Of the many highpoints I can remember over the past 3 years of hosting house concerts, having the leader of Toad the Wet Sprocket perform in Diana Parker’s living room has to be the pinnacle. I’ve been a fan of Glen’s music since I first heard the album Fear back in 1991.
For smart, subtle songcraft, Glen has few equals. Sometimes his songs are hilarious (see the YouTube video of “Drive By” above), sometimes they’re uplifting (see the YouTube video of “Courage” below). But no matter what he’s singing, it always sounds authentic and true. He simply has one of the most distinctive voices in pop music. It was actually a bit surreal to hear that voice coming directly from the man himself singing without a microphone in a living room (rather than on TV or your iPod or a giant PA system at Great American Music Hall)—probably the aural equivalent of seeing an actor at the grocery store when you’re used to seeing their face two-dimensionally on the screen. As he was singing and chatting up my roomful of friends, I kept thinking what a lucky music fan I am to get to present a show like this.
I owe a big thanks not only to Glen for including this house concert in his tour, but also to Diana and Craig Parker for opening up their home and making this special event happen. Thanks also to all of you who attended. I’m working on putting together another show with Glen in 2008. Stay tuned.
Thanks to all of you who joined us at Nancy’s place last weekend. Larkin Gayl and Walty inspired the most unbridled sing alongs we’ve heard to date. Here are a few clips of their performances.
High school teacher and slam poet Taylor Mali breaks it down for a dinner guest lawyer who was ignorant enough to chide him with the question, “What do teachers make?” Enjoy. This is dedicated to my two favorite teachers: Faye Whittaker and Jane Smiley.
Last March, my friend Heather Combs asked me to host a house concert featuring two songwriters I didn’t know: Jay Nash and William Fitzsimmons. Aside from having great taste in music, Heather always creates a fun vibe at her shows, so I automatically say “yes” anytime she asks me to collaborate. That night ended up being blast — one of the rowdiest and loosest shows in recent memory — plus it introduced to some of the best songs I’ve heard all year.
I was so jazzed that the next day I went directly to iTunes and started snapping up tracks from William’s most recent record, Until When We Are Ghosts. If you’re a fan of Iron & Wine or Sufjan Stevens, and you haven’t heard this record yet, take a listen at http://www.myspace.com/williamfitzsimmons. A few weeks ago, I had a chance to ask William some questions about the development of his electronica/folk sound and the evolution of one of my favorite records of the year.
When did you write your first song and what inspired it?
Although I dabbled with putting together some words with chords when I was in high school or so…I didn’t really sit down and write out a song until I was I think around 24, some years after college. I played for a good 8 years before really trying to be concerned with writing my own material. The inspiration was simply that I found myself missing my friends; missing all the stupid, but worry free, days prior to joining the ‘real world.’ Incidentally, it was a ridiculously lame song.
When did you first begin recording?
I picked up a pretty cheap digital standalone unit at some point around the same time I began writing, and I did fool around with it: played a lot of covers on there ( e.g. Patty Griffin, Nick Drake, Ben Folds) and I actually demoed a couple songs that would later end up on “Ghosts,” namely “Kylie” and “Shattered.” I used that thing for a couple years, and while nothing terribly productive in the form of presentable songs came out of it (excluding the aforementioned demos), it gave me a good foundation on the simple basics of recording audio, mic techniques, sound reinforcement, etc.
Did you record Until When We Are Ghosts in a home studio?
“Ghosts” was recorded in my upstairs study on a semester break from my Master’s program, the microphone hanging over the computer screen, with my grad school books and papers still sitting on the desk in front of me. I didn’t really have any good idea about isolating sound and proper acoustic treatment, I just set up the mic and started playing! While it may sound a bit overstated, I never really had any intention of distributing the music to anyone more than my friends and family. So yes, if you can call a mic sitting out in the middle of a study a home studio, then that’s exactly what it was. I did that entire record on my own; probably some of the hardest work I’ve ever done. Played every instrument, produced every song, mixed and mastered every track.
What kind of microphones and recording gear did you use?
I have always tended to use rather lower end gear for recording (in terms of price, not quality), not because I don’t want to use nicer things, rather, I haven’t been able to afford anything but that type of fair! That being said, I couldn’t be more pleased with how well the stuff worked. I used an AKG Perception 200 microphone for all of “Ghosts.” Ran it through a Lexicon Omega unit, which came with a free light version of the Cubase software. I recorded everything on an HP PC, which was definitely not meant to hold audio files!
Who were your collaborators?
The only contribution outside of my own work was from my wife, who sang some wonderful harmonies on a few of the tunes. While I might come off as a bit arrogant related to doing everything “sans assistance,” it is only because I carry a great deal of pride for learning so much of the recording process on my own. It was a labor, but something that just felt so right to be doing.
When did you begin incorporating electronic elements into your soundscape? What inspired that?
I remember fooling around with some simple, but pretty cool, guitar effects one day, and noted how ‘big’ a sound you could get from one instrument. I didn’t have any strings or real keyboards at the time, so I was looking for something to carry the background of a song. “Kylie,” for example, was written from a simple ping pong delay. While I had to do some improvisation on the first record for stuff like that, I picked up Reason 3.0 for “Goodnight” and used that for all my percussive or electronic elements.
Do you sample your own sounds, or draw from a library of sampled sounds?
I tend to just use whatever sounds are in the program, and perhaps tweak them a bit to my own liking. The whole process is trial and error! I don’t really go into recording with any set ideas beyond the words and music.
Unlike some acoustic artists who incorporate electronic beats to drive the rhythm of the songs, you seem to use the sampled songs to add atmosphere. Is there a particular record or song that opened your ears to that aesthetic?
There were two songs, and two artists who wrote them, that really opened my eyes up to the possibilities of electronic music. I heard Imogen Heap (Frou Frou at the time) from the Garden State soundtrack and picked up her album immediately. The song “Hear Me Out” stuck with me like glue. Just something about it sounded so perfect to me. The other song was called “Second Chances” by a brilliant group out of TN called “Paper Route.” Both of them did this amazing thing whereby they incorporated a plethora of unique and bold sounds, and still managed to record songs which seemed almost identical, in feeling not actuality, like a folk ballad. I was pretty blown away.
Do some songs lend themselves to electronic treatments better than others? Do you have a feel for that when you’re in the middle of writing the song?
I would tend to agree that certain songs might have a contextual bent towards electronic music over others, however, I think with a modicum of care and creativity, you can interpret nearly any song in a myriad of different ways. Look at what Mark Kozelek can do for ACDC tunes!
Do you ever recreate the electronic sounds on stage using a looper or a band member playing a sample?
I do own a looping pedal and have been tooling around with some stuff on it, but at this point I actually prefer a more stripped down sound with live performance. I’d like the audience to be able to experience more of the ‘core’ of a song, instead of just trying to recreate the exact album takes. If somebody wanted to hear exactly what is on the record verbatim, It would make for a pretty lifeless live music experience.
Do you ever perform with a band?
I do have thoughts of incorporating some measure of a collaborative sound on occasion. I’ve had the incredible good fortune of being able to sing with Ingrid Michaelson for many of my shows, and I’m entertaining the possibility of going out with friends to have a more full band feel from time to time.
Is there a story behind the title Until When We Are Ghosts?
It is meant to be a slightly complex way of saying “While We Are Alive.” The record is meant to be about how ridiculously fragile life is, and how close we are to not being in it at any given moment. I was pretty overwhelmed by those thoughts when I wrote the record, and I think the title captures that idea. It’s about the fear of how close we are to death, and the confusion of how we’re supposed to ignore those thoughts while we’re living.
How does your work as a mental health professional influence your songwriting?
I think the biggest influence my education and career has had is related to music being a therapeutic medium for me. I.e. when I write it is to exercise thoughts, feelings, fears, etc… that I might not otherwise be able to get out. That’s how it’s started, and it continues with that today.
Your bio mentions that you’ve been known to prefer the studio over the stage. When you first begin performing live and where did your first show take place?
I was actually rather terrified of live performance, which I really only began last year. The first couple times I played was actually in a friend’s place, with a relatively small number of people gathered to listen. I suppose it was a less ominous way to enter performance, because it didn’t have the more fear-inducing qualities someone might associate with a venue.
How often are you touring these days? Are you enjoying it more now?
I am trying to tour with a good degree of regularity at this point. I’m going to be spending several weeks over the summer touring with Ingrid Michaelson, and I’m hoping to get out and around in the fall as well. I’ve since gone back on some of those original statements about playing live and actually now probably enjoy it even more than recording. There is something about connecting with an audience that I don’t think I can ever explain with verbiage. So yes, to say the least I am enjoying it much more now!
How have your family life and the place where you were raised influenced your songwriting?
99% of my songs are written about family issues, whether it be family of origin material, or my own immediate family. Family is a part of every song I’ve written, whether I intend on it being that way or not. I don’t think location or geography has been influential, though. If it has been, it has been under my awareness.
How did the folks from Grey’s Anatomy find you and choose Passion Play over your other songs?
I was incredibly fortunate to be found by some wonderful individuals who do music supervision for some rather potent projects and pitch me for such things. I honestly don’t know why they chose that specific song, but I’m not complaining.
What records are you listening to this week?
I love that question! Not sure why, I guess I’m always excited about sharing new music as I’ve had some of my favorites shared with me in such ways. – These Friends of Mine – Rosie Thomas (along with Ingrid Michaelson and Priscialla Ahn, one of the greatest female vocalists alive) – Different Stars – Trespassers William – Seven Swans – Sufjan Stevens (Mr. Stevens is always tops in my book)
Where are your favorite places to travel?
I’m very poorly traveled as we never left Pittsburgh too much growing up. Although I enjoy it now much more than I used to, I don’t think I’ve been to enough places to answer the question well. Probably the coolest experience was a recent trip up the west coast. Got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
On Sunday night, June 3, William and Ingrid will be performing at Hotel Utah, 500 4th Street at Bryant in San Francisco. See you there.
Here are a few clips from Rachael’s May 24 show at Kimi’s house in San Rafael. Thanks to all of you who showed up for this rare Thursday night show. Our next show on Sunday evening, June 10, also will be happening at Kimi’s house. To attend, RSVP to drew@drewpearce.com.
After being treated to a splended set of Brindl music in Heidi’s acoustically perfect living room on Saturday, I went to the Sweetwater on Sunday night to check out Krickie’s songwriter showcase. I was expecting there to be the usual noisy bar crowd, but once Brindl started singing, they piped down. I guess if you can make the barflies listen, it’s a good sign you’re doing something right. Take a listen to her magnificent tone:
One of my favorite new singer/songwriters… she reminds of a bit of Ryan Adams and Gillian Welch. Great storytelling and strong melodies in every tune. Can’t wait to hear Sally Jaye with her band sometime. She’s playing at Hotel Cafe in L.A. on Monday, May 27.
This is a home video for a song by my former band, Darrington. That’s Laura Loescher playing cello, and Alyn Kelley of Lemon Juju singing lead. Alyn also co-wrote the music with me. The lyrics were inspired by a summer solstice and winter solstice spent near Point Reyes. So it seemed fitting to do a video in the same setting. It opens with shots of Bear Valley Trail, which is located right off the San Andreas fault.
Lyrics:
Standing our ground San Andreas four days before Christmas, we witness the moon. The curve of the world will turn you away, but even when you’re out of view, in a day that never ages, you’re somewhere inside of me, shouting down the mountainside, unfurling for a sea made of mercury.
And I do remember the day I looked into the sun. Closed my eyes, in my mind, the memory had begun to rearrange the colors and proportions of the one who became your ghost, closing my eyes to see eclipse and corona burned into my memory.
Gather an hour of the faith it takes you to feel suspended cynicism, a moment unconcealed. Right before the morning, in the seam between your dreams, you get a glimpse of what you missed then sink back to your fitful, forgetful sleep.
And I do remember the day I looked into the sun. Closed my eyes, in my mind, the memory had begun to rearrange the colors and proportions of the one who became your ghost, closing my eyes to see eclipse and corona burned into my memory.
Once I would’ve waited for the summer’s longest day to come around again, for a moment to replay. But there is nothing finer than the night I’m living now, nothing farther away than the day I’m living down.
Just when I thought I’d explored every nook and cranny of Marin, last night I was introduced to the Hamilton Field neighborhood of Novato, where our lovely host, photographer Susannah Robbins, owns a home that is almost ideal for house concerts. Check out the cozy fireplace in the clips below.
Thank you to Susannah and all of you who attended, and most especially to our fantastically talented featured acts, Adrianne and Jennifer Weaver. Here’s a sample of what we were grooving on last night. This first clip is Adrianne…
