Well, that was fast! 2012 has already come and gone, and in what has become the standing pattern for this video interview series with some of the most promising independent musicians around, we are re-launching Parlour to Parlour after another year off of rest.
Just as when we launched the second series of Parlour to Parlour interviews in 2011, my thoughts of the series during the off year turned to the question, “how can we make it better?” Well, in my conversations with many of those who watched and enjoyed the 2011 series, it became evident to me that the monthly format (as opposed to the original weekly format of the inaugural series in 2009) was a good thing. Focusing on the San Francisco Bay Area, where the bulk of my contacts reside and where my knowledge and connections are strongest, also proved to be a wise decision. So neither of those aspects of the series are changing in 2013.
Ash Reiter (Ep. 29) is a veteran of the Seaweed Sway showcase.
It wasn’t until last October, when a friend from the east coast was visiting me, that the change the series needed became evident. Just before my friend left, after we had been discussing my difficulty with finding a way to improve the series for 2013, she looked at me and said, “why don’t you do it live?”
Lightbulb!
Filming before a live audience was something I had never considered before. After all, on the surface this idea seems to be out of format – the uniqueness of the series is built upon the idea that the interviews take place in the artists’ homes and studios. In reality, however, it makes total sense, for performing musicians are never more at home than when they’re on a stage.
The Make-Out Room, San Francisco
The venue where we will be conducting the interviews each month is itself a spiritual home of sorts to the San Francisco music community. Every third Sunday, the Make-Out Room hosts the Seaweed Sway showcase, wherein local promoter Jessie Woletz presents three Bay Area bands (and occasionally one band might be a touring act passing through the area) before an audience that, on the whole, shows up fairly regularly to drink, socialize, and support local music. It was actually through the Seaweed Sway showcase that I met quite a few bands that I still follow today, and many of this series’ past subjects are veterans of the showcase, some having accepted Woletz’s invitation on multiple occasions.
And so, just as in 2011, you will see a new Parlour to Parlour episode on the last Monday of every month, posted right here at Popdose. While the pretty outdoor vistas that occasionally beautified the first two seasons won’t be present this year, what you will get is a talk show-like experience, something we’ve done with audio content at Popdose with our Popdose Podcasts and our regular segments on the syndicated CBS Radio program Overnight America. However, this will be a first for Popdose in that the live talk show format will be presented as a series of videos.
It’s going to be a whole new journey, so kick back and enjoy the ride, and get ready to meet some new musical friends!
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