A few weeks ago, we got a call from a reporter for the VC Reporter in Ventura. She wanted to do an article on this Tacoma, WA band that she noticed was playing three times in one weekend down in Ventura. She wanted to know the story. Well we gave her one! You can find the beautifully written, two-page spread here!
Jared and I doing a little Insta post about the article.
One of my favorite parts!
If you don’t know about Jared’s comic book obsession… that’s ok. Probably saving yourself a lot of time you could be doing something else…like cutting your toenails, or shaving a cat. But, here it is in its full glory. Of COURSE he would seek out the Ventura comic book store, then giddy with pride, call our twelve year old to brag about his haul.
While Jared was getting “comical” and I was getting some writing done, Walker was getting in studio time and creating weird sounds with JP! This box makes some funky noises. Listen for them on Walker’s new track, “Ocean”.
JP is so creative and amazing to work with, we just knew he and Walker would have a ball. At some point, Walker wanted a very specific “smack” noise for his track, “Red Head Woman”. JP channeled something up his dreads into his brain and came up with this contraption to slap these two pieces of wood together and put an effect on it. The result is a deep and dirty sound that makes you question whether you want to be the slappER or the slappEE…
(Side note: if you look closely, this is also where CS filmed our music video to our song “The Elephant”)
We were so looking forward to our gig this night at The Ojai Underground Exchange. A very special little theater, tucked behind our favorite beer joint in Ojai, the Ojai Beverage Company (or loving referred to as the OBC by locals). The Underground is ran by husband/wife team of Bernie and Cassidy and they have poured as much love and care into this space as their own marriage. Totally something Jared and I understand! We knew Cassidy way back from our Ojai days fifteen years ago, but reconnected with them in SeaTac when she and Bernie were traveling to see family. “We have a venue in Ojai now and you guys MUST come play it!!” This was our second time there and it was such a treat! The place was absolutely beautiful and about as acoustically perfect as we could want.
The show was really beautiful, and even though it was not widely attended, it was an intimate experience shared by some longtime fans, as well as some new ones! One comment we heard was from a man who had read about us in the paper and wanted to see what we were all about. “I’ve never seen something like this. Why wasn’t this place full? You guys are spectacular.”
Yet again, I KNOW that people feel like this is a nice thing to say, but I just have no answer for it. I have no energy at the end of a gig where I just poured my heart and soul out, to explain or debate why more people didn’t come out. The truth is and forever will be, “I don’t know.” For years I thought it was us. Then the economy. Sports. Elections. Family. Deaths. Washing hair. I don’t know. What I DO know is that I stopped letting it affect me on stage. And I speak for Jared as well. It’s never the desire to play for a few people. But it’s soooo much better than playing for a lot of people who don’t care, or who talk through the whole show. We had a wonderful time! We really loved performing, working together, connecting with the audience, playing in a sacred listening space. Those are the things I want to focus on. And will focus on. Even if I have to keep reminding myself to do so.
