Donkey Coffee Live!
Story by Amber Phipps
Photos by Pearl Spurlock
Story originally posted in Backdrop Magazine’s Volume 15, Issue 4 in May 2022.
How a local coffee shop helps community members socialize in a post COVID environment.
The students at Ohio University finish their tasks on a Thursday evening and soon find themselves on their way to a local coffee shop with their friends. Upon rounding the corner onto Washington Street, the soothing sound of an acoustic guitar fills the air from what appears to be an old house.
While stepping through the front door of Donkey Coffee and Espresso, the aroma of fresh brewed coffee blends with the worn, colorful couches and local artwork adorning the walls. After grabbing a cup of warm coffee, the lure of live music is just past the wall of colorful hats and an old-fashioned juke box.
Since its opening about 20 years ago, Donkey Coffee has been hosting an open stage every Thursday night from 8-10 p.m. for local musicians and college students to sing and perform. The art of music and live performances can be enjoyed by supportive audience members in a comfortable, safe place. The audience cheers and encourages each musician that appears onstage and makes sure they feel supported throughout the performance.
Hosted by Dave Deibi, Thursday nights are alive with music and local musicians that perform for the audience with singing, instruments and sometimes a melodic combination of both. Deibi is a proud member of the live music at Donkey Coffee and continues to host every live music event.
Deibi is enthusiastic about the culture that the coffee shop inspires, and he speaks warmly about the support and encouragement that the space provides.
“I like being part of this because it gives people with voices the opportunity to share in a venue at which they’re guaranteed to be accepted, supported and cared for,” Deibi says. “And really importantly, their artistic expression is respected, so that’s a really cool thing to be a part of.”
Every musician who takes the stage after a long day is given the opportunity to relax in a safe environment and share their voice through performance. To support Deibi’s claims, the audience accepts each performer with a warm applause and a subtle yearning for more songs to carry on the night.
Singer and songwriter Rylee Bapst has been a performer at Donkey Coffee since his first semester as freshman at OU. Having played the guitar since the age of 11, Bapst performs for an eager live audience from a selection of his own songs. He performs a variety of genres such as rock and indie pop but adds his own acoustic style that fits the easy-going atmosphere of Donkey Coffee.
“I’ve become a lot more confident,” Bapst admits wholeheartedly. “But playing at Donkey and playing for people has built so much confidence that I didn’t have before.”
Bapst continues to perform for anyone whenever he is given the opportunity. The safe atmosphere that Donkey Coffee provides has allowed him to realize that people truly do enjoy and appreciate the art of live music.
Born and raised in Athens, Derek Demel has been performing at Donkey Coffee since his junior year of high school in 2016. While he currently attends Yale University, he often finds himself spending spring and summer breaks in his hometown feeling nostalgic and surrounded by the familiar atmosphere of Athens’ live music and local food.
Donkey Coffee has been a significant aspect of Demel’s youth and continues to provide him with a comforting space to share his music with his friends.
“It’s a lot of nostalgia for me, and I don’t study music or anything,” Demel says. “But I still love performance and it’s a way I stay in touch with that side of myself.”
Even when studying at a university located hours away, Demel finds himself coming back to Donkey Coffee for live music performances and a hot cup of coffee.
Because of the pandemic, Donkey Coffee’s live music audience attendance has still not fully gone back to normal. As the months go on, there is hope to get the amount of people attending back to where it was before the pandemic.
“There’s once again, an optimism within the Donkey crew here that come this spring and summer and next fall,” Deibi says. “That we can be full scale and back to action.”
This hope is also shared among the musicians and audience that Donkey Coffee’s open stage will continue to grow in popularity.
While every live music night consists of its own variety of musicians and music styles, the support for on-stage performances continues to flourish at Donkey Coffee.