September Happenings at Occidental Center for the Arts
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Music
Bluegrass Artist Justin Hiltner Wants New, Queer-Inclusive Music To Smash Barriers
Banjo player, singer and songwriter Justin Hiltner touches on many time-honored themes on his new bluegrass album, “Watch It Burn.”
Loneliness, heartbreak and nostalgia are cornerstones of “Watch It Burn,” due out Friday. But the album, which Hiltner wrote and recorded with fellow musician and pal Jon Weisberger, is poised to shift listeners’ long-held perceptions of bluegrass, too. Nowhere is that more apparent than on its second single, “I’m Not in Love With You.”
HuffPost got an exclusive first listen to “I’m Not in Love With You” (see below). If the song feels traditional in its denial-of-heartbreak motif, consider this: The 26-year-old Hiltner, who is openly gay, says the lyrics were inspired by his “horrible habit of falling in love with straight men.”
“There’s a lot of autobiographical content on the album,” Hiltner told HuffPost. As “I’m Not in Love With You” demonstrates, however, references to his sexuality come through as “Easter eggs” scattered throughout the record’s 12 tracks. So while “Watch It Burn” doesn’t necessarily relay an overt message about diversity or LGBTQ inclusion, its co-creator is hopeful it will be “the beginning of true representation for queer people in bluegrass.”
“I want this to be a moment where anyone who doesn’t feel like bluegrass is a place where they can be themselves can feel there is a community here where they can be celebrated for who they are,” Hiltner said. “That’s what this record can accomplish.”
Though Hiltner and Weisberger have performed together for years, they began writing material for “Watch It Burn” a year ago. Initially, their plan was to make a “songwriter album,” or a collection of demo tracks they’d pitch to other artists to perform and record. In the end, however, the project “took on its own artistic perspective,” Hiltner said, and with the help of a crowdfunding campaign and Mitch Collman of North Carolina’s Robust Records, the men decided to record the album themselves.
In some respects, “Watch It Burn” marks the latest chapter in a creative journey beset by personal challenges. Like many aspiring artists, Hiltner relocated to Nashville ― coming from Newark, Ohio, in 2011 in hopes of establishing himself as a singer-songwriter. But he had another impetus in fleeing his hometown, too ― namely, his evangelical Christian family’s refusal to come to terms with his sexuality after he came out.
“I literally packed up all [my things] and left in the middle of the night without saying goodbye,” Hiltner recalled. Though he’d been playing the banjo since age 7, he also feared coming out meant he “wouldn’t have the same ownership of the music as I did before. Bluegrass is so intertwined with cultural and social aspects of the [traditional] South, where being queer overtly isn’t really a thing.”
Once in Nashville, however, Hiltner began building a circle of “really supportive people … strong allies and friends of queer people,” including Weisberger, whom he described as a fellow “scandal-maker and rabble-rouser.”
“I never thought that a 26-year-old gay banjo player and a 65-year-old Jewish bassist would be friends and co-writers,” he said. “But we are, and it works.” On Aug. 9, Weisberger scored two International Bluegrass Music Awards nominations for Songwriter of the Year and the Mentor Momentum Award, while Hiltner received a nod for Industry Involvement.
Meanwhile, the musician’s relationship with his family has improved in the seven years since his move.
“Being 400 miles away was enough to realize that we missed each other, loved each other,” he said. “Getting to have that clarity was a fortuitous side effect of me moving to Nashville. It’s not like they’re PFLAG chapter founders or anything, but … they’re very supportive of the record and of my career choices. We’re on good terms.”
Looking ahead, Hiltner would like to follow up “Watch It Burn” with a number of singles with his vocals and banjo accompaniment, to be released over the course of next year. He’d like to take his act on the road, too, with a series of “one-man, one-banjo shows” that illustrate his unusual story.
I want this to be a moment where anyone who doesn’t feel like bluegrass is a place where they can be themselves can feel there is a community here where they can be celebrated for who they are. Justin Hiltner
Noting that the best forms of art can transcend the barriers of politics, Hiltner hopes that being an outspoken member of the LGBTQ community in a musical genre most associated with the country’s most conservative regions can “bridge a few gaps” along the way.
“Divisions like urban vs. rural, ‘coastal’ vs. ‘flyover’ are not as black and white as we think they are, and I think it’s important to remind people that queer people will always be here in these communities,” he said. “If my literal existence stands for anything, it’s that people can stand at the center of these kinds of disparate halves and hold them together in a way that honors themselves and humanity.”
Live Music at Occidental Center for the Arts
Sunday Sept. 9 @ 3 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Duo West, featuring classical musicians and teachers, pianist Abbie Gabrielson with cellist Sonja Myklebust. Since their students days together at Lewis & Clark College in 2006, this talented and dedicated young duo create interactive concert experiences that inspire and educate, imbuing their performances with passion and context. They will be presenting a concert of 20th century masterworks for cello and piano. $14 Advance/$19 at door.
Saturday September 22 @ 8 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents The Musers & Jon Gonzales Stringband. Ukelele master and KRCB radio host Jon Gonzales joins bassist/producer Michael Lindner and Carissa Green for a catchy, lyrical opening set; followed by Anita Bear Sandwina (Spark & Whisper), Megan McLaughlin and Tom Kuhn as the harmoniously energetic folk/rock trio known as The Musers. Enjoy a compelling double bill of talented local musicians/songwriters at Sonoma County’s acoustic ‘sweet spot’! $16 Advance/$19 at door. Fine refreshments; wheelchair accessible
TUESDAY Sept. 25 @ 7 pm. Cris Williamson-Barbara Higbie-Teresa Trull Reunion Concert! Occidental Center for the Arts. The ‘Power Trio of Women’s Music’ returns for an evening of rollicking music and friendship at OCA! Gutsy blues/rock vocal dynamo and songwriter Teresa Trull, Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and singer Barbara Higbie, and the iconic singer/songwriter Cris Williamson bring a mixture of brand new material and old favorites to the stage–for a deep, joy-filled musical reunion concert guaranteed to delight, inspire, cheer and comfort. $28 Advance/$32 at door. Reservations advised. Fine refreshments. Wheelchair Accessible. Art Gallery open. www.
Cotati Accordian Festival Slated for Aug. 18 & 19
The 28th Annual Nonprofit, Multi-cultural Cotati Accordion Festival, the “Woodstock of the Accordion World”, will be taking place this coming August 18th & 19th in La Plaza Park in downtown Cotati, Ca.
Internationally acclaimed virtuosos from Italy, Finland and Germany, joined by an ongoing two day dance party featuring five zydeco bands, will all be at the famed multi-generational event.
Don’t miss the Jam Tent, the Polka Tent, the Student Stage, the alternative Accordion Apocalypse Stage, the Zydeco Dance Party, the two main stages, the Redwood Cafe Friday show, and over 70 vendors, food, wine and beer.
Tickets are available on line at www.cotatifest.com; at all Oliver’s Markets; The Last Record Store,: People’s Music; and Tall Toad Music at $17.00 in advance, $27.00 for both days, and $19.00 at the gate.
Music Review: “Palo Santo” by Years & Years
Years and Years
Before Years & Years appeared on the scene, seemingly from nowhere, with their chart-topping debut Communion, most of us had no idea that their brand of infectious, surprisingly cerebral, and subtly but unmistakably queer synthpop was exactly what we all needed in our lives. Palo Santo (
) finds the British band more heavily preoccupied than ever with matters of spirituality, sexuality, and the many points of overlap between the two. This time, however, they ditch the subtlety.
The direction taken on Palo Santo is inseparable from frontman Olly Alexander’s rapid rise as an outspokenly gay pop superstar. Like many of his peers, Alexander has a noticeable preoccupation with LGBTQ visibility and representation, and that preoccupation comes out strongly in the album. Putting aside questions of radio-friendly heteronormative respectability, he makes it clear from the outset that the image of gay love he puts forth will not be neutered, and it will not be toothless. It will be accepted on its own terms, and just to make sure that everyone knows that Years & Years do not play around, the first single is the BDSM-themed dance track, “Sanctify.”
Appropriately for an album whose title translates as “holy wood,” Palo Santo returns frequently to religious themes and iconography. Probably the strongest track on the album, and one that sets the tone for the rest of it, “Sanctify” is addressed to an anonymous, presumably straight partner. A straightforward sexual solicitation on one level, the barely-concealed subtext of the song is an invitation to participate in a sort of sacramental act. “You don’t have to be straight with me/I see what’s underneath your mask,” Alexander reassures his lover with an almost audible grin, inviting him to break out of the confines of his assumed identity and experience a deeper connection. Instead of drawing a contrast between the visceral and the sacred, Alexander makes the assumption that the two emanate from the same source. “Sanctify my body with pain,” after all, is a plea that rests on the assumption that queerness is already something sacred, no further justification or explanation needed.
“Sanctify” is followed by “Hallelujah,” a frantic dance track. Later in the album, Alexander gets his George Michael moment on “Preacher,” which has him offer a gentle rebuke and a chance at redemption to a closeted love interest presumably wracked with internalized homophobia. Despite the weight of the subject matter they deal with on Palo Santo, Years & Years are still out to write fun, dancey hits, and the album represents an evolution of the catchy, thematically strong pop of their debut.
Olly Alexander of Years and Years — Photo: Ed Cooke
While Palo Santo meanders more than the flawlessly structured Communion, the album’s standout tracks are arguably the band’s best work yet. Although the most catchy, memorable tracks are front-loaded into the first half of the album, there is enough substance in the slower tracks of the album’s second half to see it through to its finish. Having “Preacher” to anchor them doesn’t hurt, either. The odd track out is “If You’re Over Me,” set to an upbeat, almost saccharine tune that would not have been out of place in a ’90s cartoon. It’s fun, catchy, and a definite contender for best breakup song of the summer.
From the very beginning of Palo Santo, Alexander casts himself as a sort of queer mentor, guide, or sage, a role he returns to repeatedly throughout the album. It all mirrors his own increasing comfort with wearing the label of queer on his sleeve. Granted, he was far from closeted when Years & Years dropped Communion, but in the years since he has embraced his queerness more stridently, appearing in a provocative photoshoot for PAPER magazine, mounting a full-throated defense of the trans community during London Pride, and calling for his audiences to “shove a rainbow in fear’s face.”
While it does not feel quite right to call Palo Santo a reinvention or a moment of self-discovery, it might be the moment that the band has come into their own. With Palo Santo, Years & Years have set themselves apart in the pop landscape with a truly unique sound and personality, and Olly Alexander, in particular, has proven himself a gay pop icon in the making.
Sarah Baker Slated for Occidental Center for the Arts Prformance
Saturday April 14 @ 8 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents Sarah Baker with Nina Gerber & Mona Gnader. Composer, pianist, teacher and blues/rock/soul singer-songwriter extraordinaire Sarah Baker is back on our stage! with the legendary Nina Gerber on guitar, joined by electric bassist Mona Gnader of The Waboritas. Don’t miss this exciting collaboration of powerful women musicians at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot! $22 Advance/$26 at the door. Reservations advised. Fine Refreshments. Wheelchair Accessible. Art Gallery open during events. 707-874-9392. www.
Y Sisters to Perform at Occidental Center for the Arts
Sunday April 29 @ 4 pm. T Sisters! at Occidental Center for the Arts. Oakland-based siblings Erika, Rachel and Chloe are fast-rising singer/songwriter stars on the folk/Americana festival circuits who collaborate with and support acts such as Amos Lee, Laurie Lewis,Todd Rundren, the Woods Brothers, and more. Captivating audiences with soaring harmonies, inventive arrangements, and plenty of sisterly sass, they evoke the classic girl groups from the Andrews and Pointer Sisters to modern family bands like First Aid Kit. Enjoy their lively originals and covers of folk, Americana, gospel, R & B, soul and bluegrass at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. Reservations advised! $19 Adv/$24 at door. Fine refreshments. Art Gallery open. Wheelchair accessible. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental 95465 . 707-874-9392 www.
Sarah Baker with Nina Gerber & Mona Gnader Set to Perform at Occidental Center for the Arts
Calendar/ Blues/Rock/Soul Music: Saturday April 14 @ 8 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents Sarah Baker with Nina Gerber & Mona Gnader. Composer, pianist, teacher and blues/rock/soul singer-songwriter extraordinaire Sarah Baker is back on our stage! with the legendary Nina Gerber on guitar, joined by electric bassist Mona Gnader of The Waboritas. Don’t miss this exciting collaboration of powerful women musicians at OCA’s acoustic sweet spot! $22 Advance/$26 at the door. Reservations advised. Fine Refreshments. Wheelchair Accessible. Art Gallery open during events. 707-874-9392. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 3850 Doris Murphy Ct. Occidental 95465.
Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Meredith Axelrod: ‘Popular Songs from a Bygone Era’
Sunday March 25 @ 4 pm. Occidental Center for the Arts presents: Meredith Axelrod: ‘Popular Songs from a Bygone Era’. Engaging vintage Americana songstress and instrumentalist Meredith Axelrod brings her unique pre-mic vocal style, fine guitar technique and her own charm and humor to the great old songs of ragtime, minstrel, boogie-woogie jazz , blues, country and more to OCA’s acoustic sweet spot. $15 Advance/$18 at the door. Fine refreshments for sale. Art Gallery open. Wheelchair Accessible. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 707-874-9392.
OCA Welcomes Back the Scions of Ireland’s Famous Singing Black Family
Friday, March 16 , 2018 @ 8 pm. The Black Brothers Band ! OCA is proud to welcome back the charismatic scions of Ireland’s famous singing Black Family- Michael and Shay Black- and their fine band, featuring fiery fiddle virtuoso Bobbi Nikles and famed pianist (‘The Commitments’ soundtrack) Eamonn Flynn. Don’t miss their exciting mix of Dublin street songs, music hall songs and historical ballads with their trademark close harmony and superb musicianship; plus infectious humor and witty stories, sing-along choruses and up-tempo reels and jigs on St. Patrick’s Day weekend at OCA! $22 Advance/$25 Door. Beer, wine and pub grub for sale. Wheelchair Accessible. Art Gallery open. www.occidentalcenterforthearts.org. 707-874-9392.