Bay Station "Go Out and Make Some" National Tour

Bay Station is celebrating the release of Go Out and Make Some with a full band show at Amnesia in San Francisco, on March 24, before setting out across the US performing as an acoustic duo. 

BAY STATION 2016 SPRING TOUR

March 24 San Francisco, CA Amnesia
March 25 Los Angeles, CA MUSE on 8th
March 26 Phoenix, AZ Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse
March 27 Bisbee, AZ Bisbee Grand Hotel Bed & Breakfast
March 29 San Antonio, TX Fralo’s
March 30 San Antonio, TX Sanchos
March 31 Austin, TX The Driskilll
April 1 Dallas, TX Opening Bell Coffee
April 2 Flora, MS The County Seat
April 3 Atlanta, GA Red Light Cafe
April 6 Knoxville, TN Preservation Pub
April 7 Nashville, TN Two Old Hippies
April 8 St. Louis, MO Stone Spiral (early)
April 8 St. Louis, MO Evangeline's Bistro & Music House (late)
April 9 Lawrence, KS Gaslight Gardens
April 11 Taos, NM Adobe Bar
April 12 Santa Fe, NM The Cowgirl BBQ
April 13 Flagstaff, AZ Cultured
April 16 Joshua Tree, CA Joshua Tree Saloon Bar & Grill

Go Out and Make Some is a true melting pot of Americana, blues, jazz and rock and roll, with songs about love, lust, sandy beaches, dusty roads, wandering holy men, wolf birds and more.

 

More information new dates being added at http://baystationband.com/ 

More Inspiration from Mad Scientist Mind

Not long after my post referencing my love of mad scientists, I happened into a shrine to mad scientism, The Huntington in San Marino, CA. OMG! Founded by railroad tycoon and evident honorary mad scientist, Henry E. Huntington, in 1919, his namesake institution fully expresses his "special interest in books, art, and gardens."
"Start with the library," I was advised by the woman at the welcome desk.
"The Huntington Library is one of the largest and most complete research libraries in the United States in its fields of specialization. The Library’s collection of rare books, manuscripts, prints, photographs, maps, and other materials in the fields of British and American history and literature totals more than nine million items."
We're talking manuscripts and first editions from Shakespeare and Chaucer, Thoreau and Audubon. I was blown away. Thankfully, the Huntington Gardens beckoned and I cleared my mind with an eye-boggling meander through the 120 acres of cactus, bonsai courts, rose gardens and lily ponds. I was so glutted on beauty and wonder, I didn't make even it into the galleries to view the extensive collections of British and European art.
"Your first time?" the cashier at the gift store asked after I'd done a quick, slightly dazed holiday shop.
"Yes," I said, explaining that I was from out of town. "I had no idea."
"Yes," he nodded, "We're one of LA's best kept secrets."

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens

1151 Oxford Road

San Marino, CA  91108

626.405.2100

Deborah Crooks | A more diverse form of Americana | Latest Cds

Rainy day museum visit

"When you put a seed in the ground, it doesn't stop growing after eight hours. It keeps going every minute that it's in the earth. We, too, need to keep growing every moment of every day that we are on this earth." -- Ruth Asawa

I left the uber rainy SF Bay Area for equally wet LA this week to hang with my sweetie, work on some writing, and dig a little deeper in my yoga practice. I still found time for an afternoon at the Norton Simon Art Museum which was so, so pleasing. I was delighted both to see a special exhibit of Ruth Asawa drawings and prints as well as an extensive Asian collection.
Throughout I kept coming upon paintings of flowers, studies, drawings, etchings. I loved the fact of visual artists coming back to  simple, ordinary captures of floral beauty through the ages. These flower paintings, from Asawa, Latour and de Heem, span 350 years. 

Artist Interview: Annette Conlon Reclaims Her Voice on 'Life, Death and the Spaces Between'

I've known songwriter Annette Conlon for nearly as long as I've been recording music. The Los Angeles based artist has long been an avid support of other artists as the host of 'Nette Radio, 'one of the longest running radio shows dedicated to promoting women in music.'  She's also hosted many a songwriter showcase over the years and collaborated with her husband in duo The Conlons. But after a harrowing few years of health challenges, Annette is putting her own voice front and center, embarking on a solo project inspired by the events she's weathered, "Life, Death and The Spaces Between." Amidst a crowdfunding campaign to support the project and some unexpected family events, Annette discussed her road to healing and writing her most inspired material.

Q: You've been so active in music, I didn't realize you hadn't recorded your own solo work. How did you know it was time?

Annette Conlon: I fell and hit my head on a trashcan on April 17, 2014. I suffered a pretty severe concussion and during my recovery I started writing. I had written an entire album’s worth of songs between April 17th and Sept 5^th; but really by mid-June I knew I wanted to record the songs I has written thus far. These songs felt special to me, and to Doug, and seemed to really connect with people when we played them live.  I told Doug I wanted to record right around my birthday in June. It wasn’t until we were in the studio and recording that we realized this was really my baby. Even though I had written everything, we went in with the intention of recording a “The Conlons” record; however, we realized that wasn’t what it was. Doug is fully supportive of my first full-length solo record, has generously played on it, and is currently working on his third solo record.  

Q: Backing up to 2012? Can you brief us on what happened? What was vocal therapy like — was it regaining or learning a whole knew toolkit? I gather you focused on physical recovery first and then the emotional work didn't kick in until the concussion....

AC: I had a retropharyngeal abscess resultant from bacteria that was residing on some cervical fusion hardware put in back in 2003. I had three surgeries through my esophagus: two due to the abscess and one to repair a hole in my esophagus. During the second surgery my right vocal laryngeal nerve was damaged and the result was the right cord became paralyzed. My surgeon, who is a top ENT surgeon, used Radiesse for Voice, and injected that through my neck into the right vocal cord, having me sing while injecting the gel to move the right cord back into the middle. Now my left vocal cord basically does all of the work and my right cord just kind of sits there, in one place. I had swallow therapy to learn how to swallow again as my swallowing muscles were damaged. I also went to speech therapy/vocal therapy sessions at the hospital to learn how to speak correctly again. (I basically went until my benefits ran out). I did all of the homework for swallow and speech/vocal exercises, and once I was given permission to do so, I began one-on-one vocal coaching with the amazing Jan Linder-Koda via Skype. I also used her vocal warm-ups on my own time.  I kept old mp3s of when I was first talking and trying to sing. It’s amazing to me how far I’ve come. I don’t have as big of a voice as I had before I got sick. That power is gone. I have to remember not to push too hard or I will lose my voice. I get vocal fatigue easier – and I have noticed that if my neck muscles are tired my voice will change. All of those surgeries have affected me and I have had to learn to work with it and not fight it. That’s okay, it’s really a small price to pay to still be able to do something I love so much. Not only did I survive all of that, but I’m singing? I’m pretty lucky! I’m so happy when I sing, and I’m so thrilled to say I’m making a record without auto-tune. It’s authentically me. This new voice is purely me and I really like it.

I think the reason I didn’t focus on the emotional healing was that my “job” was to get well. Some days I had 2-3 doctors’ appointments. Some weeks I went to the doctor 3-4 days of the week. Recovering from 3 major surgeries, the feeding tubes, the PICC line, all of the drains, etc, required so many visits, physical therapy, etc., that it was all I really did for a while. Not to mention the very real fear for the first year that the infection could resurface. I think emotionally I didn’t feel well for a long time. Physically, I was still not super strong even at a year and a half. When I had that concussion in April I was still not as strong as I am now. My legs collapsed as I stepped off the curb and down I went.

In August 2014 I celebrated my two-year anniversary of the first surgery. It really wasn’t all that long ago. It is remarkable to me know to look back and see how far I have come.

Q: How was writing a part of your emotional recovery? All these songs were written in this period. How are they different than your previous work? What do you hope listeners will take away from the work?

AC: Writing these songs was cathartic. I confronted, relived, and experienced… however you want to say it, thoughts and feelings that were veiled in my subconscious because I had focused all of my energy ‘getting well’. Once I had quiet time to just sit, without any outside input, my mind opened up, and I started listening. It was amazing to me to experience this as an artist/writer. I’ve always been a writer, but sometimes you try to force things. You tell yourself “I must write this song or finish this short story.” Instead, I merely listened and wrote. The words and the music came not independent from each other but almost in concert. I had to learn how to listen and convey this from inside my head to pen, paper and guitar. I’m still listening and writing, and I’m grateful that I’m able to stay connected to this inner voice.

In the past I didn’t have an inner voice, or muse, specifically guiding me as I do now. When I would have an idea of a poem, I would write it down, and then struggle with cords to come up with a song. If a melody came first I would sing it into a voice recorder or my phone, and struggle to convert it into cords. Sometimes weeks went by before I found words that made sense to that melody. Those struggles seem to be gone for now and I’m grateful. 

I definitely want the listener to take away that this is a collected body of work. There can be hope after sorrow; there is joy in overcoming struggle. While each song stands alone, I think together they tell a story. We are frail beings, we are strong, and we can take and make beautiful music out of really awful circumstances, which in and of itself is very healing.

  
Q: Tell us about your plans for the record and going forward? Are you fully recovered from the events of the past few years? Will you be touring?

AC: I plan to release the record on April 17, 2015. That is the one-year anniversary of the concussion, and it seems like the perfect day for THIS record to be released! I really hope we make the Kickstarter goal.... I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me and donated thus far. We were doing really well at first and had a lot of momentum but my Uncle died on Nov 1 and I flew to Alabama to be with my family for the funeral. From Alabama, I flew to Colorado with my parents to attend the funeral of my mom’s best friend’s on Monday of this week. I’ve known this sweet lady since I was in kindergarten. Her daughter and I were in church choir together all through junior high and high school. It’s been a long week of funerals and sadness. [And] I am still in Colorado due to the Arctic Front that moved in. I hope to be able to return to Los Angeles on Friday. ... I am focusing my thoughts on the positive energy of all the support I have received thus far and praying that it works out as it should. I wouldn’t change a thing, because I put my family first, but the timing was rotten. That’s sometimes how life works out. I do hope your readers will check out the Kickstarter and find a reward they like!  There are some really great things there! 

Once the record IS finished and released I will reach out to the Internet radio shows I’ve connected with throughout the years through my time doing NetteRadio. I want to take it as far as I possibly can and I think this is a good first step.

Am I recovered? I think I’m as recovered as I’ll ever be although I can always get stronger, or in better shape, and I work towards that every day. I’ll never be like I was before I got sick. When they told me that at the hospital it made me so mad. I don’t ever want someone else to define me. I understand now what they were trying to say, to caution me and keep me from being disappointed.  This isn’t something I dwell on. I’m certainly much stronger now than I was in April and I hope that I’ll be stronger next April than I am right now.

I would definitely consider touring to support the record. I might do several smaller tours instead of one big tour. That seems like a good way to stay healthy, happy and strong.

 http://www.annetteconlon.com/

Keeping the songs going: Songwriters Roundup in Alameda, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013

I'm still getting settled after the run down to So Cal for FAR-West with pitstops in Culver City and Silverlake on the way home. Fun playing, good music, some allergies (oh well), good food (see Bell Street Farm in Los Alamos and Elf Cafe in Silverlake), enough yoga to keep me honest combined for an overall inspirational and invigorating trip. While I'm waiting for the UPS truck to deliver my new CDs, I'm getting ready for the next Songwriters Roundup at High St. Station in Alameda. Six songwriters playing their original music in-the-round. This Roundup features Bay Area songwriters Andrew Page, myself, Katie Garibaldi, Kate Burkart, Kwame Copeland and Wilson Wong. Come take a listen! Starts at 7pm. $5-10 sliding scale at the door. Plus High Street has food, wine and beer. Kids welcome, too.

Divinating Space: James Turrell at LACMA

In a few days we'll be in the desert. No it's not the best time to be heading through one of the hottest places in the world, but there' nothing so clarifying as a good sweat, a sun-baked sky and a wide horizon. I thought this on Tuesday while practicing yoga in LA during the West Coast's heat wave, trying hard not to slide off my mat, having driven down highway 5 the day prior. Pasadena is stop one of our vacation/tour/friend&family jaunt through the Southwest and Rocky Mountains. Pasadena is also the birthplace of my artist crush of the moment, James Turrell, whose retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened at the end of May. Turrell is obsessed with light: light as form, light as experience, as much as light as a tool. I wrote about my love of his Skyspace at the De Young Museum a few weeks ago. Gladdened by the opportunity to see a retrospective of his work, I toweled myself off after yoga and made my way to the heart of LA to view a career's worth of his projections, holograms, and rooms filled with light.
LAMCA wisely limits the number of visitors who can enter at once (my ticket came with an allotted time of visit) so as to maximize the works' powers of altering perception. The immersive, full-room light installation - Key Lime, Breathing Light - held the most power for this viewer, placing me in shifting lightsapes evoking dreams in the former, the experience of weather changing on a mountain in the latter. In two videos featuring the artist discussing his sky spaces and his Magnus opus, The Roden Crater in Arizona, he mentioned his interest in inviting the viewer not only to perceive, but to see themself perceiving. In almost every case I had the feeling of having entered a divinated space, a nondenominational church of light, a testament to Turrell's unwavering focus and clarity of vision. The videos, photos and sketches of the works he's creating at Roden Crater were worth the price of admission alone. God love a mad scientist realizing his vision.

Read.East.Listen: Pasadena Pastimes

I spent a few days in Pasadena last week on the excuse that my husband was on a longish work trip to the city 10 miles north east of downtown Los Angeles. Over the past few years, I've found Pasadena to be a lovely perch for Southern California visits. Provided you don't want to get to the beach, it provides fairly convenient access to much of LA as well as its own cultural highlights (I didn't get to the Norton Simon Museum this trip, but it's definitely on my radar for my next visit). Pasadena also provides a good perch for birds. As I learned observing the local Alameda peregrines, there's a nesting pair of falcons on the AT&T building smack in the middle of Pasadena. On our way home from dinner, we stopped by to watch the birds on the highest reaches of the building setting up to roost for the night.  Pasadena is very close to Angeles National Forest the San Gabriel Mountains so perhaps it shouldn't come as such a surprise to see such wildness amid the urbanity. Either way, I've been finding it immensely pleasing to see these once-endangered species thriving while surrounded by humanity.

Yes, there are peregrine falcons in this photo

Read: I've been studying up on all my raptors in prep to volunteer at the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory this fall. Glenn Stewart's Eye to Eye with Eagles, Hawks and Falcons isn't on the recommended reading list but I'd recommend it to anyone interested in raptor conservation. Likewise, it will be of interest to anyone who had any association with the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group and its work in the recovery of peregrine (and eagle, and hawk) populations. Stewart, the current director of PBRG, was in on the group's work from the beginning, and offers fascinating accounts of the group's origins, conservation efforts in Idaho, Arizona, California, Alaska and Canada, as well as falconry in general.
Eat: When in Pasadena, it's usually a toss up between Real Food Daily — gourmet vegan with a good wine list to boot — and Green St. Tavern, a cozy restaurant with a menu dictated by the seasons. We were won over by the Green St.'s chef offering of a daily 'pie inspiration' on the dessert menu. Who wouldn't be? (The apple pie was a winner.)
Listen: Most of the music happening on this trip was either rehearsal related (Kwame and I are polishing up some of the tunes we wrote for the most recent RPM Challenge) or on the car stereo (a lot of classic rock and top-40 pop happening on LA radios). Nonetheless, somewhere along the routes of the past few weeks, I've been turned onto Escondido, an Americana band out of Nashville. Check 'em out. 

Songwriter Serenade April 30 in Arcadia

I've played J.C. Hyke's Songwriter Serenade a few times now, and it's always an enjoyable evening of tunesmiths from the greater Los Angeles area and beyond (in this case, that would be me). On April 30, I'm sharing the bill with Ted Leplat, Natalie Smith, Ray Doyle and Julia Othmer. I think it will be a fine evening.

If you're in the area, I hope to see you; if you've friends or relatives in So Cal, please share. Thank you!

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013
Matt Denny's Ale House
JC Hyke's Songwriter Serenade  - 7pm
145 East Huntington Drive
Arcadia  California  91006

California Love & Freedom

Driving up the 101 from a weekend spent in Irvine for Far West, following the Presidential debate and the Giants game on my Twitter feed, I reflected anew on how incredibly grateful I am to have grown up and still live in California. As we made our way north, from the beaches to the agricultural fields and rolling hills of the Central Coast, the Giants were winning and the debate... was giving me pause. My renewed gratitude for growing up in California wasn't completely about the game. It was about how fortunate I felt have lived amid diversity and varied lifestyles, freedom of speech and choice, and general encouragement for finding and expressing one's voice, and that I generally experience this on a daily basis.
"This is the best place there is," my dad, a WWII vet and native of San Francisco, used to tell me. Of course, I didn't believe him for many years, until I'd traversed much of the globe, and lived in a different state, double-checking for myself. And so California has always found me circling back. Its varied physical beauty, is of course a major draw, but the varied terrain reflects an equally diverse population I've come to expect.  Living in the Bay Area most of my life, I've been privy not only to beaches and mountains, but exposed to seemingly every color, denomination and mode of expression there is...and — mistakenly — thought it was that way everywhere. I so often take this for granted when the precariousness of our rights is highlighted by the gravity of what's at stake during an election. Especially, it seems, this one. I'm glad I get to inform myself and to vote. I very much hope you are too.

Far-West Folk Alliance in Irvine

I'm heading down to Irvine on Friday for the Far-West Folk Alliance . Amid it all, I'll be playing a bunch of Private Guerrilla Showcases Friday and Saturday nights as well as at the Susan Millsaps Memorial Coffeehouse on Saturday afternoon (3:20pm). Give a shout if you'll be there!

Next Up: Songwriter Serenade in Arcadia

I'm pleased to return to this sweet songwriter's showcase in Southern California run by J.C. Hyke. If you're in or around LA do come down for a night of accomplished songwriters in a friendly atmosphere.
"The Songwriter Serenade is a weekly show held every Tuesday night at Matt Denny's Ale House Restaurant & Bar.  It starts at 7PM and goes to 9:30.  Performers play their original songs for the audience on a lovely patio with a warm, inviting atmosphere.  There are all styles and genres of music, with 4 or 5 different songwriters each week.  The music is on a patio which is covered and has plenty of heaters for a warm, cozy evening.  It is located at 145 E. Huntington Dr. in Arcadia, CA 91006. There is parking around the back. "

ASCAP, Souls & Sessions

Silverlake mural

Last week was a packed few days of yoga practice and the ASCAP EXPO in Southern California. Encinitas and LA were sunny and happy in all respects. ASCAP was, as in prior experiences, a great mix of networking, know-how and inspiration. I caught up with songwriter friends, received some nice feedback and even heard a fabulous talk by Carly Simon. I had not fully appreciated Simon's career until hearing this recap of all her hits and overview of her rich and varied career in music. Slim, composed and still in full voice, she spoke candidly about the auspicious beginnings of her career, the stammer that plagued her confidence and ultimately helped her find her singing voice and her writing process. She's a true artist!

Oakland Symphony premier of Art Khu's Symphony of Souls

I flew home with just enough time to get to the Paramount Theater to witness the premier performance of Ark Khu's Symphony of Souls by the Oakland East Bay Symphony. It's no secret in the Bay Area and in jazz circles that Art is an amazing musician. I've been extremely fortunate to know him as well as have some of his piano and guitar playing on several of my CDs. Seeing this premier just confirmed to the world how great he really is. There were two premiers during the program, "Notes from the Philippines," one by Khu and another by Victor Noriega, and both were met with standing ovations as well as enthusiasm from conductor and musical director Michael Morgan. Along with a Cello Concerto by Dvorak and an overture taken from Mendelssohn, it truly was a great night of music for East Bay symphony goers.

Being surrounded by other songwriters and composers for three days is motivating to say the least. I was glad to have a session scheduled Saturday after all this musical richness. Half of a very beautiful sunny day Saturday was spent in the studio recording basic tracks for a couple of new songs. The next project has begun!

Bass, drums & coffee

On the road: SF x LA

Filling station: Love's

“There was nowhere to go but everywhere, so just keep on rolling under the stars.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road: The Original Scroll 

Love's Travel Store. The necessary evil of road trips circa 2012. We filled up the tank somewhere on I5 just as this tanker filled Love's tanks. Whoa. Fuel. There's a lot of it getting burnt up in these parts, somewhere between SF and LA, day 1 of the Local Music Vibe trip to Austin. Poet Karen Hildebrand alerted me to the fact that March 12 is even Jack Keroac's birthday, a befitting time to take in some tarmac.
Things have certainly changed since Jack's time (he published On the Road in 1951). There are 1 million more public road miles and the US population has more than doubled so the West feels less wild and wooly than ever.  But the meaning of going on the road — that potential finding of something that you wouldn't have found if you didn't leave or having some sort of epiphany— really hasn't changed.  And so I always get excited about setting out ...even if it means a lot of hours of car time. Even if the first leg is all familiar ground!
 I'm not sure what Jack drove, and riding in a Econoline has a whole different flavor than, say, a Cadillac. There are more logistics given the van is full of music gear and our day's journey was to end on the outskirts of LA proper. So we didn't go cruising the Sunset Strip or other Hollywood musician haunts. Nor did the timing work for a stop at Kulak's Woodshed, my vote for coolest open mic in LA.  Nonetheless, and most importantly, we made it to our destination safely.

Tuesday, Nov 8 Songwriter Serenade w/J.C. Hyke

Artist Interview: Phillip Rosenberg on Songwriting as Practice

Phillip Rosenberg wrote me regarding my thoughts on practice and music the same week I happened to be in Southern California. A songwriter who had spent time honing his craft in Nashville before moving to Joshua Tree, Phillip had recently began blogging about approaching song-making as one might approach their zafu or yoga mat, that is as a spiritual practice or ritual rather than something with a definitive endpoint.  We met up a couple days later at Kulak's Woodshed for the weekly community open mic, where I heard a bit of his 'Rags & Bones' music live.  I found his literate songwriting to be grounded as much in the contemplative as everyday living and evocative of both Leonard Cohen and John Prine. He later expanded on his process with Bird in the Tree:

Q: How do you define practice?

PR: Practice is a discipline. It’s something that you devote yourself to and also a form of devotion, if you’ve got the right daily practice. At different times I’ve tried sitting meditation and breath-work in an attempt to quiet my incessant interior chatter, but lately songwriting interests me as a different sort of practice. Songwriting might be a way to peel away layers of defense and bravado and open to a sacred space where vulnerability, honesty and acceptance reside.

I’m at the beginning of this inquiry so I can’t say too much about it right now. I would be interested in hearing the experience of others traveling this path.

Q: Name your early musical influences?

PR: Elvis, Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon. These are the shoulders I’m standing on. I notice, in retrospect, that they each challenged the mainstream culture at the time and pushed the envelope. They redefined our expectations of popular music. I was twenty when I purchased The Songs of Leonard Cohen and listened to “Suzanne” over and over again. There was something mysterious about this woman and this song, but I couldn’t define it. I knew “Suzanne” took an approach to writing that was unfamiliar to me, one that I had to learn. I suppose I’ve been working on that project ever since.

Q: Who or what inspires you now?

PR: It’s hard to outgrow Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, but Tom Waits comes to mind because he speaks the evocative language of the poet, a language rich in metaphor. In the song “Time,” for example, Waits creates unforgettable images: “Napoleon is weeping in a carnival saloon.” This style of image-heavy, non-linear, multi-layered writing seems to point toward something important that each of us can interpret in a personal way. This sort of writing inspires me.

John Prine and Guy Clark are songwriting elders whose songs I love and learn from. I’ve also been inspired and influenced by some of the great Music Row writers in Nashville. They are consummate craftsmen. I’m a big fan of Bobby Braddock who wrote the Tracy Lawrence cut “Time Marches On.” Braddock manages to tell the story of one family through five decades in 3 minutes and four seconds.

Gary Burr, Don Schlitz, Matraca Berg, Gretchen Peters, Jeffrey Steele and Craig Wiseman are just a few of the really brilliant writers working in Nashville today. Their craftsmanship is impeccable and I’ve learned a lot from studying their work.

Q: How did you get to Nashville, and why and when did you leave?

PR: I was a framing contractor in Atlanta and a closet songwriter. In 1993, I started the local chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International as part of their regional workshop program and began to take songwriting more seriously. I’d just gotten divorced and was reevaluating what I wanted to do, as the poet Mary Oliver puts it, with “this one wild and precious life.” Nashville is a songwriting Mecca and I was wearing out Interstate 75 driving to Nashville for workshops and networking. I wanted to put myself in proximity to that kind of energy, history, and talent.

Nashville and Country music attracted me partly because country artists have historically looked to outside writers for material. This is changing and there have been other shifts in the industry. I often find the politics of country music objectionable and the subject matter too limited. When I decided to perform my own songs, living in Nashville was no longer a necessity.

My wife introduced me to Joshua Tree, which is an amazing community of creative people. We moved here in 2008. The desert is a great environment for writing, with minimal distractions. The Internet makes geography less important and here I’m able to utilize the craftsmanship and knowledge of the forms that I learned in Nashville to write songs that can hold my interest.

Q: Can you describe a 'typical' day in Joshua Tree

PR: I’m usually up at around 5:30. I read for an hour or so, and then my wife and I drink coffee together. We live in a small cabin on 5 acres in the high desert so there are chores. In the mornings I water the new mesquites and cottonwoods we planted in the spring and I put out water for the birds and critters. I make my wife breakfast, pack her lunch, and send her off to the office. Once the two cats are ensconced on their respective pillows-of-honor, I begin work. Work starts with an hour or so of vocal exercises because I have found that the more my voice can do, the more interesting the melodies become.

I spend some time on-line finding new artists and songs I like. My website is now up and running so I have to navigate those new demands and decide how much time to spend on them. It’s still so new that I struggle to keep from looking at my stats every 10 minutes. When I can’t put it off any longer, I have to start writing or I start to despise myself. I write about 4 hours a day. I usually have one or two things I’m finishing up or rewriting and three or four new ideas in various stages of development that are vying for my time.  I’m not always consistent. Writing every day is a challenge I’m still trying to meet.

The fun part, where the muses swoop down with a big payload, comes when I go off to our trailer once a month or so for 3 or 4 days at a time. There’s no electricity and no neighbors. At the trailer there’s only walking and writing. I use a camping headlamp to see the paper at night. What shows up in these intense outings never disappoints and provides the material I work on for the next few weeks at home.

Q: What can audiences expect from you musically in the next year?

First of all, my audience can expect new songs. The writing is moving deeper into Rags and Bones territory and revealing more of the landscape along the way. What I’m writing now is in the same vein as “Song of the Bricoleur” and “Gone”— songs that speak to what I feel roiling under the surface both personally and in the larger culture.

The new blog is already attracting some interesting comments and I will continue to develop that as a forum for conversation about both the craft and the soul of songwriting. Lastly, I’m looking for a producer and hope that next year will include a compelling recording of Rags and Bones songs.

For more information on Phillip's music, visit his website: http://www.ragsandbonesmusic.com

NW x LA: Artichokes, Carmeggedon & Wine & Song

The Back Gate stage is a lovely room

Amid set-up at The Trip

Wine & Song in Pasadena

Kwame gets the light in PTown

It's been a busy month with little time at home: an unofficial West Coast Tour kind of ...occurred. The time in the Northwest was amazing. Lovely hosts in Eugene, Portland and Seattle; warm, fun gigs and general music making with friends and family all around, including a new discovery in the music community that is Artichoke Music. Lovers of acoustic songwriters take note of this one-two store and stage.  In between, there was some time for a bit of yoga and a bit of, yes, crabbing ...Now I'm in LA, where I've thus far experienced the bust (and benefits) of 'Carmeggedon,' talked with Swoops at Swoop's World Radio, revisited the friendly stage at Viento y Agua and enjoyed a day at the beach. And the week is young! Next official appearance is Wednesday in Pasadena as part of Brad Colerick's Wine & Song Series. I'm sharing the bill with the wonderful Aireene Espiritu. If you're in these parts, do say hello.

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

Firefly Bistro

Brad Colerick's Wine & Song Series - 7pm

1009 El Centro Street
Pasadena California 910

The TRIP Santa Monica

We had a fun time playing the TRIP, a truly neighborhood bar in Santa Monica a few months back as part of Hollowbody LA's Solidbody Fridays Series. So we're happy to return July 15 to play a set of bluesy Americana for the So Cal crew. Friends in the 'hood or in LA for the weekend. Come on down!  This is great little bar and terrific venue. You're going to enjoy this! 

Friday, July 15
8:00  Deborah Crooks
10:00 Mangogna's Band
11:00 The Short Eyes
12:00  Bloodshrunk Shenanigans

Also, TRiP has installed a live streaming web cam. When acts play, their set can be viewed worldwide at
www.tripsantamonica.com/live. If you're out of town, tune in! If you're in town, step away from the mouse and come on down to the show!
(works best with the latest Internet Explorer, may not fully function with other browsers. Also seems to work on i-phones)

FREE street parking.. 21+, Print the poster and make admission a friendly $6. Would love to see everyone there!
2101 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica CA 90405, Just South of Pico and the 10.

So Cal: San Luis Obispo x Hollywood x Santa Monica

I'm on the road, visiting San Luis Obispo for some shows and reconnection with college friends, before heading to LA to attend the ASCAP Conference & play @ THE TRIP in Santa Monica on Friday. I'd love to see you under these sunny skies and original music:

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

Linnaea's Cafe  7pm 1110 Garden St. San Luis Obispo California 93401

Friday, April 29th, 2011

THE TRIP Hollow Body @ Trip - 8pm 2101 Lincoln Blvd Santa Monica California 90405 Price: $8

Artist Interview: Talking with Documentary Filmmaker Laura Bouza

Knowing of my interest in and practices of singing, yoga and chanting, writer Andrew Gori tipped me off to the work of filmmaker and yoga teacher Laura Bouza. Bouza, a graduate of the California Institute of the Arts in film with several documentaries under her belt, had completed much filming of "Gaia Mama: A Sound and Light Portrait" about sound healers, Florence Riggs and Kabbalah Bach. Bouza discussed her work amid completing production of 'Gaia Mama' and readying for a screening of her 2007 short "Naomi & Irving" at San Francisco's New Nothing Cinema

Q How long have you been working in documentary form? How do you choose subjects?

LB I’ve been working as a filmmaker/media artist for the past decade. Every film I make has its own life force, so to speak, and I choose its form accordingly. For the past four years I have been leaning more towards documenting people. The subjects I choose usually correspond with a desire to learn about someone or something. My work often takes a keen interest in the body, movement and the everyday practices performed by people.

Q Can you discuss more about your interest in 'haptic nature of perception?' Are you a dancer and/or have you done any other somatic work?

LB I am interested in the idea and practice of using the sense of touch to communicate information. Touch as an articulation that moves beyond words or images or sounds. Touch as primary sense, primary instinct. I grew up dancing. My grandmother was a dancer and always encouraged me to move in whatever ways were instinctual to me. This process, or encouragement rather, has moved into the way I approach filmmaking; I let the films move in ways that are instinctual. I also have a strong interest in somatic explorations. I practice and teach yoga. As I became more serious about filmmaking I had a desire to keep my artist identity separate from my yoga identity. More recently I’ve been attempting to bring these disparate selves into one. I see practicing yoga and making films as extensions of a spiritual practice.

Q Discuss your latest project, on sound healing. What attracted you to the work? Are you familiar with chanting practices and applications?

LB The work of sound healers attracted me for a few reasons. First, I am interested in alternative healing modalities and get a lot out of learning about different ways to approach health and healing in the body. Secondly, I am moved by the work of the two women who comprise Gaia Mama, Florence Riggs and Kabbalah Bach. Their practice and passion inspired the film. Moreover, I’m interested in tracing how their sound practice has evolved as individuals and together as healers.

In terms of chanting practices and applications, I am familiar with chanting in a yoga context but I’ve yet to explore chanting in other forms and practices. In many ways this film is about the exploration of the unknown. For myself it’s a way to investigate that which is foreign to myself and in a broader context it seeks to bring light to a healing practice that is both powerful and subtle. The film will most likely raise more questions than it answers, seeking to extend a sense of curiosity about the potentials and means of healing.

Q Who are your main influences, film or otherwise? Whose work do you love, look to for inspiration?

LB I am highly influenced by écriture feminine writers Hélène Cixous and Luce Irigaray, drawing inspiration and curiosity from the notion of writing the body, woman’s acute sense of touch, and how this translates to film. The films of Agnès Varda, Chantal Akerman and Catherine Breillat have been a great influence. Claire Denis’ film Beau travail, in particular, is a favorite. Other influences include American Avant-Garde filmmakers Yvonne Rainer, Chick Strand, and Su Friedrich, among many others. The performance work of Dean Moss, Anna Halprin and Margie Gillis have been highly influential as well as the photographs of Cindy Sherman and Robert Frank.

For more information about Gaia Mama or Laura's films go to http://www.laurabouza.com/ or or contact Laura directly at laurabouza@earthlink.net.

Photos, top: Laura Bouza (c) with Kabbala Bach & Florence Riggs in May, 2010; bottom photo: Kabbalah Bachof Gaia Mama.

Artist Interview: Billy Schafer

I've met and re-met San Francisco songwriter Billy Schafer through various songwriting communities over the years. And every time I circle back on his latest work, I admire anew his ability to imbue a song with equal parts hope, lyricism and a hook I end up humming for hours afterward. Likewise, he can really sing. An all around bright light in an often murky field, Billy talked about his approach to the troubadour tradition as he prepared to take off on his "War on Gravity" tour.
Q: When did you first start writing songs? Can you see a thread between that first tune written and where you are now?
BS: I wrote my first song around the time I was 7. I was fascinated by beat-box style rap (my first album was DJ Jazzy Jeff’s "He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper.”). I liked the linguistic gymnastics—the word play and phrasing. It made me want to make up my own songs. One day it occurred to me to record a beat-box onto a tape recorder, then play it back and rap to it while a second recorder captured both “tracks”. It was crude multi-track recording well before I knew it existed or I knew how to play any instruments. These early beat-box/rap “songs” were terrible I’m sure, but I thought the process was a blast. Although it’s a powerful rush to be on stage and perform the songs for fans, my favorite part of it all is still writing and recording new music.
Yes, I see a couple threads between my first song and where I am now. My early interest in wordplay and “groove” definitely comes out, even though my songwriting style evolved toward guitar-driven alt-pop. For instance, there’s the Portuguese rap-speak on Valeska (track 5 off my album “First to Believe”). I’m also writing some songs recently from beats vs. guitar/chords. I’ll go to my rehearsal space and record a drum part I have in my head and then write a song around it. It’s a more visceral and sometimes “vibey” way to write a song. In some ways, it reminds me of those early days beat-boxing into tape recorders and building songs up from there.

Q: Can you talk about your early musical influences and what or who inspires you now? Listening to anything now non-stop?
BS: Alongside my boyhood fascination with beat-box rap, I was into pop-rock and pop-folk. Stuff my mom would play like Simon & Garfunkle, Buddy Holly, Dion & The Belmonts, The Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, the Beatles, etc. I think I connected to and internalized these influences largely because I have a huge sweet tooth for melody. If a song doesn’t have a captivating melody or hooks, my somewhat ADD brain has a hard time staying with it. My dad, a trumpet player, tried to instill in me an appreciation for classical music. He’d drop the needle on a record, and if I could name the piece and composer I’d get a dime. I never earned enough to even buy a pack of gum from that game. Sorry, Dad. But maybe all that Saturday-morning classical seeped in as an unconscious influence and explains why I’m so drawn to strings. I included 3-part string arrangements on a couple songs on “First to Believe,” and I often perform live with viola or violin. I think by virtue of growing up in Texas and then having spent a couple years of my life living and traveling in Latin America, I’ve also picked up some old-school country/crooner influences from guys like Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, and Roy Orbison as well as some Latin/World leanings from artists like Manu Chao, Joao Gilberto, and Jorge Bem. Much of what I’m listening to lately is Alt-Pop Singer-Songwriters (like Brett Dennen, Beirut, Jason Mraz, Bright Eyes, Elliott Smith, Joshua Radin, David Gray) and eclectic alt-pop bands like Vampire Weekend, The Dodos, Grizzly Bear, The Morning Benders, Beach House, and Phoenix (I’ve had their last record on heavy rotation—it’s fantastically produced).

Q: You spent time in South America: What led you to Brazil? Will you return?
BS: What led me to Brazil was a girl, a desire to learn Portuguese, and being broke and tired of living out of a back-pack. After college, I saved up some money and bought a one-way ticket to Mexico. I told my folks I was off to see the world and would be back in a few years. I had a genuine case of wanderlust, and so I wandered around Mexico, Central, and South America for about 10 months, occasionally busking, playing music for meals, and just living the dream….meeting people and experiencing new things. But money and being a rolling stone wore thin. I wanted to plant myself somewhere for a while, so I went to see about a Brazilian girl I’d met who said she could help me get a job teaching English. So I took the three-day “Tren de la Muerte” (literally, Train of Death”) from Bolivia to Campinas, Brazil. Within three days I had a job teaching English and a broken heart (the girl had acquired a serious boyfriend/soon-to-be fiancé). I got busy teaching English, making new friends, learning Portuguese, and taking Bossa Nova guitar lessons.
Will I return? I’m not sure moving back to Brazil is in the cards anytime soon, but I love Latin culture and will definitely continue to go south of the border from time-to-time.

Q: I know you’re active in some educational initiatives-can you talk about your work with youth outside of work/music?
BS: I really enjoy teaching and mentoring, and I’m involved with a few groups. I’ve taught a few semesters of Junior Achievement to grade-schoolers in Oakland (JA’s mission is to educate and inspire kids to value free enterprise).
This past February, I briefly volunteered with a group in Nicaragua called “Rhythm in the Barrios” that provides music education and enrichment for underprivileged kids, using both local music teachers and visiting musicians. I spent a few days teaching the kids “La Bamba” and “Cielito Lindo,” as well as “Hey Jude” and “Rivers of Babylon.” I also talked about songwriting to some of the older kids who were learning guitar. The kids ranged from shy to rowdy, but they seemed to get a kick out of it all. One afternoon after class, as we walked through the countryside to catch a bus back to Granada where I was staying, I heard a number of the kids humming and singing “La Bamba.” That brought a big smile to my face and was a poignant reminder of how wonderful music is. It brings nearly universal pleasure and enrichment and costs so little to share and nurture. I’d like to go back for longer next time and perhaps teach an extended songwriting class. It’s not like I’m some expert, but perhaps I have a few useful ideas I could pass along to someone just starting out.
I’m just getting to know a Bay Area group called MUST (Music in Schools Today) that provides a series of music programs to under-served school districts. I’ll be a volunteer “celebrity server” at one of their upcoming fundraisers, and I’m looking forward to seeing how I might be able to help out in other ways.

Q: Your new material deals with some thornier issues—what can your fans and audiences look forward to?
BS: I suspect my next album (aiming for Spring 2011 release) will have a greater breadth of moods as well as production that takes more chances. I’m proud of the songs and sound of my first album, but, looking back, it feels safe. As a writer, I’ve been experimenting and stretching myself. Not just for the sake of it, but because various news ideas, approaches, and sonic directions have piqued my interest.
Thematically, I’d like to have more variety too. Most of the music off my first album could be classified as hopeful love songs. I write a decent amount of that kind of material, simply because it’s just part of who I am. But I’ve also been writing songs that address messier and moodier moments of my life from the last two years…dealing with a major break-up, confronting my and others’ fears, vulnerability, and even mortality. There are also a couple songs in development that reflect on “current affairs” in society. [I'm not sure] what will make it on the album. These things can take on a life of their own during pre-production (which is where I am now) and even when you’re recording in the studio.

Q: Gotta ask-the pig. From whence came the flying pig?
BS: The flying pig represents a deliberately whimsical take on the impossible. Forging a career as an indie-artist is tough—it seems nearly impossible at times to get things off the ground. Part of what keeps me going, though, is a blind-eye, tenacious sense of play…still feeling like the wide-eyed kid in his room, lost in the rapture of making up beat-box rap songs using tape recorders. I wanted an image that put these two elements together—the heavy and almost ridiculous-to-hope undertaking with the underlying sense of wonder, play, and blind faith that fuel it. Hence, the flying pig.

BILLY SCHAFER launches THE WAR ON GRAVITY TOUR October 15 wraps up in San Francisco at Yoshi’s Lounge San Francisco on October 24 at 8pm. For more information and a tour itinerary, visit http://billyschafermusic.com/