where guitarists like herself, other musicians and audiophiles can enjoy the music without having to hear it over the din of bar chatter or an espresso machine. A single mom with a 13 year old daughter and a full-time job, Oden points out that a lot of people who have a day job, kids, a mortgage, etc. seldom go out to listen to music that starts at 9 or 10 at night as is the case with most venues in town. So, the Music Co-op is starting a monthly Showcase series at Out North in which musicians take the stage at 7p.m. The first year is all about getting a feel for what's possible, but Oden says that ultimately, what they're hoping to offer, is a venue for all genres, with a focus on up and coming artists to showcase their work. Our goal for the first year is to build an audience and to see what this capacity looks like," said Oden. "We're operating on a hunch right now...."”