Parlour to Parlour, Episode 37: Sean Hayes

Sean Hayes is sometimes referred to as San Francisco's folk hero. He's well respected and very much loved across the Bay Area, and the feeling is plainly evident in the audiences at his local shows. So, to close out 2011 with a big red bow, Sean gifted us with a Parlour to Parlour interview at his own private studio.

See the full episode at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-37-sean-hayes

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 36: Bells

As a band they're quite young, having had their first live public performance only eight months ago. Hearing them play together, however, you'd never know it. This, and perhaps a certain unnameable intangible something else, could be the reason why Bells have become one of the most exciting new bands in the Bay Area.

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-36-bells/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 35: Magic Leaves

Joshua Bruner has been making a simultaneously gentle and intense style of music that blends the Bay Area's love of psychedelic and folk music with his own unique African and Eurpean psych rock influences. But as the sound of Josh's music has become heavier, it makes more sense to simply call it by his band's namesake: Magic Leaves.

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-35-magic-leaves

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 34: Bart Davenport

His visual style is equal parts '60s, '70s and early '80s. His movements are the natural strokes of a born rock star, and he has a voice and a smooth style of playing to justify it all. He's the total package - singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, solo performer, collaborator, curator, recording artist and stage performer. And while he has fans around the world, he's not yet a household name. Though he should be. Meet Bart Davenport:

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-34-bart-davenport/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 33: Quinn DeVeaux

Once upon a time, a big voiced, ambitious young guitar slinger showed up at Chess Records in Chicago for an audition. It was sometime in 1964. After belting out one song, a mysterious hooded figure tapped the young prospect on the shoulder from behind, and whispered in his ear: “come with me. I need you 45 years in the future…”

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-33-quinn-deveaux/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 32: Obo Martin

Obo Martin is one of a rare breed – that of the native San Franciscan. Born in a hospital next to Golden Gate Park, Obo has traveled here, there and everywhere, weaving tales of adventure into music that blends American and Irish folk music with a little bit of rock to create a sound and voice distinctly Obo’s, and still very music a part of what makes San Francisco so lively and fun.

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-32-obo-martin/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 31: Michael Musika

He's a sorcerer, a gangster, a magician, a gatherer of spirits, and sometimes he's known as a world-traveled musician and published author. He holds his audiences in rapt attention, seemingly without even trying. And the surname to which he was born could not have been an accident. Meet Michael Musika.

See the full post at http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-31-michael-musika/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 30: Anna Ash

With roots in Michigan and a new home in Oakland, California, singer/songwriter Anna Ash has been quietly building a charming and ambitious musical and artistic vision, one that is meant to be savored and shared. In her first interview of 2011, she talks about the full-length album she is working to complete, along with a much larger community-building project that promises to be as magnificent as Anna’s voice.

See the full post at Popdose: http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-30-anna-ash/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 29: Ash Reiter

Though by her own admission she does not feel she is very good at interviews, Berkeley-based singer/songwriter/bandleader Ash Reiter came through in this one with characteristically casual grace, slowly warming up to the whole process as she shared some thoughts on what has made writing come more easily to her as of late, among other things.

See the full post at Popdose: http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-29-ash-reiter/

Parlour to Parlour, Episode 28: The Beehavers

Led by a charming, long-haired bohemian foodie named Bryant Denison, the Beehavers have existed in various guises for the past few years. Though a regular band eluded him, Bryant’s vision of a gypsy voodoo folk rock collective began to gel towards the end of 2010, in a way that made The Beehavers’ inclusion in the Parlour to Parlour series a no-brainer. And then, something entirely unexpected happened…

See the full post at Popdose: http://popdose.com/parlour-to-parlour-episode-28-the-beehavers/

Two Heads and a Bad Case of the Hives

One of the greatest gifts my mother gave to me was enrolling me in swimming lessons. Since I lived by water, the line of reasoning went, it was important to know how to swim - not just for survival purposes, but also so I could have fun with all the other kids who would be playing around in the water too.

I'm fuzzy on the specific time period, but let's say roughly kindergarten through maybe second grade was when I took lessons at an indoor pool one town over, starting at a very basic "beginner" level, advancing on to intermediate, and so on. Starting at that beginner level, I would look fearfully at the deep end of the pool - ten feet! It was still a mystery to me at that point how I would ever be able to keep myself from sinking down to the bottom. If my feet couldn't feel the bottom of the pool without my head being above water, the feeling of "danger" took over.

Of course, in time, some of that fear began to erode as I slowly learned to dog paddle, tread water and so on. Still, advancing in my swim lessons was not coming to me quite as easily as my school studies. I still remember the swim instructor at one particular level I was at telling me that I wasn't ready for the next level, and yet, he decided he would advance me anyway. I wasn't sure how to take it - was this instructor being irresponsible by pushing me forward when I wasn't ready because he didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of having one kid who didn't quite pass? Was he trying to build me up by showing confidence that I'd be able to figure out what to do in the next level? Was he afraid of incurring my mother's wrath if he held me back?

Whatever the case, I was advancing. And before that moment came, the kids in my group got to do something we had all been working towards - to swim for just a little bit in the deep end. This mystery was beginning to unravel, and being able to conquer it would be a great source of pride for me if I could do it.

I started off dog paddling, doing the safe thing. Lo and behold, I was making it! I wasn't sinking! But then, I did start sinking. I panicked. Treading water simply did not cross my mind, and I began flailing. My heart was beating fast, my breaths were increasing, and then, my head submerged. I was so close to the edge of the pool, I thought I could grab it. But I wasn't close enough. I sank further. I thought, this is it. I'm drowning.

Just at that moment, a strong hand reached down and grabbed my arm. I was quickly raised out of the water. Saved. It was over.

And I was terrified.

So terrified, in fact, that I never did find out who it was that saved me. I'm not even sure if my mother knew, and I doubt she'd remember now since it was so long ago. But when the dust settled, I was grateful to be breathing air instead of water, and to be walking on the ground instead of sleeping beneath it.

Maybe it was courage, maybe it was stupidity. Whatever it was, I kept going. In time, I became so comfortable with deep water that I routinely sought it out so I could swim down to the bottom of the pool, look around and hang out for a little while, and then come back up when I was running out of air. I loved being able to do that. I still do.

- - -

Last year was, in some ways, like that moment when my swim instructor advanced me before I was ready. Only now, as an adult, I am my own instructor, my own parent, my own coach, and my own savior - I outsource consultation when I feel I need it, but in the end, all the decisions are mine. And in 2009, I dove head first into video blogging with Parlour to Parlour. While holding down a full time job. While freelance writing for another web site too. And testing the limits of my capacity for developing and maintaining new interpersonal relationships of varying degrees of intensity.

I set a bunch of goals, and many of them were met. But the ones I did not achieve - namely, finishing a financial accounting of my video activities and compiling a report of the traffic the series generated for Popdose - are still hanging over my head.

Essentially, this time I *did* drown. I could feel it when I began juggling the filming of new episodes while still editing old ones that I had bitten off more than I could chew. But at that point, it was too late. I had already committed - in a public forum, no less - to complete 26 episodes before the end of 2009. To complete less than that would be the equivalent of telling the world that I was a liar and that I couldn't be trusted to keep my word.

To my credit, I did complete all 26 episodes, and the personal connections I made during that process are still felt now. I've even helped connect others as a result, and hopefully those new connections will be helpful and successful for those who made them. That's really what I wanted to do, in the end - bring people together so they could help each other achieve their goals and realize their dreams. It's a lifelong process, and if I can do anything to help it along, I will.

Unfortunately, my energy got sapped by the end of 2009. The loose plans I had in mind for putting together a scaled back, higher quality second season for 2010 are temporarily on hold as I tackle a whole new challenge.

My father told me recently, as I recounted the year's events to him and how I was feeling about it all, something that was hard for me to accept. "You're not Superman," he said. Not that I ever had delusions of being an all-powerful super human who could fly and save the world, but still, the point was that I took on quite a lot, and I couldn't expect myself to move on to the next phase right away without a rest. And I really do need a rest.

What suffered the most during my intensely paced year was my ability to connect with people on a level deeper than the pleasant, functional, politically correct level that has become my mode of auto pilot, the one where everyone understands we're working towards a goal, and that personal feelings are put aside in favor of the goal. It's the world I've lived in for far too long, to the detriment of all of my personal relationships, from family members, to old friends, and especially women. Occasionally the version of me with all the empathy and understanding and deep personal insight came out, the version of me that has nurtured and maintained my longest-lasting friendships. But it didn't come out nearly enough. And the biggest problem was that I was blind to this most of the time, and with a few exceptions, I'd be in denial when it was pointed out to me.

When all of this finally hit me, that's when the drowning feeling took over. I'm out of the water now, but I'm still pumping liquid out of my lungs, so to speak. And as they free up, new friends are providing me with new insights they probably aren't even aware of, and in turn I'm trying a little harder to reassure them that, yes, I am listening, and no, you are not boring me to tears. Yes, I am enjoying your company. No, you're not making a complete ass of yourself, but maybe just enough so that I might feel comfortable making an ass of *myself* for our entertainment.

Things like that. You know, not allowing the focus on a goal to take away from the joy of the *process*. Simple basic stuff that most people get so well that if you ask them to explain it, they'll look at you like you have two heads and a bad case of the hives.

- - -

In this pursuit, I'm currently reading "Women Can't Hear What Men Don't Say" by Warren Farrell, PhD. Next on the list is Farrell's "Why Men Are the Way They Are."

- - -

And currently soundtracking this moment:

Keith Richards singing "Slipping Away" with the Rolling Stones. This is easily my favorite song off Steel Wheels, and one of Keef's most affecting performances ever. "First the sun and then the moon, one of them will be 'round soon." That line always makes me smile.




Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performing "Had to Cry Today" at the Crossroads Festival in 2007. I finally picked up their Live from Madison Square Garden live album, and was inspired to learn the riff to this tune immediately after. I almost put the Blind Faith performance from Hyde Park in '69 here, but as it turned out, Clapton and Winwood just sounded so much better 38 years later. Search it out for yourself and hear the difference, but this here is the real deal (thanks to Matt Wardlaw for the tip).



The Smashing Pumpkins' "Thirty Three" just might be one of Billy Corgan's best songs. I haven't listened to the Pumpkins much over the past couple of years, but for some reason, I've found myself drawn back to Adore and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. "Thirty Three" resonates much more now than it did in '95. When Corgan sings "in the same old haunts I still find my friends," I recognize it as a source of comfort in the present. Because, indeed, I know exactly where I can find my friends, and though those "haunts" may be old, they are comfortable and inviting.

Parlour to Parlour: Epilogue and Acknowledgments

(This entry is reprinted in its entirety from the original post at Popdose.)

And so we’ve reached that final milestone – just as I promised back in June, we have now completed 26 episodes of Parlour to Parlour, one for each week of the second half of 2009.

When I started this project more than thirteen months ago, I was reacquainting myself with the workings of that nifty device known as the portable video camera. My old buddy Scott was in the middle of a 5-week stay at my place (at that time) in San Francisco’s Lower Haight district, and while he was down on his luck and not up to his usual standards of motivation during his stay, he perked up not just at the prospect of working out with me at the gym, but also to exercise some of his camcorder knowledge by helping me transfer some Hi8 video to Mini DV so I could easily import the footage into my Mac. That footage, which I shot as Scott looked on, eventually became Episode 0 – it was meant only as a practice run to get my feet wet again.

Of course, once I started having serious discussions with Brandon Kane, an independent film director and screenwriter down in the Phoenix area who I have considered a close friend since that fateful bonding moment we had on our second day working together at Brown University – September 11, 2001 – it became clear to me that it would probably be OK to use this footage for the actual project. Brandon knows my eyes are pretty good, but his are infinitely better, and if it weren’t for his feedback, Episode 0 would probably still be sitting in a box underneath my desk.

And the subjects of that pre-episode – Chris Robley and the Fear of Heights – were also friends. Scott and I both knew Chris from our formative days growing up in Rhode Island’s East Greenwich school district. I know a lot of us have differing opinions on what it was like going through that system, but speaking only for myself, I can confidently say that, while it wasn’t perfect, it was worth whatever hassles there were if only for the few lifelong friends who came out of it with me. Even if I could only claim one friend from the experience, it would have been worth it.

And so began the Parlour to Parlour journey, ensconced among friends who were enthusiastic about the idea and excited to see how it would unfold.

In a sense, I knew in some general ways just how it would unfold. Most artists I contacted would be game, some would not, and overall we’d all have a good time putting these episodes together. Given that I chose all these artists based on the fact that I actually liked their music and wanted to give them another unique forum to show it off, it was also hardly surprising that, following sessions where I’d be hearing a song played at least twice as I recorded it, these songs would be stuck in my head for weeks after our sessions had ended, effectively providing part of my soundtrack for the year.

I did have a feeling that, given how much energy I was putting into this project, I’d probably not be in any position to wrap my head around a ‘best of the year’ or ‘best of the decade’ contribution to Popdose. Sure enough, when the call came around, I couldn’t be bothered. Parlour to Parlour was the here, the now, and the sole focus. For once, my love of history was put on the back burner, and aside from a small tinge of guilt in the back of my head, I really didn’t mind.

But even with the amount of planning I put into this project from the outset, some things simply could not be predicted. There were some subjects who went way above and beyond the call of duty in their levels of graciousness and hospitality – they know who they are. And of course, when these folks (and all Parlour to Parlour subjects, for sure) are swingin’ through my neighborhood, they all know that they have a place to stay if they need it.

I took a chance with this one, but it paid off handsomely – given how much has been said over the past year about the demise of MySpace in light of the rise of Facebook and Twitter, who would have thought that MySpace would be the single most effective tool I had in reaching out to these artists? In most cases, tour schedules were more up-to-date on their MySpace profiles than on their regular web sites (for those who still have regular web sites, that is), which made scheduling a lot easier. That they were also checking their mail regularly and actually responding was proof positive to me that, while MySpace may have died as the dominant social networking platform, it’s still very much alive and well as a networking community for independent musicians. Plus, how great is it that you can stream their tunes in full with minimal hassle on a MySpace profile and find out right then and there whether you want to spend more time listening, attending their shows, and keeping up with them in general? Don’t count MySpace out just yet.

And then there were all the other circumstantial unknowns… like the opportunity for me to move to a new apartment just four months into the project. Or the giddy feeling that would pulse through me each time I reviewed the footage of my most recent shoot. Or how much stress I would be feeling during that period where I was both editing final episodes on a regular schedule and making arrangements to shoot the last six, yet too proud/stupid/oblivious to do something about it, and failing to speak up and realize how it was affecting at least one very important person in my life. Or how heavily I would rely on the audio mastering expertise of Popdose’s own Ted Asregadoo, to the point where I ate into his Mix Six schedule. Or that I would grow so close to lighting assistant Rebecca Stewart that many of my highest highs and lowest lows during the course of the project would be attributed to her presence. But of course, that’s just how it works – the lowest lows always happen on account of the highest highs, and I wouldn’t trade back those highs for anything (except perhaps the opportunity for a do-over with newly acquired wisdom – to be more present-minded – to make those highs even higher, and to head off those lows at the pass. But of course, that opportunity will never present itself as long as time travel remains an impossibility).

In the end, many more doors opened up on account of this journey than were open in the beginning, both of a musical and personal nature, and there are plenty more subjects I have discovered through this crop of artists that I could wrap into another season of Parlour to Parlour. But I am not quite ready to commit to announcing a second season just yet. You’ll have to wait to find out whether it will actually happen. If it does, you can expect an announcement here in mid-June. If it doesn’t, well, these videos aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, so keep enjoying them as you see fit, and feel free to comment below on what your favorites were, what you’d like to see more of, what wasn’t so hot in your eyes, or anything else that might be on your mind.

Till then, I’m signing off here for a while. I hate to say it, but it does make me sad to see this project draw to a close. Rebecca saw it before I did – that sadness. But I’ve been so forward thinking all my life that – with some exceptions – I have tended to feel like it’s not worth wasting time on sadness. This time, there was no avoiding it.

Thank you all for joining me on this journey, and special thanks in particular to those I have listed below as part of the loose collective I have come to know as the Parlour to Parlour team:

• Ted Asregadoo (audio mastering) – you probably had no idea what you were getting into when you offered your help in mastering my audio files. Thanks for being so patient and for never once flinching or losing your cool. Yours is a constitution we should all strive for. And given the varying quality of the sound files I sent you, the results of your work were superb! We are due for a bourbon fest soon.
  
  
• Jeff Giles (Popdose editor in chief) – thanks for showing so much enthusiasm for this project and for being so supportive throughout the process. That green light you gave me had huge significance, as you can plainly see. Also, you were right – keeping me on camera was a good call.
  
  
• Brandon Kane (Cosmic Control Productions, consultant and moral support) – thanks for cluing me into all the basic tools I needed to get started, for coaching me early on with regard to positioning and lighting, camera and audio equipment, alleviating my fear of shadows, and for plugging these episodes one by one as they were posted. I probably would not have had the courage to move forward with a project of this scope had you not involved me in your own full length feature project, so thanks for that opportunity as well.
  
  
• Kelly Low (logo design) – thank you for taking time out of your regular work schedule to collaborate with me on the Parlour to Parlour look and feel. You took my rough pen sketch and turned it into a real brand with a personality all its own, one that reflects both my vision and your own sense of style, which I have always admired. The process was fun, smooth and easy, and I feel a great sense of pride every time I look at our work. And thank you for being so enthusiastic even after the work was done.
  
  
• Lila Nelson (camera and lighting assistant – Episodes 1 and 2) – though I knew you would probably not be able to stick around for long due to your own gigs and such, I’m grateful that you took the time to lend your enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and comedic personality to the process of creating some of the first sets of narration inserts. Had you not spoken up and asked for the opportunity, I might have trudged on recording these things alone, essentially robbing the series of a subtle yet noticeable extra spark. …and if you haven’t already, get a Mac!
  
  

• Rebecca Stewart (camera and lighting assistant – Episodes 5 through 25) – there’s so much to say, as no one besides me was more involved in this project than you. It’s no exaggeration to say that nobody was more passionate than you when it came to giving 100% to make sure things turned out not just right, but better each time. You thought outside the box every step of the way, continued to innovate your lighting techniques right to the very end, and I will always be grateful for you making the trips out to L.A. and Seattle to film Episodes 20-23 alongside me. You’ll never know just how sad I felt to finally tear down that paper monstrosity you built around the ceiling light in my office.

…and last but certainly not least, thanks to all the artists involved: Chris Robley and the Fear of Heights, Meredith Axelrod, Leopold and his Fiction, Silian Rail, The Aimless Never Miss, The Parson Red Heads, The Happy Hollows, Correatown, Le Switch, The Purrs, Rachel Taylor Brown, Lila Nelson, The New Up, Norfolk & Western, The Spring Heeled Jacks Original Swinging Jass Band, The Dazzling Strangers, Bill Spooner, The Brother Kite, The Cobra Lilies, The Monolators, Half Light, The Tripwires, Steve Taylor, and Cyril Lepizzera. And also, thank you Tim Ryan – not just for giving us a place to stay, but also for introducing me to Jeff Giles in the first place.

Finally, I leave you with a bonus video left over from the Episode 24 sessions with Steve Taylor. After we had finished filming Steve’s performance of “Mystery,” he asked if I wouldn’t mind also getting some footage of him at the piano playing the song “River,” which was one song I had mentioned before ultimately deciding that “Mystery” belonged in Episode 24. The lyrics of “River” felt like they should end the series – something I wouldn’t have realized until just before filming Steve for Episode 24. So I’m including it here as the last word on Parlour to Parlour 2009. Enjoy!

Parlour to Parlour shreds in France with Cyril Lepizzera

In spite of my fairly well known (among friends, anyway) appreciation for good, quality heavy metal, it didn’t seem intuitive to chart that kind of territory in Parlour to Parlour. Not on the surface, anyway. But then I received a tip from an unlikely source last summer on a ridiculously talented guitar shredder residing in the south of France. His name? Cyril Lepizzera. And so began the farthest reaching, and most rewarding, leg of the Parlour to Parlour journey.

See the full post at Popdose.

Busking with an actual piano?? Meet Steve Taylor...

Returning to the Bay Area, Parlour to Parlour comes full circle (though there is still one more special episode to come) with Steve Taylor. Just like Portland’s Chris Robley, Steve is prone to busking, and actually does it quite frequently. And like Meredith Axelrod, Steve also plays music as his sole source of income. In fact, it was a chance run-in with Steve following a set by Meredith Axelrod at the Haight Ashbury Street Fair in San Francisco last June (Steve was busking by some port-a-potties with his piano) that reminded me – this dude has chops and soul, and featuring him here would be a real treat.

See the full post at Popdose.

The Tripwires bring home the power pop to Parlour to Parlour

Again, I have Jason Milne from The Purrs to thank for introducing me to another great Seattle band. In this case, the band in question is the Tripwires, a no-nonsense power pop collective headed by singer/guitarist John Ramberg of The Minus Five. With the heroes and influences he claimed – personal favorites Badfinger, the Beatles and Cheap Trick among them – I knew we’d instantly have something over which to connect. But first, I had find him.

See the full post at Popdose.

Parlour to Parlour returns to Seattle to meet Half Light

My original intent in returning to Seattle, after spending some time there with the Purrs, was to interview a band I had seen in 2008 that had left a lasting impression on me. As it turned out, the Purrs’ Jason Milne introduced me to his girlfriend, Half Light’s Dayna Loeffler, who in turn passed me a copy of their 2008 album Sleep More, Take More Drugs, Do Whatever We Want. I quickly let go of the idea of chasing down the other band as Half Light’s music – a spacey, shoegazey take on the kind of slow burning folk rock that was Mazzy Star’s bread and butter – slowly seeped into my consciousness.

See the full post at Popdose.

From the Parlour to the garage with the Monolators

It was the need to present an acoustic side of Eli and Mary Chartkoff’s music that caused the Cobra Lilies to form. And the band from which they came, the Monolators, embodies much of that same, fun loving spirit – with louder, faster, noisier electric guitars. This true-to-life garage band impressed me with a thread that continued through our most recent meeting, one that is common to every long-lasting and worthwhile rock n’ roll band in existence. It’s a thread we call persistence.

See the full post at Popdose.

Cobra Lilies - banjos and saxes and tap dancing, oh my!

As we enter the home stretch of the Parlour to Parlour journey, the artists preceding some of these final episodes became important to me not just for musical enjoyment, but also for their suggestions and recommendations, whether intended or not. In the case of the Cobra Lilies, it was Angela Correa who first planted the idea in my head (unintentionally) that they would be a sight to behold, burning an image in my mind of a saxophone-wielding Mary Chartkoff marching into a crowd in clogs.

See the full post at Popdose.

The Brother Kite's Parlour time is here!

For as long as I have known The Brother Kite, starting when my old friend Matt Rozzero became their drummer in 2004, I have been waiting impatiently for TBK to make a west coast appearance. After seeing them perform at a small club in 2006 in their hometown of Providence, Rhode Island, it became my favorite question to ask Matt. The excellent, shimmering Waiting for the Time to Be Right was about to be released, and with regard to their next album, I suppose they’re still waiting. But they’re getting closer…

See the full post at Popdose.

At home with Bill Spooner, former Tube

In 1994, I picked up a double CD compilation called The Best Punk Album In The World… Ever! with some credit I had from a return at Circuit City. Sandwiched in between the Modern Lovers’ “Roadrunner” and Richard Hell and the Voidoids’ “Blank Generation” was the Tubes’ “White Punks on Dope.” This was my introduction to the Tubes, and it had me wondering what the compilers were thinking, as this song seemed to be lampooning the “punk” movement in much the same way that Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention’s We’re Only in It for the Money skewered hippies in the late ’60s. Plus the Tubes were clearly better musicians than most punks. Imagine my delight when I learned that I had the opportunity to receive guitar lessons from the Tubes’ own Bill Spooner when I moved to San Francisco…

See the full post at Popdose.