After a week that was characterized by picking up the master of the new CD and working on artwork, I took a spin to Marin on Sunday to attend not one but two house concerts, presented, respectively, by KC Turner in San Rafael and Drew Pearce in Stinson Beach. House concerts have gained favor with musicians and fans alike for providing a more intimate alternative to the regular, oft- chaotic club gig. Turner and Pearce, two songwriters in their own right have answered the call and are hosting a whole series of shows featuring local and touring acts. In home performances are great for songwriter genre–no foaming latte machine or drunken crowd (well, that may happen sometimes, according to James Hurley, who pretty much plays house concerts full time and has a story or tow) to drown out all those carefully honed lyrics. Plus the audience gets a chance to be up close and personal with some of their favorite artists: Turner’s guest, Bob Schneider, who was playing at The Independent later that night, took song requests and ribbed his fans for getting song titles wrong; Hurley good-naturedly allowed snack breaks & poured a drink or two at Pearce’s event. The latter was followed by an open mic featuring members of largely songwriter audience. The result at both was a truly connected and warm vibe where songs were really heard. Yeah!
Deborah Crooks (www.DeborahCrooks.com) is a writer, performing songwriter and recording artist based in San Francisco whose lyric driven and soul-wise music has drawn comparison to Lucinda Williams, Chrissie Hynde and Natalie Merchant.
Singing about faith, love and loss, her lyrics are honed by a lifetime of writing and world travel while her music draws on folk, rock, Americana and the blues. She released her first EP “5 Acres” in 2003 produced by Roberta Donnay, which caught the attention of Rocker Girl Magazine, selecting it for the RockerGirl Discoveries Cd. In 2007, she teamed up with local producer Ben Bernstein to complete “Turn It All Red” Ep, followed by 2008’s “Adding Water to the Ashes” CD, and a second full-length CD “2010. She’s currently working on a third CD to be released in 2013.
Deborah’s many performance credits include an appearance at the 2006 Millennium Music Conference, the RockerGirl Magazine Music Convention, IndieGrrl, at several of the Annual Invasion of the GoGirls at SXSW in Austin, TX, the Harmony Festival and 2009’s California Music Fest, MacWorld 2010, Far West Fest and many other venues and events. She toured the Northwest as part “Indie Abundance Music, Money & Mindfulness” (2009) with two other Bay Area artists, and followed up with “The Great Idea Tour of the Southwest in March 2010 with Jean Mazzei.
