Nestled in Allentown’s 10th Ward is a quaint, quirky space where art, music and community collide.
I’m talking about Coffee House Without Limits, a Queen City gem that has begun to make a name for itself in artistic circles. Located at 707 N. 4th St., Coffee House Without Limits serves up hot beverages and cool vibes with equal ease, sharing a conjoining door with the popular Alternative Gallery.
Bryan Tuk, right, keeps time while Bill Warfield improvises on trumpet.
On a rainy Thursday night, I had the opportunity to visit Coffee House Without Limits for the first time, which was packed with patrons young and old to see The Bryan Tuk Complex. It was the perfect night for some intricate, experimental jazz from the always-on-point Tuk and his band, which consisted on this night of B.D. Lenz on guitar, Bill Warfield on trumpet, and Tony Marino on bass. The evening also served, to me, as a microcosm of what our scene can be, every night of the week: people of all ages, demographics, and backgrounds, coming together at a cool, upstart venue for the sake of enjoying some original tunes.
Perhaps this diversity is a byproduct of the many offerings Coffee House Without Limits gives to the community at any given moment. Artists can work with Coffee House Without Limits to schedule music, poetry, or other performances, or participate in open mic nights. Coffee House Without Limits also offers performers “CWOL Sessions;” opportunities to tape intimate, in-house performances, akin to NPR’s Tiny Desk sessions. A full schedule of events can be found on CWOL’s homepage.
Coffee House without limits is no longer a secret to me, and I look forward to heading back, sooner rather than later.
