Mark Peters is an esteemed musician, composer and producer held in especially high regard for his acclaimed solo work and his earlier releases with the band Engineers.
He is set to perform live at The Old Courts on Saturday, December 3.
Read More
Wigan’s Kym Marsh will miss Strictly Come Dancing show after testing positive fo…
Mark Peters, 2022.
Mark will perform music from his solo album Red Sunset Dreams, the follow-up to his hugely acclaimed debut Innerland.
Like its predecessor, Red Sunset Dreams is an album about an imaginary landscape.
Innerland was an introspective psycho-geographic trip inspired by Mark’s move back to his home town of Wigan and the memories it stirred up, whereas Red Sunset Dreams looks outwards, across the Atlantic to the USA, but is seen very much through a UK prism.
From the uber-delicate to the bold, Mark envisages aspects of life through the lens of music visiting landscapes of old Western movies and exploring their links with the north-west of England, while touching on wider themes such as isolation, freedom and dementia.
He builds on the palette of the previous record with instrumentation equally inspired by the ascendant ambient Americana movement and classic country-rock.
Support on the night is courtesy of North West singer-songwriter Andy Stonier, debuting new original material, and DJ Haden Boardman, who is curating a two-hour set especially for this event to weave either side of Mark Peters’ performance.
Even I noticed that Welsh football fans were more excited last week than they have been since 1958, a year otherwise more memorable (to a few) for early works by Berio, Birtwistle and Maxwell Davies. The word “harmonious” has been scattered around freely by sports commentators to indicate the national importance for any country taking part in a World Cup. And yet in Wales, land of song and lusty, melodious renditions of Yma o Hyd, there is a new dissonance too noisy to ignore. Less than a month after Welsh National Opera, based at Cardiff Bay’s Wales Millennium Centre, lost its Arts Council England funding – followed by an announcement on Tuesday that it could no longer afford to tour to Liverpool – another new misery has arisen.
Cardiff’s primary concert venue and one of the best in Britain, St David’s Hall is under threat after a takeover proposal from the Academy Music Group (AMG), which operates the O2 Academies and other large pop and entertainment venues. It’s still a proposal, but one with leverage. St David’s Hall, opened in 1982, is currently owned, managed and funded by Cardiff council with support from the Arts Council of Wales. Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, it seats 2,000 and hosts BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and the Welsh Proms, among other major non-classical events. Its acoustic has been judged one of the top 10 in the world.
Ironically – a word allowable here – the hall was opened thanks to a Conservative leader of the city council (a bronze bust of whom is displayed in the foyer). This is the latest in a persistent trickle of attempts to pass this venue to the commercial sector. Once again, the classical world is having to campaign for survival. “Still here,” we chorus, as another fault line appears in the UK’s artistic edifice. The petition is here.
Otherwise, the week’s musical pleasures have been mercifully pure. Tease apart the tight strands of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (c.1742), written for harpsichord, and twist them anew into a version for violin, viola and cello. This is what the Russian violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky did in his 1985 arrangement, made to mark the 300th anniversary of Bach’s birth, as well as to pay homage to one of the work’s supreme interpreters, the pianist Glenn Gould. The effect is familiar yet strange. The aria and 30 variations remain intact, but are now heard as if the lines of counterpoint have been exposed in different colours, the easier to locate and follow. This version is far from unknown, but to hear it live is a rarity. The young and virtuosic Teyber Trio – Tim Crawford (violin), Tim Ridout (viola) and Tim Posner (cello) – using very little vibrato and offering plenty of character, gave a lucid, engrossing performance at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Just as the Goldbergs, in any performance, have a sense of occasion, so too does Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time (1941). The circumstances of its creation, written while the composer was a prisoner of war in German captivity, can never be told too often. Everything about its form is unusual, from the combination of instruments – piano, violin, cello and clarinet – to its eight irregular movements. It was performed last week as part of Spotlight Chamber Concerts, held in the beautifully restored church of St John’s Waterloo.
‘Vision and intensity’: Agata Daraskaite, James Cheung, Peteris Sokolovskis and Anthony Friend perform Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time at St John’s Waterloo. Photograph: Matthew Johnson
The clarinettist Anthony Friend, who devised the illustrious series, was joined by three more top freelance players: violinist Agata Daraskaite, cellist Peteris Sokolovskis and pianist James Cheung. There was a sense of true musical equality here, sometimes in jeopardy when bigger name soloists gather to play this work. The visual impact of a darkened church, with the quartet sitting in a pool of light, matched the vision and intensity, as well as the freshness, of their playing.
One good fortune – I can’t instantly think of any other – arising from Covid is that some venues have continued livestreaming, including the pioneering Wigmore Hall. The King’s Singers were live on Radio 3 and on Wigmore’s website. This a cappella sextet, founded in Cambridge in 1968, with several changes of lineup since, has not ceased its musical adventures, subversive and open-minded beneath a honeyed veneer. With bass and two baritones characteristically providing a harmonic foundation, tenor and two countertenors scooping and whooping and noodling above, the King’s sound is immediately distinctive, in any repertoire.
Last Monday they sang contemporary works commissioned by them: Györgi Ligeti’s The Alphabet (from Nonsense Madrigals), Joby Talbot’s elegant The Wishing Tree and two world premieres – A Dream Within a Dream, a sensuous, three-part work by the Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo (b.1978), and Alive by Francesca Amewudah-Rivers (b.1998), a rising star in music and theatre, as performer, sound designer and composer. In this short work, her first for the group, part choral, part pop song, she caught the King’s’ silken, playful idiom to perfection.
Star ratings (out of five) Teyber Trio ★★★★ Quartet for the End of Time ★★★★ King’s Singers ★★★★
Artist’s rendering of Opera Parallèle’s “Everest: An Immersive Experience” Photo: Opera Parallèle
When Opera Parallèle unveiled its adaptation of the opera “Everest” in 2021, it represented a new hybrid genre perfectly adapted for development during the pandemic shutdown: a video-opera-graphic novel that used the narrative elements of all three forms to telling effect.
Now the company has repurposed the work yet again, this time for a live audience.
“Everest: An Immersive Experience,” which is scheduled to open Feb. 3 at Z Space in San Francisco, places the audience at the center of a space designed to simulate the opera’s Himalayan setting.
“The film will be projected in 360-degree surrounding sound,” said director Brian Staufenbiel, who conceived the project. “It’s as if you enter the film. You feel the storm on your body.”
“Everest,” with a score by the British composer Joby Talbot and a libretto by Gene Scheer, tells the story of the 1996 mountaineering disaster that was also the basis for Jon Krakauer’s 1997 bestselling book, “Into Thin Air.” The piece had its live premiere in 2015 at the Dallas Opera, conducted by Nicole Paiement — Opera Parallèle’s artistic director, and also Staufenbiel’s wife and longtime collaborator.
The cast of “Everest” in the new graphic novel version by Opera Parallèle Photo: Opera Parallèle
During the 2020 lockdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Staufenbiel worked with illustrator Mark Simmons and director of photography David Murakami to turn “Everest” into a video that combined a recorded performance of the opera with visuals drawing on the language of the graphic novel.
The new version, Staufenbiel said, will add a new physical dimension to the work.
“The audience will be wearing white ponchos, which we can provide, so that they’re part of a uniform white surface that the film is projected on. The performance space is 55 feet by 40 feet, so there’s enough space for everyone to sit.”
The prerecorded cast includes mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and baritones Nathan Granner and Hadleigh Adams.
The production is initially slated for eight performances, running Feb. 3-12, but Staufenbiel said the company anticipates adding more performances as required to meet audience demand.
“Everest: An Immersive Experience”: Opera Parallèle. Feb. 3-12. $20-$75. Z Space, 450 Florida St., S.F. www.operaparallele.org
Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero”, which has dominated the UK and US singles charts for the past month, is a song of its times. It has a five-second musical introduction before Swift starts singing, reaches the first chorus at 45 seconds, has three verses and concludes quite abruptly after three minutes and 20 seconds.
If this is a drily statistical summary of a work of art, I’m sure it occurred to Swift and her co-writer and producer Jack Antonoff to fashion it that way. In a world where singers seeking the biggest impact and the most Spotify streams need to play the musical hook fast and not lose the listener before the end, the three-minute song rules.
It was not always so. The average UK number one single lasted about four minutes and 20 seconds at the end of the 1990s and it has reduced steadily in length since then. Not only that: the average time to reach a single’s chorus has fallen to about 40 seconds (see “Anti-Hero”), their titles have become shorter (ditto), and many use quite similar four-chord chorus loops.
A lot can be put down to technology, and the shift from ownership of long playing records and CDs to the streaming of singles. The explosion in the amount of music that can be found on platforms such as Spotify, and the fact that a royalty only gets triggered when a user listens to a song for 30 seconds or more, puts a premium on instant appeal.
The UK singles chart marked its 70th anniversary last week, after launching on November 14 1952 with “Here in my heart” by Al Martino at the top, and attention grabbing is now a science. It recalls the philosopher Theodor Adorno’s scornful dismissal of popular music in 1941: “The hit will lead back to the same familiar experience, and nothing fundamentally novel will be introduced.”
But no one disses Swift to me, for the singer fits a lot of musical and lyrical invention into a confined space. Joe Bennett, a professor at Berklee College of Music, compares the three-minute song to a native species ideally adapted to its environment. “Giraffes are no taller than the trees they feed from and pop songs are no shorter than they need to be.”
Besides, brevity is not purely a phenomenon of pop music; the three-minute song is common elsewhere, including in opera. “Nessun dorma”, the famous aria from Puccini’s Turandot, is three minutes long, as is the Queen of the Night’s aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Nor are three minutes especially short by the standard of other eras of musical recording. Most songs were briefer in the early 20th century, partly because of the limits of shellac gramophone records. When the tenor Enrico Caruso recorded 10 titles in 1902 that sold 300,000 copies and turned him into a global celebrity, each was about two and a half minutes long.
The usual form for the Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songs that provoked Adorno’s disdain, such as “Blue Moon” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, was just 32 bars, composed of three verses and a bridge. Even in the early 1960s, many singles were two minutes or less, including The Beatles’ “From Me to You” (one minute 56 seconds) and “Please Please Me” (two minutes).
The growth of radio and 45rpm vinyl singles, which could easily hold three-minute songs, encouraged the shift to longer verse-chorus tunes that could be played loudly in dance halls. But time limits were imposed by radio stations, which preferred three-minute songs on their playlists.
Singles inflated in the eighties and nineties to peak at an average of more than four minutes. Bands were focused on albums and audio CDs could hold up to 74 minutes of music without compression. They enjoyed taking more time, but I doubt whether their fans really craved it. In any case, the period feels like an anomaly in the history of pop recording.
Some things have no doubt been sacrificed along the way. Intense competition to seize attention and hold it for long enough to be paid leads to extraneous elements getting stripped away. Key changes are now rarer and lyrics have become more repetitive in an effort to hook listeners and make songs recognisable on TikTok clips. There is not much room for variety.
But when Swift released a 10-minute, 13-second version of “All Too Well” last year — the sort of thing that superstars can do — I can’t say that I preferred it to the half-length original. Having to distil all of your emotions into a tight form can be frustrating but it often has a creative result. “Anti-Hero” complies perfectly with streaming conventions and is none the worse for that.
“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self of the chains that shackle the spirit,” the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky remarked. He also wrote his “Serenade in A” in 1925 in four movements so that each would fit on one three-minute side of a gramophone disc. From Stravinsky to Swift, artists can express a remarkable amount in a short time when they put their minds to it.
With a danceable versatile flavour like no other, the Chicago-hailing rapper and producer, JaefKae, burst onto our radar with the genre-fluid beats in his latest single, New Machete.
The tropic earworm picks at the roots of hip hop, Caribbean Dancehall, Reggaeton and Soul and plants the seed for a fresh new sound, defined by kaleidoscopically colourful instrumentals and the effortlessly high-vibes in the vocals.
During his career, JaefKae has opened for Nas and Pusha T, taken his high-energy performances across Chicago, and used his platform to represent his Afro-Purto Rican and Japanese descent, be a force of resistance against police oppression and to fight for black liberation.
His moniker comes from JFK because his 200-song discography “will blow your f***ing mind”. Considering that New Machete completely dominates your psyche before flooding it with dance-worthy rhythms and elevated talent, JaefKae had every basis to be that bold when settling on the pseudonym that will ripple across the globe attached to his infectiously upraising tracks.
New Machete is now available to stream on Spotify.
The 2023 PuSH Fest llineup has just been announced: here are the shows we’re buzzing about.
The 19th annual PuSh Festival is almost upon us—that’s January 19 to February 5, mark your calendars— and this year’s experimental mid-winter cultural event is shaping up to be an artistic doozy. With 20 original works from 12 countries (including some local artists), this year’s festival lineup has something for everyone. From contemporary theatre, dance, music, multimedia and circus, this year’s artistic offering dials in on creative risk-taking and dynamic interdisciplinary collaboration. Tickets are officially on sale now and while there are tons of things to see and love, here’s what’s on our to-watch list this year.
Credit: Mirka Pflüger Afternow. Courtesy of PuSh Festival
afternow — Nora Chipaumire (Zimbabwe/USA)
Multimedia Installation / Music
Installation: Jan 28- 29 and Jan 31- Feb 5 (12 pm to 7:30 pm)
Dub Nights: Jan 28 and Feb 1 (9 pm to 11:30 pm)
Roundhouse Exhibition Hall
Making its Canadian premiere, this multimedia installation promises to be loud, proud and militant. Afternow is a model for resistance and reclamation, inspired by Nora Chipaumire’s decades of experience as a choreographer, as well as her witnessing the independence of her homeland, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Featuring three video portraits ton an ongoing loop, one contemporary opera (also on a loop) and one booming stereo system, it’s a powerful contemporary reclaiming of the body as shaped by colonialism. From all these narrative pieces, Nora Chipaumire builds a bridge between African spirituality and contemporary art forms. Following two of the performances will be a dub night, featuring Chipaumire on the mic. Powerful, poignant and with an impressive sound system, this installation will no doubt create a dialogue that will reverberate long after it’s over. Check out the trailer here.
Credit: Are we not drawn onward to a new erA Mirjam Devriendt. Courtesy of PuSh Festival
Are we not drawn to new erA – Ontroerend Goed (Belgium)
Theatre
Feb 1-4 at 7:30 pm
Frederick Wood Theatre
Another Canadian premiere, presented with the UBC Theatre and Film Department, Are we not drawn to new erA is, at first glance, an unusual title. After a moment, you may realize that it’s a palindrome—able to be read forwards and backwards. And, like its title, the performance is also a palindrome: you’ll be able to see it forwards and backwards. Not sure what that means? We aren’t either—apparently, everything will be seen twice, with time inverted in each section, but if that doesn’t clear things up, that’s all the more reason to check this theatre piece out firsthand. Its ambitious manipulation of time is meant to incite an inner dialogue about our actions and whether or not they can hope to be reversed— a clear metaphor for the climate crisis. Is humanity actually moving forward or are we going backwards? Time will tell. And, just maybe, this theatre performance as well.
Credit: David Wong Photography
Les Cri des Méduses — Alan Lake Factorie (Canada)
Dance
Jan 27–28 at 7:30 pm and Jan 27-30 (online)
Post-show talkback: Jan 27
Vancouver Playhouse
Powerful, seductive and ultimately unclassifiable (but here we go trying to describe it), this performance is inspired by Géricault’s famous painting The Raft of Medusa. Choreographer Alan Lake has taken that painting’s beauty and pathos and transposed it to the stage, adding his own brilliance. Featuring ambient music, nine dancers and an ever-shifting scenography, this is a triumph of the imagination. Dancers are literally hanging from wooden structures, sheets of translucent material cloak undressed bodies, lighting transformations and a musical score that heightens the experience with dark throbbing, ambient constancy and intermittent percussion and string notes. It promises to be a dance performance that defies description; the only way to know for sure what it’s about, is to see it for yourself.
Credit: Minja Kaukoniemi. Courtesy of Race Horse Company and PuSh Festival
O’DD — Race Horse Company (Finland)
Circus
Feb 4 (7:30 pm) and Feb 5 (2 pm) and Feb 2-5 (Online)
Post-show talkback: Feb 4
Vancouver Playhouse
If you like circus-style performances, this mesmerizing show is peak big-top energy: think Cirque de Soleil meets sci-fi. The theme for the performance is a universal one, beginning with an evocation of birth (the acrobat slowly rips his way through giant cellophane) and follows him through different phases of existence. There’s a tinge of science fiction throughout the show, with both man and objects given symbolic weight. With breathtaking design, a beautiful score and superb acrobatics, O’DD is true poetry in motion and like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Credit: The Seventh Fire, Brent Hardisty and Niiwin Binesi. Courtesy of PuSh Festival
The Seventh Fire — Delinquent Theatre (Unceded Coast Salish Territory, MST)
Immersive Audio Performance Inspired by Ceremony
Jan 25–29 and Feb 1-5 (various times, see schedule for details)
Lobe Studio
Marking its world premiere, The Seventh Fire is an immersive audio performance inspired by ceremony and created by Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen. The performance sources traditional, oral Anishinaabe stories as a way to evoke ceremony in the everyday. Ravensbergen’s creation blurs time and space, bringing emotional and ancestral connection into being through deep collaboration with sound designer Mishelle Cuttler and a matriarchal creative team. This piece is being specifically created for the Lobe Studio which is the first dedicated spatial sound studio in North America to work with a permanently integrated 4DSOUND system (we did not even know there was such a thing) All tickets are free for Indigenous people with the promo code PUSH7THFIRE. A celebration of tradition, ceremony and indigenous culture, this audio experience is one not to miss.
VARANASI, (IANS) – The setting could not have been better. The aesthetic Guleria Kothi on the ghat in Varanasi. The balmy afternoon sun… Just before the performance, there was a buzz among those who had come to attend the recent Mahindra Kabira Festival presented by Teamwork — ‘Did you get a chance to listen to her album ‘Home’?’
Carnatic vocalist Sushma Soma’s performances do complete justice to expectations, her vocals carrying everyone smoothly to an otherworldly space.
Soma, born in India, who grew up in Singapore was four years old when she started learning music at the insistence of her parents who wanted her ‘connected’ to her roots. She may not have been very enthusiastic at that point in time, but things changed — slowly but surely — especially after she spent half a year in Chennai, under the tutorage of Lalitha Shivakumar and now RK Shriramkumar.
For her, classical space can amplify contemporary issues and concerns — like the piece ‘The Elephant’s Funeral’ which emerged after a pregnant elephant was fed a fruit packed with firecrackers.
Although admitting that it is not easy for a youngster not from a family of musicians to mark in the classical music world, the vocalist says her journey has taught her it is not just about classes but also about being in an environment that nurtures that side of an individual.
“That kind of home is extremely important. While that was not there, my parents enjoyed music. Yes, the nurturing part of it is tough, you need ‘that’ push. And I acknowledge the privilege that I grew up with,” Soma says.
“All for collaborations, she feels the same help people as her to witness music from multiple lenses — what purpose is it serving and the connection it creates. And I want to explore the values of different music. It has been an interesting experience. Mostly, I have only worked with classical musicians and now it is with other genres too. It is important to ask — what is it doing to the music, what flavor is it creating? It can be fascinating for me to observe how I have created different narratives with different musicians and styles and conversations about this as well,” says the artiste, who was awarded the ‘Young Artist Award’, the highest honor for young art practitioners by The National Arts Council, Singapore, in December 2020.
Considering the fact government supports for arts in Singapore is “fantastic”, she attributes her growth to that fact. “The initial funding came from the council that supported the album. I think they recognize artists, and that art needs to grow. While I am not able to comment on the government support in India as I did not grow up here, it is important that every government extends support to the arts. Not everyone grows up in privileged households. You also start thinking about music as a career only if can support the family. Of course, money is not the only thing, but let us acknowledge that the same gives you the freedom to follow your passion. The state must recognize talent and how they can help the person grow.”
Stressing that corporates have a major role to play too, the vocalist adds that there needs to be an evolved ecosystem where private players, as they do abroad, also contribute.
“Spending on art and culture is a way of giving back to society.”
When she was in Singapore, Shoma saw her gurus once or twice a week, but things changed in 2005 when she came to India to learn.
“I would even eat lunch with her, it was not an hourly contract, and we were a part of each other’s lives. My current mentor welcomes me in the same way and it’s very sacred, we disagree and agree. There has always been a space for those conversations, to grow and learn and as well. Yes, I have read accounts of harassment. I hope there’s a space for people to get out when it is not healthy,” she concludes.
It was Johnny Cash who said, “Of emotions, of love, of breakup, of love and hate and death and dying, mama, apple pie, and the whole thing. It covers a lot of territory, country music does.”
Country is my favorite genre of music. Largely to blame are Morgan Wallen, Hardy, and Ernest. I have long referred to these country hitmakers as the great trifecta of modern country music. These three friends have been blowing up the scene for a while now. I was fortunate to see them all perform live and feel comfortable writing this piece based on those experiences. I am here to proclaim with good authority that this trio is fun to watch. These guys are multifaceted and versatile. With a little something for everyone, let’s break down how these good ol’ southern boys have turned many, including myself, on to today’s country music.
Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen is the epitome of the Southern pretty boy. His true talent, however, is his ability to not only sing a great song, but to get his audience to really “feel” his joy of performing. Wallen has said that after seeing Eric Church perform, it left such a profound impact on him because, as he puts it, “you could feel what Eric Church was singing.” It’s apparent that Wallen also sets out to do just that when he performs. Having seen both Wallen and Church perform live, I concur. Wallen’s music also blends a variety of genres. From “Broadway Girls” featuring rapper, Lil Durk, to his collaboration with Ernest on “Flower Shops” (nod to traditional country music with steel guitar embedded throughout), his range and musicality is what makes him so appealing to country music lovers and those like me, who are still fairly new to the country music scene.
Ernest
I have found that many Ernest Smith (he goes by only his first name, professionally) fans don’t know that his first released song was a rap single, “Dopeman.” It is a catchy joint with a smooth beat that showcases that he definitely has an affinity for rap, yet personifies versatility when you discover he has written songs for the likes of FGL, Kane Brown, his buddy Morgan Wallen, and others. Ernest has a number of hit songs under his belt including “More than my Hometown,” a single on Wallen’s “Double Album.” He also did a beautiful remake of “Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton with new and rising female artist Hailey Whitters. Not only is the song awesome, but the cheesy, ‘70s throwback video is a nostalgic delight. If those things didn’t make him appealing enough, add to his talents a cool podcast titled “Just being Ernest.” He interviews friends and other celebrities in this entertaining series that only adds to his versatility as an entertainer.
Hardy
To round off this musical trifecta, you cannot forget Michael Hardy, who goes by only his last name. The energy and vibe he brings to his live performances is unparalleled. To put it bluntly, his shows kick butt. A high energy load of fun is what you’ll get at a Hardy show. I would best describe his style as modern country rock. One of my favorite songs is “He went to Jared.” It’s a fun sing-along jam about a hardworking blue collar dude who lost his girl to a prestigious fella who went to the Harvard of the south — Ole Miss. It was the first Hardy song I ever heard and I immediately liked it. Seeing him perform live had me hooked for good. He is truly on that stage to party and have a good time. If you want to hear an emotional country song that tells a raw story of domestic abuse and outlaw justice, check out his latest duet with Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck.”
Regular dudes
Honestly, the appeal of these three is that they seem like regular folks — unpretentious bros who enjoy entertaining and having fun — they are the guys you just wanna sit down and have a beer with — or in my case — go fishing with. Having met Wallen as a VIP guest at a concert this past summer, I can tell you he is the real deal — humble and down to earth. Ernest is, too. In fact he’s known for driving around Nashville in his 1966 Cadillac, and I’ve met him briefly at a concert last summer. I haven’t met Hardy, but hope to someday. We’ll see him next February in New York City. A girl can dream…
Christopher Espinosa considers himself to be more of an independent music producer than a musician.
“Reason being is I produce albums of my own compositions, and I play whatever needs to be played – whatever sounds I hear in my head,” said Espinosa.
He doesn’t always play regular gigs, as he prefers to seek out and collaborate with other musicians to record. When he does do regular shows, Espinosa likes to play a mixture of his own work and cover songs. While Espinosa enjoys performing old-school rock ‘n’ roll, he also plays soul, folk, and Americana music to cover all his bases at gigs.
Espinosa is guitar player for the band Ragdoll Willies and Suncast, a band he and his stepbrother formed in high school around 2004.
He said he continues to perform sometimes, as he has grown accustomed to the feeling of making others happy, and he likes to create a certain atmosphere for audience members and add to their experience.
“I like to be able to make a sonic space, whether it be at a venue or a bar or restaurant or whatever,” said Espinosa. “I like to have that where everybody is vibing and everybody is feeling good, and like, ‘Oh, I love this song,’ or ‘Oh, wow. That’s a really emotional projection of his voice,’ or ‘That’s a really wild guitar part. I’ve never heard that before.’”
He said another reason he likes to perform is just to be able to play an instrument.
“I always tell people, ‘Imagine if you could jump like 20 feet. Wouldn’t you go do it every once in a while, just to show people you can do it?’” said Espinosa.
Espinosa has produced three of his own albums so far, and several for other musicians. He doesn’t just hear music, but he hears everything else others might miss, such as the small clicks of a drumstick.
The independent music producer got his start with a harmonica when he was about 3 or 4 years old. Espinosa said his grandma had his great-grandma’s harmonica in a junk drawer, when he stumbled upon it and started to learn how to play it. He would later press for a guitar, until he was finally able to get one from his family.
Going to church inspired Espinosa to want to learn how to play musical instruments because of the enjoyment he received from watching others perform.
“I went to church for the music more than anything,” said Espinosa.
Espinosa not only plays the guitar and harmonica but the piano, bass, drums, and ukelele, among others. When performing with others, he likes to be as useful as possible, whether that is working behind a soundboard or playing an instrument that suits the context.
“I’m not going to show up with my banjo to a place with a bunch of world-class banjo players. I’ll bring a guitar, or if there are 15 guitar players, I’ll bring a harmonica,” said Espinosa.
Check it out
Espinosa’s most recent gig was at Kroner and Baer Nov. 25; he does not have any current shows set to take place. He will be releasing a remastered version of his second album, “Some Aim Backward: Kathmandu Sessions,” in December at a to-be-determined date on Spotify.
