Building community in Medford ‘Down By Riverside’
Hendrik Gideonse started Down By The Riverside after he somewhat surprisingly discovered his need for community. And Sunday, the Medford Arts Collaborative was overflowing with community thanks to him.
Hendrik Gideonse started Down By Riverside after he somewhat surprisingly discovered his need for community. And Sunday, Arts Collaborative Medford was overflowing with community thanks to him.
Gideonse’s non-profit, “Down By Riverside” threw a sold-out Mardi Gras party complete with New Orleans style food, drink and jazz from The Dixie Cookbook and the Glen David Andrew Band.
“I in no way expected this,” he said looking around at the crowd. “We sold 137 tickets. It is very not Medford to see this many people come out.”
Down By Riverside “uses music, education and shared food as tools for creating deep, intentional connections between people.”
“The idea for Down By Riverside came when I got sober,” Gideonse said.
Gideonse was not raised with religion or any type of spirituality and didn’t think anything of it until he got sober and realized he really liked being connected to people. A musician and audio engineer, Gideonse said he loved that feeling of connection one gets when playing music together and he wanted others to feel it as well.
He started Down By Riverside as a way to build community and chose the name for the same reason. Gideonse said a river is symbolic in many cultures as a place to gather, to build community.
Gideonse said he saw a growing isolationism moving across the country that seemed to start during President Trump’s first term and culminated with the COVID-19 pandemic, when “it got 100 times worse.”
Even once the pandemic ebbed, Gideonse said it was hard to get people to come back out again and no one seemed to have access to music, but he had an idea.
“I actually had the idea before the pandemic closed everything,” he said. “I knew we had to have access to music as a non-profit, especially since people were so isolated.”
Gideonse said they started with two plans: a regular potluck concert where people didn’t have to shell out money for tickets, they just need to bring a dish to share and an education program aimed at teaching school age kids about the blues.
Gideonse said they had a whole program that tied the blues into the socio-emotional teaching the schools were doing.
“We taught them that music can make you feel connected,” he said. “Like when you clap on the back beat, everyone’s clapping at the same time and when you do a call and response … it’s musical tactics.”
It’s why people in a concert venue leave feeling like they just shared a huge experience — because they did, he said.
The Mardi Gras party was Gideonse’s fourth, but his first at the Arts Collaborative Medford building, where he said he’s now a sort of musical partner in the endeavor.
Back at the party
The Dixie Cookbook Band got the crowd inside 162 Mystic Ave — where sequins and all things purple, gold and green ruled — rockin. A crew from Revelry, a food truck, served up “N’awlins” cuisine and hurricanes while party goers hit the dance floor.
“I’m here because I support local business,” said a decked out Judith Leeden.
“And we’re fans of Louisiana music,” added Sara Pinkman, who was also sporting a purple wig. “We love Zydeco, the Cajun culture, the food culture and music. I’ll support any live music.”
As the Glen David Andrews Band readied to take the stage, Gideonse finally began to relax and accept the packed house as a sign of success. When asked what he attributed the turnout to, he praised Glen David Andrew, who went through recovery with Gideonse, as a known entity with a draw.
“And I worked really hard,” he added.
Which was clear by the amount of community that surrounded him.
For more information on Down By Riverside, visit www.downbyriverside.org.
