Now that summer is officially upon us, so are the seasonal concert series we know and love. It’s hard to argue against the fact that one venue is particularly picturesque among local summer concert series. I’m talking about the grassy outdoor amphitheater at Presqu’ile Winery.
The upcoming performer at the series, Reverend Tall Tree, remembers the venue well. He performed there with his band last year, and spoke with the Sun about arriving to play and immediately being surprised by the setting.
“It was a beautiful show,” he said. “First of all, just driving into Presqu’ile was just a sight to behold, what a beautiful place. I felt like I was on another planet when I pulled in there and was really impressed.”
The first impression put Reverend Tall Tree—that’s the stage name for singer/songwriter and harmonica player Chris Pierce—at ease, but it was the combination of the wine and audience that really won him over to the venue and the area.
His first album, the eponymous Reverend Tall Tree, had come out the month before, Pierce explained, and the visitors on hand that night bought several albums. What will be different in the merch booth this year though, is a stack of limited edition vinyl pressed versions of the album, he said.
“We had recorded it straight to tape, everyone in one room, no headphones, and mixed on the same day,” he said. “The mixing was done on a 1953 Ampex 601 quarter-inch tape machine, so it really has that old-school sound. The actual lacquer for the vinyl was done straight from the tape, so it’s really true to what it sounded like.”
There were only 500 records pressed, Pierce explained, so the vinyl option is truly a collector’s piece for fans. But it also represents a dedication to the tradition of music recording laid down by the artists he’s emulated, like Little Walter and blues artists of the 1950s.
The resurgence in the popularity of vinyl is unnoticed by Pierce because he “never steered away from vinyl.” He surmised that the prevalence of MP3 recording and digital media may have something to do with it though, and that listeners are returning to vinyl out of a thirst for authenticity.
“It reminds folks that music is an experience,” he said. “And if you can’t be at a live show why not feel it, hold it, read about it, and really experience the true art and experience of what the artists and producers wanted to put together?”
The vinyl copies of Reverend Tall Tree are selling better than the CDs at concerts, Pierce explained, which says something about his audience.
The soulful blues style that he prizes is beloved worldwide though, Pierce said, and serves as almost a universal musical language. He related a story about getting stopped by airport security on his way out of France after a music conference, which illustrates perfectly the popularity of the blues across the globe.
“He pulled out of my bag, my harmonica case, and he said, ‘Open!’ So I said, ‘OK.’ and then he motioned up to his mouth, like he was playing,” Pierce explained. “He said, ‘Play! Play!’ I thought, ‘This is very bizarre,’ but I started playing some blues, and all these French security officers came over and started clapping.
“It is the international language, everybody can feel the blues,” he continued. “It is a true American art form that has traveled across the globe through the hearts and souls of pretty much every man and woman who has ever heard it.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne believes in the blues. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 16-23, 2016.