Emory Joseph (wrap up)

By Greg Pool
Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of the visit by Emory Joseph to Tree House Concerts (pictures and after-show interview/encore):

* Emory Joseph first contacted us in 2005, wanting to not only play music but also put on a cooking demo. You should have heard him query Juliet about the slow-cooked carnitas she made in a dutch oven on the grill.

* He was living in Oakland at the time before moving to New York City.

* Prior to Oakland, Emory was a DJ at KPIG, with the knickname Lester. He talked up a storm about the old days, both during the show and in the podcast.

* Emory was in town to help celebrate both his daughter's birthday and her black belt.

* He brought with him his friend, Michelle Esrick, who produced and directed the documentary "Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie," which has had a heralded run in 2009 at film festivals and opens to select theaters later this year.

* Emory is listed as the "composer" for that film. Look for his soundtrack when the film opens.

* Michelle is also connected to the famed 60's folk singer Odetta, who was her adopted daughter.

* Odetta made a name for herself in the 1950's, singing folk songs around clubs in the U.S., including the hungry i, which was originally founded by Juliet's paternal grandfather, Eric "Big Daddy" Nord. Small world, huh?

* Before the show, Emory asked me if I had a tambourine for him to perform with. I could only find my daughter's, and like a good father, Emory was insistant that we clear that with her, just in case she got a lil' possessive.

* I'm still hanging on Emory's line in that song about oil: "The river catches fire when there's oil there in the mud / When the world confuses oil as its blood."

* We almost tried to hold the concert outside, but despite the warm sunshine we had a brisk wind that forced us in. Here's to the next show on July 3rd, with warm temperatures and Australian accents, when David Ross MacDonald joins us, fresh from his tour with The Waifs!

Talking to the Press

Both Adam Zerbe and myself were interviewed this week by the Monterey County Weekly on the "sudden" appearance of house concerts in the area.

NO CLUB?

While that may seem new to the Weekly, you and I know we've been attending them since 2003 at our house in Pacific Grove and now in Carmel Valley Village.

We've seen the rise and fall of Monterey Live and Ol' Factory Cafe, as well as the revival of Plaza Linda, the East Village Coffee Lounge, The Works and The Alternative Cafe. Nevertheless, these private parties you've been invited to over the years have been a novelty in themselves.

The now 300 members of our mailing list are testament to just how much fun you can have when you decentralize the control of your free time from the big machine that is society and tap into what's real, visceral and meaningful when people gather together for song.

EXPOSURE

I've never really thought to tell anyone else beyond our mailing list about these adventures. Most of my co-workers don't even know I do this, and some of Juliet's co-workers still think we're holding recitals!

But I think something really cool is happening when more and more people begin to realize there's life beyond the TV or Web, and social networking can actually lead to real encounters with people in your neighborhood. If that inspires someone to do the same, I'm all for it.

INSPIRATION

I've really enjoyed my time hosting these concerets. I'd like more people to realize how much fun it is to become a host, but in talking to the Weekly it will probably mean more people will want to come to house concerts.

I hope that doesn't change the character of our events, and I know many of you can't always make a show. I've enjoyed being under the radar for the last seven years, and I hope the added attention, if any, doesn't take away from what has always been some great wonderful support for live, acoustic music in our house.

See you at a concert!

Honeymoon

A six-person band of friends, siblings and families made a Monterey Peninsula debut another house concert venue in Carmel Valley on May 1st, all to benefit Dorothy's Place in Salinas.

Honeymoon is a collaboration of four singer-songwriters with the remnants of the local band Big American Family. Their musical style is heavy on songwriting but with an upbeat roots sound and individual talents that are exceptional.

Christina Bailey (vocals, guitar), Lauren Shera (vocals, guitar, banjo, ukulele), Sara Bollwinkel (vocals, violin) and Andrea Blunt (vocals, piano, accordion, violin) have soloed or banded up previously but got together and surprised each other with their songwriting, harmony and chemistry.

The gals are backed by Matt Bailey (drums) and Matt Bollwinkel (bass), both from Big American Family.

Many are Cal State Monterey Bay graduates and staff. Full disclosure: I work with Christina at the university, but I had never seen her perform. This was true for the majority of the sold-out room of supporters, of whom the band joked, "One of us knows every one you of here."