Monday, May 22, 2006
Bend Studio Intimate Concert Series Turns 2
Bend Studio's Intimate Concert Series turned 2-years old today. Ally David has been bringing some of the finest artists in the world to her Yoga Studio for our up-close-and-personal listening pleasure
"Bend Studio is an incredibly unique, wonderfully intimate, barefoot and non-smoking listening room in Dallas, Texas. Yoga studio by day, we offer a sacred space for artists and music lovers alike. all of our musicians are extraordinary individuals who work hard to stay independent and create. Don't miss the opportunity to see them in this rare setting."
Artists such as Bob Schneider, Guy Forsyth, Ian Moore, Rhett Miller, Salim Nourallah, Chris Holt, Billy Harvey, Trish Murphy, Will Johnson, Doug Burr, Patrice Pike, Tony Scalzo, Creede Williams, Alejandro Escovedo and many many more extraordinarily talented artists have performed shoeless at Bend.
"About a year ago, a press release caught my attention. "Bob Schneider performs an intimate concert at Bend yoga studio." I had one question: Are you serious? The thought of the famously damaged Austin rocker strumming shoeless on a bamboo floor was like a Spinal Tap booking. What was next--Bob Schneider does downward dog?"
"Apparently, I wasn't the only one with doubts about the show. "The first time I played Bend, it was strictly for the money," writes Bob Schneider by e-mail. "As the date approached, I really started thinking it might have been a bad move." After all, this is the guy who built his reputation in bands like Ugly Americans and the Scabs, courting a stiff-arm, anti-patchouli crowd, and performing at this new-age venue thick with incense and people in lotus position played directly into the notion that Schneider--older, sober, folksier--had gone soft. "Probably because of the environment, I began peppering just about every sentence with expletives and pretty much was as crude as I've ever been," Schneider continues. "And lo and behold, the people there just ate it up." He uses that cringe-inducing word--"intimacy"--to describe the vibe in the room. But how else can you explain it? Unlike so many crowded, smoky clubs where conversations take precedence over the music, people there were listening. It was different and genuine--and fun. "Everyone, including me, ended up having a wonderful time," Schneider says. "So much so, that I've gone back a few times and plan on making it a regular gig in Dallas."
"He's not the only one. Guy Forsyth, Ian Moore, Trish Murphy, Hayes Carll, Patrice Pike, Kacy Crowley and Dan Dyer have all played Bend, some of them several times. And this week, the studio hosts two noteworthy evenings: a singer-songwriter bill featuring Fastball's Tony Scalzo, Salim Nourallah and Billy Harvey (guitarist in Schneider's band and a gifted songwriter himself) on Saturday, June 18, and none other than Rhett Miller playing two shows on Tuesday, June 21..." ~Sarah Hepola - Dallas Observer
My only complaint is that I can't get in there to record shows - but you can still get copies of shows here - Ally records most all of the shows and makes the recordings available for purchase.
Go here and check out upcoming shows including Adam Carroll w/ Jason Eady, Ian Moore w/ Cas Haley, Paul Slavens w/ Brent Best, Darden Smith w/ Carter Albrecht and more.
Congrats to Ally and here's to more great years to come!
