Story last updated at 7/21/2010 - 12:50 pm
The first thing I learned about Sacramento band Blvd Park is that they describe their style as "spaghetti western." Personally, I like pasta and deserts, so the aforementioned description was enough to interest me in the group before I ever heard them play.
After sampling their 2009 self-produced album, "Bell Tower Mansion," I had discovered a seemingly limitless genre that is open to influence from styles including traditional bluegrass, country, gypsy, gospel, swing, rhythm and blues, folk, blues and rock.
Blvd Park offers a laid-back aura through sturdy, well-built compositions with titles such as "Four Flat Tires," "Who I Am" and "Swerve On." Through these numbers, the band has created a style that is the embodiment of "sitting in the desert, sipping a sarsaparilla and watching a tumbleweed go by," said vocalist Elise Suttie.
The band's roster has shifted slightly since its official beginning in 2008, at one time consisting of eight members. Current roll call includes Brian Ballentine on guitar, Timmy Conroy on trumpet and melodica, Jarret Mason on stand-up bass, and Tekla Waterfield and Suttie on voice. But the girls don't sing alone. The voices of all flow between each other in literal musical conversation.
"The singers make it," Mason said, labeling the instrumental backdrop as "scientific boy stuff."
The female vocalists also play off of the male voices, the interplay creating a very organic sound.
Each member of the group brings a level of expertise in their respective instrument(s), resulting in a healthy balance between professionalism and just getting down. They all share the auditory space, making for music that is never empty yet far from cluttered.
Blvd Park will bring their "spaghetti western" sound to Southeast Alaska from their Sacramento home when they headline at the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines. They have also booked shoulder performances in Juneau and Ketchikan.
For Waterfield, the tour will double as a homecoming. Born in Anchorage, she lived as a child in Juneau and Sitka but hasn't returned to the capital city in 18 years.
When I spoke to the band via Skype earlier this summer, it was clear that its members prioritize working together to get things done. Only a few minutes into our videoconference, the five didn't hesitate to sing me an original song of theirs, "Take Off Your Body," in perfect five-part harmony.
Their cohesiveness told me that their hearts were in the music as well as invested in each other. They not only meshed musically, but were constantly finishing each other's sentences almost like a five-headed, ten-armed, one-person band.
Talking is one of the most important parts of Blvd Park's songwriting process.
"We talk a lot about songs, probably too much," Suttie said.
Most of the group's songs are conceived by one or two members as a basic outline, which is brought to the rest of the group. Each member adds their own flare, and they discuss what is working and what isn't.
"Then when we get there, we stop talking," Mason added.
"When we get it right, it's like we're not even on this planet," Waterfield said.
Blvd Park will perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 31 on the Southeast Alaska State Fair main stage. Next, they will head to Juneau for a 7 p.m. performance on Wednesday, August 4 at The Alaskan Bar. Ketchikan will be the final stop on their Southeast tour with a performance 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5 at the Ketchikan Coffee Company.
