Holy Grounds is no longer just a place to caffeinate or study. The coffee shop will now be a venue for local musicians. The first musician will be at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 in Dirlam Lounge.

The listening hour entitled, “Turn Down Before You Turn Up”, will feature live, acoustic music from artists in the Des Moines metro. The Holy Grounds coffee shop and Campus Activities Board, also known as CAB, teamed up to sponsor the performances and bring a new option to students.

“It’s something different to do on campus,” Victoria Halloran, Holy Grounds coffee shop manager said. “A lot of people enjoy live music and this is a great opportunity to listen to new artists and make connections with the music scene in Des Moines.”

The collaboration came after Halloran approached CAB to make the event appealing to a broader range of students. Ruth Roberts, CAB president said, “I’m excited to see what this becomes. CAB doesn’t really do acoustic music so it will be something new for students in a different venue.”

CAB is a major student group on campus and hosts majority of campus wide events throughout the year. “CAB has had huge growth this year. A majority of the new members are freshman so this new programming will be iconic for them,” Roberts said. “It’s Victoria’s baby, we are just helping it fly.”

The coffee shop will be open an hour before the performance until about 9 p.m. for students to pick up their favorite coffee drink. “Personally I love live music in coffee shops,” Halloran said. “It’s a chill atmosphere to hang out with friends and relax before you go out for the night.”

The music performed will be a little bit of everything ranging from indie to folk. Each band will bring its own vibe to the venue. The shows will feature Des Moines artists Dana from Parlours, Scott from Canby, Ryan from The River Monks, and Danny from Seedlings.

“Danny is a Simpson graduate and actually got me in contact with all the other artists,” Halloran said.

Halloran wanted to start the acoustic performances with CAB to encourage students to try new things. “I’m glad CAB is involved because students can get pulled in different directions with so much happening on campus and this event combines it all into one,” Halloran said.

Halloran hopes students start to see Holy Grounds in a different light after events like these.

“The listening hour is not a religiously affiliated event. You don’t have to be religious to buy coffee from Holy Grounds. We want to caffeinate everyone on campus! Anyone is welcome to come get coffee and experience new music with friends,” Halloran said.

The remaining “Turn Down Before You Turn Up” performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, Nov. 4 and Dec. 5.

Holy Grounds also holds “Calm Cafe” Monday nights at 7 p.m. and features student performers and speakers with free drip coffee.