Concert in the Dark coming to Lockharton Halloween

By Melissa Doss, 

Caldwell County Historical Commission & Founder of the Lonely-Hearts Art Club

    When the lights go out at Thorn & Bred Mercantile in downtown Lockhart, the air itself begins to listen. Shadows settle across brick walls and candlelit tables as the room transforms into something sacred a space where music, memory, and history breathe together.

   This Halloween season, Austin violinist and composer Will Taylor brings his acclaimed Concerts in the Dark series to Lockhart with a haunting new experience: The Radiohead Sound Bath, featuring live string arrangements and true ghost stories drawn from Lockhart’s past.

   On October 31, the evening begins with a free cacao ceremony, designed to open the heart and settle guests into the right energy and frame of mind. Afterward, as the lights fade, the musicians take their places and the first notes of Radiohead drift through the darkness.

   Guests are invited to bring blankets or yoga mats and settle in comfortably while the ensemble performs in near total darkness. Costumes are encouraged, and Thorn & Bred will offer a special add-on meal option, turning the night into a sensory experience that blends fine dining, storytelling, and music — a perfect alternative Halloween date night that celebrates small-town history, community, and creative collaboration.

    “When you take away the visuals, you start to really hear again,” says Taylor. “It becomes about vibration, emotion, and the energy that exists between people in a room.”

   Taylor, a two-time Austin Music Award winner, has spent over twenty years creating unexpected collaborations. He’s performed and recorded with Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, Gary Clark Jr., Shawn Colvin, and the Turtle Island String Quartet, fusing classical precision with raw improvisation. His Concert in the Dark performance at the Price Center in San Marcos sold out last September, and this Lockhart edition deepens that experience.

   This special version, “Ghost Stories of Lockhart,” is curated by Melissa Doss, a member of the Caldwell County Historical Commission and founder of the Lonely-Hearts Art Club, who is proud to help bring  Will Taylor and his ensemble to the Lockhart area. Between songs, Taylor narrates original vignettes written and researched by Doss, stories like The Light in the Window and The Wicked Stepmother, blending verified local history with haunting string arrangements that carry each tale into the dark.

     “It’s not about horror,” Doss says. “It’s about remembrance — the way small towns carry their ghosts, their grief, and their beauty all at once. This show lets us gather together and listen to that history in a new way.”

   Each performance begins with a short meditation and the cacao ceremony, inviting guests to breathe deeply and open their senses before the first note. By the time the strings swell and Radiohead’s melodies fill the room, the audience is part of the story, a shared stillness that feels both ancient and alive.

   Tickets are available now on Eventbrite. For more details, visit ConcertsintheDark.com. Want to volunteer or be part of a future show? Sign up at Join.StringsintheWoods.com.