Watershed at Ace of Cups 8/15/15 - a Review by Pete Vogel

watershed \’wot-er-shed \  3 : a crucial dividing point or line

My watershed moment came on 8/15/15, watching Watershed perform to a sold-out crowd at Ace of Cups near campus.  I’d seen the band a half dozen times in the past, but it was usually at some polite outdoor event such as Comfest or the Independents' Day Festival.  This was the first time I’d watch the band at an indoor venue, filled to the rafters with rabid Watershed fans. 

Needless to say, this experience was far different than the others.  

For starters, you never really “know” a band until you see them with in their element, playing at a local venue, surrounded by their biggest fans. Watershed plays only one or two shows a year in town, so this was an extremely hot ticket. The bar was packed full of rabid fans, and this show was a different type of initiation for me, a personal watershed of Watershed.  

I arrived at 9 pm and waited in line outside the bar, along with a steady stream of young and middle-aged fans that had grown up with the band.  Their love and enthusiasm for Watershed was unabated; many in line were without tickets and stood outside hoping in earnest to get inside.  The show had sold out hours before and the long line was an indication that this was a very hot ticket indeed.

Fans came from as far away as Idaho to attend this gig.  I stood in line next to a brother and sister who’d been attending shows for fifteen years.  The sister proclaimed: “I’d travel to North Carolina just to see them play!!!”

The band took the stage around 9:45 pm and blasted their first power chord to a raucous cheer.  The front-men, Colin and Joe, exchanged lyrics between themselves and the audience, and it wasn’t long until the whole crowd was shouting lyrics at the top of their lungs in unison with the band.  Needless to say, a chill ran down my spine: this was what a rock and roll show looked and felt like.

Watershed moved seamlessly from one song to the next, barely taking their foot off the gas; the crowd joined them tirelessly.  They emphasize dual-guitar, power-rock chords with hook-heavy choruses that must be belted at the top of your lungs:“Now I’m feelin’ so good/ Feelin’ so fine / And this is totally obvious!”  Every song had an exclamation point; every chorus an indelible hook; every lyric a rhythm that throbbed in your throat.  Colin leaped in the air as he thrashed power chords; Joe plucked his bass as he churned out vocals; original drummer Herb Schupp attacked the kit as if he had never left the band; and rhythm guitarist Rick Kinsinger graciously took a backseat to the original trio that first started playing back in the late ‘80s.

“Radio playing my favorite song / I get all the boys and girls to sing along”

Some bands politely ask for your attention - Watershed punches you in the stomach.  Some bands can mildly touch a nerve - Watershed is a defibrillator to the soul.  Some bands quietly grab you over time - Watershed is a two-by-four across the head. 

Watershed has stayed relevant for nearly four decades because they figured out the formula.  They’ve been able to endure because they know rock and roll isn’t just about them - it’s about the relationship between themselves and the audience.  In an age of twitter feeds, YouTube clips and corporate karaoke contests, Watershed pays homage to the traditional paradigm of music’s real magic: to win, you must lose yourself in a song.

The band pulls its influences from a variety of sources - notably Cheap Trick and The Velvet Underground - but they put a twist on their tunes that is purely Watershed.  The way Colin and Joe exchange lines is reminiscent of Daltrey and Townshend, but they do it in their own time signature.  The way they bash out power chords reminds me of The Sex Pistols and The Kinks, but they do it the Watershed way.  The way they belt out choruses in unison reminds me of Green Day or The Clash, but it’s typical Watershed.  It’s refreshing to see a band that has taken its own path while - at the same time - paying homage to their heroes. Watershed has figured that out and - judging by the crowd’s reaction - so have we.

There isn’t a bigger fan of music than Colin Gawel.  A coffee shop owner by day and rock star by night, he keeps a watchful eye on both the local and national scene.  Whether he’s pushing to get Cheap Trick into the Hall of Fame or dedicating his efforts on a Willie Phoenix retrospective, Colin’s got his pulse on the scene.  He doesn’t covet this to himself either; his blog “Pencilstorm” is a forum for anyone to share opinions about music, sports, politics, or life in general.  (Case in point: this post!) 

Joe Oestreich is a successful teacher and author in his own right, and recently published his second book.  (editor's note: That book - "Line Of Scrimmage" - is available for order right now at Amazon.)  His first, a memoir about the band - Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll - is a great read for anybody who’s curious about life in the music business.  It’s a compilation of funny stories and a reflection on the paradoxes of being a working musician.  Both Colin and Joe are paradoxes in many ways; they are so much more than middle-aged rockers who can’t seem to relinquish their dreams.  They are pioneers and visionaries who have a unique story to share about life in the music business.  They still play music for the sheer love of it.  They pay continual homage to their hometown and haven’t forgotten their roots, either personal or musical.  They’re about “bum notes and pounds of sweat” and highs & lows in the music industry.  They are smart and successful in their own right.  Even though they never enjoyed the monetary success of a Cheap Trick or a Velvet Underground, they’ve made a very distinct mark in the music scene and are a proud legacy in their hometown of Columbus.  

My Watershed moment came last night.  For me, to watch a musician sing words and have a room full of people sing back to you is a success in it’s own right: a success that few of us can enjoy.  To have a fellow musician such as Erica Blinn leave her gig and come down to watch her mentor play is no small feat, either.  Major league…minor league…whatever:  they’re in a league of their own.  And it’s fitting that track number 11 on their Fifth of July record is titled: “The Best is Yet to Come.”  

Rock on, Watershed.  

below: A clip of the show by none other than Pencilstorm contributor and acclaimed guitarist himself, Scott Carr  

WATERSHED - "SUCKERPUNCH" Ace of Cups, Columbus, OH 8-15-15

Watershed Opens For Cheap Trick. (Again) by Colin Gawel

This piece - from October, 2014 - continues our Onslaught of Watershed Reprints Series

Watershed is performing at Ace of Cups, Columbus OH, Saturday, Aug 15th, 2015

Watershed Opens For Cheap Trick. (Again)

"Ok, Dave, before I ask you to join Watershed, I need to know: what you are expecting from this? Do you have any conditions such as money or time off or how long you are willing to stick this out?"

"Colin, I have two conditions. One, I want to be on TV. And two, I want to open for Cheap Trick."

"I don't know about number one, but opening for Cheap Trick is a done deal. Count on that!"

"Then count me in," Dave said.

Watershed Live Opening for Cheap Trick 2014

That was in 1998. Finally, in October of 2014, Dave Masica got his wish and Watershed opened for Cheap Trick at the House Of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC. 

At the time when Dave first asked, I was positive we would be opening again for Cheap Trick in the near future. Hell, we had opened for them three times in the past four years and with the way both bands toured, certainly we would be able to slide on a bill again sometime/somewhere.

But it just never worked out. Cheap Trick spent most of their time as hired guns opening for arena acts such as Aerosmith and Def Leppard or playing soft ticket "Wingfest" type shows. And as far as Watershed, well, our career sort of yo-yo's all over the place. One week we have juice to jump on a decent bill and the next week we can barely get a Tuesday night in Baltimore. 

Around 2002, we were actually scheduled to open for Cheap Trick outside Nationwide arena but we got bumped the week before the gig by the local promoter. Funny thing is, they kept promoting Watershed as the opener and our name still appears on that ticket. I went to the show anyway and everybody was asking why Watershed wasn't playing just as a huge thunderstorm washed out the entire show.

Bad karma and a lesson for other promoters: kick Watershed off of a Cheap Trick show at your own risk. Lose - Lose. It did give me the opportunity to drop off my first draft of "My Obsession - The Official Cheap Trick Song Rankings". With the show rained out the band had time to thumb through it on the bus, after which I received a voice mail where Bun E. Carlos said, "It was better than most."

We had another chance at the very end of the Hitless Wonder tour in 2012 to jump on a bill at the Taft Theater in Cincinnati but we had just finished a month of touring and just couldn't escape real life commitments we had been neglecting any longer. As much as it killed us to say no, it just wasn't good timing for us.

Fast forward to Biggie's front porch in the summer of 2014. "Huh, Cheap Trick  just announced they're playing House of Blues in Myrtle Beach October 3rd." "Geez, that's five minutes from Joe's house."

"Should we try to get the gig?"

All together…."HELL YEAH!"

So we called every single person we knew with a connection to Cheap Trick. Our manager Thomas O'Keefe knew the House of Blues folks and worked that side of it with one stipulation, "If we get the gig, you have to let me play with you." Thomas is as big a Trick fan as the rest of us and after 12 thankless years managing Watershed it seemed like the least we could do.

We got the show, and I have to admit, in my car, all by myself, when nobody was watching, I smiled and made a little fist pump. That's about as much of a celebration you get as a Watershed member. Don't want to jinx it. 

I was excited and people were excited for me, "Wow! That is so amazing. You are opening for your heroes. It's a dream come true."

I know people were being nice and I was happy to be on the bill with my heroes, but it was bittersweet. My dream was never to open a show for Cheap Trick in my middle age. My dream was to be in the same league as Cheap Trick. Maybe all the way at the end of the bench but still in the same league. We got close but it never happened. And that's OK. But lots and lots of bands open for Cheap Trick. It's nothing to brag about really.

In fact, after we got dropped  and I would go to see Cheap Trick I was too embarrassed to accept invitations to stop back stage and say "Hi" though the crew members were always very gracious. It was just too painful to go from the kid waiting by the Cheap Trick bus, to the guy on EPIC records, back to the fan hanging around backstage. I was ashamed.

But those days were long, long gone. One of the best things about growing up is learning to love what you have got and not worry about what you don't. Watershed made a bunch of great records, played a bunch of great shows and had tons of fun. But we hadn't come full circle to open another show for Cheap Trick….Until…..

We packed up the van Thursday morning and left straight to meet Joe and Thomas at Slim's Downtown in Raleigh. The plan, and we have always had a knack for plans, was to meet there and  play a happy hour show serving as a warm-up for the Cheap Trick gig the next night. Needless to say, it was a typical Slim's blowout and after the gig we headed straight down the highway to the palatial oceanfront condo we had rented for the weekend. 

Being Ohio guys there is NO way we aren't going to hit the beach and milk it for all it is worth even if it is in the middle of the night. Ricki C. and I took turns keeping an eye on Dave Masica swimming in the ocean at 2 am while I took turns swigging various bottles with Thomas and Biggie.

I woke up the next morning in the pitch-black condo room I was sharing with Ricki, opened the door and there was the blue ocean lit by a sun so bright I almost fell backwards as I covered my eyes.

it was a perfect day. The sort of day where you can fall into a deep sleep outside on a beach chair to the sound of the waves. And I did just that after taking a long walk and listening  to the song "Fall in Love" by Phantogram over and over. 

At 4 pm Biggie pulled the van around and we drove the 3 miles to the HOB. The last time we played this venue was opening for the Insane Clown Posse, so it was nice to get another shot with less Faygo being sprayed everywhere.

We loaded our gear on that big checkered stage where Cheap Trick's stuff was already set up and I…. got….nervous. I never get nervous. I could barely say a word. It was like trying to talk to a pretty girl or take an 8th French class oral exam all wrapped into one. I just clammed up and stared at Rick's guitars. I thought, "I would have driven all the way here just to load on this stage and then off." I was in heaven. I wanted to take a picture but that would have been so uncool. So I just stood in front of Tom's bass amps and stared at them, burning them into my brain's permanent hard drive. Move over sexy one-night stand memory, got some Cheap Trick memories coming in. Make way for Rick's checkerboard wah-wah pedal image.

We shot the shit with some crew members and one said he ran sound for us at the Ryan's Ballroom gig made famous in the book Hitless Wonder. Small world. Eventually we retreated to our dressing room when somebody started kicking our door yelling, "Keep it down in there, Watershed , a man can't here himself sing out here."

The door flung open and the real life Robin Zander walked in to ask how we had been doing. He was wearing a custom-fit three piece suit and looked like 25 million dollars. And I'm talking up close and with no stage lights or makeup. He was talking but I was mostly just staring. As usual, he was super cool. Humble. Friendly.

As he left, Thomas, who has worked with all kinds of big-shot rock stars said, "You guys don't understand, NOBODY of his stature does that. Nobody walks out of their way to say hello to a one-night opener. Nobody."

Our pal Bill stopped by and said, "I'm not sure if Rick is going to want to say hello but if he does it's usually about 7 or 7:30, so be around just in case If you want to chat."

We can do that.

Sure enough, around 7:30, Bill said, "Let's go." We walked into the private backstage area and there were 70 or so VIP types waiting to meet & greet with the band, who were a good 25 yards away taking pictures with the various people waiting their turn in line. 

We were minding our own business, letting everybody press the flesh when a guitar pick flicked off the side of my face and Rick Nielsen yelled, "Hey look everybody, it's Colin from Watershed." Dings me through a crowd with a pick from 30 yards out. The dude is a superhero. Eventually, as it gets closer to showtime, Rick says, "Let's get Watershed up here, they have to go on soon." Once again, just being so cool. 

So we glad-hand and pass out some copies of Hitless Wonder and pose for a picture and as we were wrapping up, Rick says, "Hold on, I want a shot of just Colin and me. Everybody out of the picture except Colin and me. You too, Robin." It meant a lot to me for Rick to do that.  Then once the photo was snapped he turned  and  said, "Tell the guys about the Hall of Fame thing or whatever." 

So, a little sheepishly I explained to Cheap Trick how I had started a band called Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame? and how we play a free show every year in Cleveland on the night of the induction ceremonies, and so on and so forth.

Basically, I was admitting to being a super-psycho Cheap Trick fan in front of Cheap Trick but I supposed by now they probably had some inkling that was the case.

Anyway, they seemed to get a kick out of the whole idea and I left to get ready to open the show and they went back to being Cheap Trick. It was a magical night, and as Slim Dunlap of The Replacements told me many times when I was a young man, "Musicians get gifts too, you just have to learn to appreciate them." What a gift.

Colin Gawel plays in the band Watershed and founded the group Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? 

For further reading on this show, click here for "Strange Tales from the Cheap Trick Merch Table"

                                                                                                               My Two Favorite Bands

                 (left to right - Dave Masica, Daxx Nielsen, Robin Zander, Joe Oestreich, Rick Nielsen, Colin Gawel, Tom Petersson, Thomas O'Keefe)

Watershed: Dreams, Generals, and Acknowledgements by Dave O'Leary

Watershed: Dreams and Generals and Acknowledgments

I first met Colin in seventh grade and his rock star dreams were already big. I was just beginning guitar then, knew maybe a D chord and an E but was still having trouble with bar chords. During study hall and at lunch, Colin and I would talk about the possibility of starting a band. He had this idea that we’d one day be opening for Cheap Trick or Kiss or both. He had this far off look in his eyes like he was already on stage and looking out toward the crowd, like he was about to utter the phrase, “Can you hear me in the back?” or “Hello, St. Louis!” He had dreams about it, that and being my manager for professional wrestling. “You’re a big guy,” he’d say, “Come on. I’ll be your manager.” I’d shrug my shoulders, “I don’t know.”

Thankfully, we didn’t choose that route.

I had the music dream too, you see, so wrestling fell by the wayside, and we’d talk about bands and making it big, and we’d compare notes on songs we’d learned or wanted to learn. We talked about the Kinks “Come Dancing,” those three heavy descending chords in the middle. We’d ask each other what we thought they were. All these years later, we have YouTube and tablature on demand, but back then we didn’t. We had to listen. And we did. And we got it. Em. D. C. We’d also talk about Billy Squire’s “Lonely is the Night,” about what a great tune it was with that guitar intro. Colin had learned it, could play it with ease, and that’s when I realized there was something a little more to him, something I didn’t then have because I couldn’t do anything with ease.

We kept talking about bands, about starting a band, but it was less and less. When Colin got to the point of finally starting something, he wanted a second guitar player and would every so often tell me more or less that if I got my shit together, the spot was mine. He didn’t phrase it that way of course, but that’s what it came down to. I didn’t do it, though. I allowed myself to be pulled in a lot of directions back then. I did some of the things I wanted to but also some of the things I thought others wanted me to. I hadn’t yet found my way. Colin had. Eventually our circles changed, and at some point when I wasn’t looking, Watershed was born. They played at the Subway down by Graceland in Columbus. They played at a friend’s house party. They started to gig down by Ohio State. And here’s the thing: they were great. I became a fan.

They had this song with a cool baseline and a lyric about a cigarette. I can’t in this moment remember the name of that song, but it was the first time someone I knew had actually created something. And it was a good something. They did a video for it too, and watching it, I began to understand what Colin and Joe and Herb were all about. It was music. They did it. They breathed it, lived it in a way that until then I had not. It took me seeing them, seeing what they did, what they accomplished, to make me realize that dreams could come true, that a few well placed chords could work magic not only on the ears but on the course of a lifetime. It was something I’d always felt, really, but I’d always failed to act on that feeling. I guess I was afraid of failure.

But seeing what Watershed was doing, I got some courage. I started doing those things too. I joined a band, played a few gigs. And then there came this day when Colin and Joe pulled me aside and told me there was a band in Detroit in need of a new bass player. The band was the Generals. They told me the Generals were the most unalternative alternative band. They loaned me a CD and arranged an audition, and then a month later I moved to Detroit. It was the second time Watershed had done something for me. They opened my eyes, and then they gave me a push out into the world.

Over the next few years, Watershed and the Generals played a number of shows together, and we’d often all get on stage at the end to play “Rock and Roll All Night,” so I did, after all those years, finally get to play on stage with Colin, but the Generals eventually broke up, and I moved back to Columbus and then out to Seattle. I played in a number of bands along the way, did some traveling and some writing. By some odd turn, I became a music writer and wound up writing a novel about the power of music, and it’s only now that I sit down to write about Watershed that I realize, I should have thanked them in the book’s acknowledgments because I don’t think it would have happened otherwise: the book and the bands. I might not have done it. I might not have done anything. I might simply have done all those other things I thought people wanted me to do.

But I didn’t.

Seeing Watershed do things gave me heart, gave me the courage to step on stage and then out into the world to see what I could see. And I've seen a lot. It's been a good life.

So thank you, guys. I can never adequately repay you, but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. Who knows? Maybe somewhere along the way someone will come along who changes the world, and maybe that someone will say, “Dave’s work gave me heart.” And going a step further, that would, of course, mean that it came from Watershed.

***

These days, I have this idea that Colin and Joe will end up in an old folks home together where they’ll whip out their acoustics at every chance and sing “Rock and Roll All Night” for the other lodgers. The nurses will tell them not to do it, but they won’t stop them. Instead, they’ll listen and sing along when they can, and then Colin will start playing a song by the Kinks. He’ll sing of a day when they tore down the pally and about a part of childhood dying. The nurses will pause then because the song will be unknown to them, but it won’t matter. It’ll be infectious. Colin and Joe will then switch to Watershed songs like “How Do you Feel” and “Twister”—my favorite—and maybe even that old one with the cigarette line. There’ll be dancing and laughter and joy before lights out, and the nurses will go home to their spouses and lovers and families and say, "You know, we should look up this band on the internet.”

“Which band?” someone will ask.

“Watershed. They’re patients of mine, but their music is great.” 

Dave O'Leary, author of The Music Book

"Dave O'Leary's The Music Book is the most aptly titled novel since On the Road. Because if it has anything to do with music--or rock music, anyway, the kind that gets played for sparse crowds in dive bars--it's in here. Passion and frustration. Lyricism and criticism. Beer and bass guitar and barstool banter. And love. Lots of love. The real music in The Music Book is the sound of O'Leary's heart--beating loud as a kick drum." --Joe Oestreich, author of Hitless Wonder: A Life in Minor League Rock and Roll

Click here to see The Music Book on Amazon.com

Original Drummer Herb Schupp Playing w/ Watershed @ Ace of Cups. Advance Tickets Online Now!

Hey folks, Watershed is playing their only Columbus show of 2015 on Saturday, August 15th at Ace of Cups. Original Watershed drummer Herb Schupp will be behind the skins, so you old school fans of Hitless Wonder don't want to miss this.  AND... all-around rock 'n' roll bad-ass John Speck (The Generals, Hoarse, The Fags, Skeemin' No Goods) is opening the show. 

Get your pre sale tickets here. 18 and up. Only $10. It might sell out. Seriously playing with fire if you don't get tickets ASAP. 

Click Here For Advance Tickets for Watershed live @ Ace of Cups Saturday August 15th. Just 10 bucks. 8 pm.

Miles Nielsen @ Natalie's Friday, Daxx Nielsen @ The Ohio State Fair on Saturday.

In an extremely rare rock n roll occurrence, this August weekend both Nielsen brothers will be performing in Columbus, OH. Those interested in getting a good view of this event should first purchase tickets for Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts at Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza on Friday August 7th.  I caught their last show at Natalie's and trust me, it is worth your time and attention. At the very least, check out this article we published about the band just a little while back.

The very next night on Saturday August 8th, Daxx Nielsen will be playing drums in a band with his Dad and some of his Dad's friends at the Ohio State Fair.  Some guy named Peter Frampton is supposed to perform also. To learn more  Click here to check out the 2015 Complete Cheap Trick Song Rankings.      

To sweeten the deal, anybody who completes the "Nielsen Slam", will receive a free drink of choice from Colin's Coffee. Now get out there and make it happen. - Colin G.

"Let Down Your Umbrella" - Reflections on Jacquie Sanborn by Pete Vogel

Jacquie Sanborn is playing Saturday August 1st, 1:30 pm Live at the Garden (1187 N High, Cbus). Click here for music on I-Tunes or watch video below.

Thursday, February 21, 2014 – A shy, cute, five-foot tall twenty-something took the stage at King Avenue 5.  The room was mostly empty—it was 11 pm (a “school night” for this working-class community) as this wiry young lady took the stage after downing 3 or 4 beers and had the liquid courage to perform onstage for her first open mic.  

A few hangers-on were still peppered throughout the room with their devil-may-care attitude as this young lady grabbed a stool, music stand and dusty guitar and sat down with a lyric book.  She paged through a few sheets, found a song, and belted out the tune with angry power chords that sounded more like Nirvana than folksy acoustic.  Her tempo was sporadic:  fast, then slower, then fast again.  She unleashed a lyric with an angry howl (“Another one—down the road!”), her barbaric yawp probably getting more approval from hound dogs in the area than patrons at the bar.

I sat in the back of the room and tried to enjoy this “music” but it was difficult.  The guitar playing was rough—her chords melded together like a cacophony of angry steel—and her singing complemented this scratchy sound.  Her mild buzz made the whole experience even harder to enjoy for this self-proclaimed musical snob.  “This chick should get a day job—and never quit—” I thought to myself, trying to admire her courage and at the same time discourage her from ever doing it again.

This young woman – Jacquie – made a habit of coming to open mic but this was the first time I ever heard her perform.  [Hopefully it would be my last.]  She was cute and awful sweet, but music didn’t seem to suit her.  Perhaps she could entertain other options, such as poetry or literature?  Something a little more quiet, perhaps?

A few weeks later Jacquie approached me and said: “I hear you teach; can you give me guitar lessons?”  I joyfully obliged—I admired anyone who’s willing to improve her craft.  
Not that I was a guru on guitar—it’s technically my third instrument and there are far more qualified people than myself to give Jacquie lessons—but I knew a few things that could help her along her journey, so I took the gig.  We got together the following Monday, worked through the basics during that first session and had a wonderful time in the process.  Perhaps there was some hope for her after all?

Jacquie was very dedicated: polite, punctual and joyful.  She also worked very hard.  She was penning new songs and needed some assistance with song structure and chord arrangements.  This was my strength, so it was a perfect fit for both of us.

Monday, May 12, 2014.  Jacquie improved tremendously in a few months’ time.  Her guitar playing became smoother and more complex, her quirky voice became refined and her stage presence evolved rapidly.  In less than two months she grew from playing on a stool while staring shyly at a music stand to facing her audience, standing, and playing like a pro.  Everyone who’d watched her transformation was in shock—she evolved way beyond the scope of anyone who’d started a similar journey around the same time.  Jacquie had surpassed them all.

February 19, 2015:  We continued lessons for about a year when I realized Jacquie had amassed such an admirable collection of songs that I offered to record them for her.  [I have a small studio in my apartment, so we embarked on the process for posterity.]  She came in, played guitar, harmonica and sang lead/backing vocals while I did the rest: piano, drums, keys, percussion.  We brought in Derek Collins on backing vocals and Chris Shaw on fiddle, and the recording process was officially underway.  

During this time Jacquie evolved in another way: from guitar student to friend.  She had shared with me some details of her personal life, the most tragic being the murder of her father during a botched burglary in her hometown of Alliance, OH.  This took place a year prior to meeting her and obviously the wound was very deep.  But one could hardly tell by talking to her that she recently buried her father—you’d think a profound melancholy would follow her like a black cloud, but this wasn’t the case.  She handled the tragedy with unfathomable grace—finding the “sweet things” beyond the tragedy and celebrating its dark embrace.

Jacquie had other family drama that would even make Jerry Springer roll his eyes in disgust.  Family ties can be a big burden to artists—they can bind the human soul in ways that destroy creativity.  In certain families the artist is the outlier who is not only misunderstood but mistreated.  When it comes to safeguarding family narratives, the artist can prove to be its greatest threat.  

Jacquie was fighting two battles when I met her: one from her murdered father and the other from a fractured family dynamic.  Then she encountered a third: the death of her stepfather in June.  Both father and stepfather were deceased in three years time; and she recently turned 30.  How she managed to get out of bed some days is nothing short of a miracle.  I knew these series of tragedies furthered her resolve; this made the record all the more meaningful for both of us.  We recorded these songs as a form of healing.

We finished the EP very quickly.  Both she and I were devoted to getting this project done as quickly as possible.  Creativity can be fleeting, after all—it’s best to strike when it happens.  The EP, “Let Down Your Umbrella,” is a lovely collection of six songs on various themes: love, loss and hope.  My favorite is “Sweet Things”—which has brilliant violin work from Chris Shaw.  “Sweet Things” is about remembering the good when the bad seems to weigh you down.  Since Jacquie has had an overdose of bad, it’s inspiring to hear her sing:  “And I just / Have to / Accept the way it is.”

July 16, 2015:  We celebrated the release of her debut EP at Shrunken Head to a standing-room-only crowd of raucous well-wishers.  Jacquie fronted a five-piece band: Derek Collins on bass/backing vocals; Mike Schiller on percussion; Jack Doran on keys; and yours truly behind the kit.  Unfortunately no member of her family was in attendance—even her local ties didn’t bother to make an appearance.  She shared this with me an hour before the show.  I told her: “We—the band and the bar full of your friends—will be your family tonight.”  

We hit the stage at 10pm and Jacquie was on fire.  The crowd adored her.  She told stories, played harmonica, dazzled on guitar and sang with a fire and passion that emanated from every sweaty pore.  During her single, “Road”—that drunken ditty she first played at open mic—the crowd erupted into a roar during its decrescendo.  Jacquie Sanborn was in complete control.  She played every song off the EP, sold dozens of copies and had the place buzzing long after the last person left the bar.  In fact, she was such a rock star that the following day I encountered a fellow musician who said: “Look!  It’s Pete Vogel!  Jacquie Sanborn’s drummer!”

Some people don’t believe in miracles, and I can certainly understand why.  Some are just too rational or logical to see this subtle, invisible force in our lives.  I get that.  For the past 18 months I’ve spent a good deal of time with Jacquie Sanborn.  I have no choice but to believe in miracles, because I know one.  I imagine that if you spent some time with her, she might change your mind as well.

  Pete Vogel is a professional musician, filmmaker and Pencilstorm contributor. Click here to read his excellent reviews of The Rolling Stones and The Who
                          

Jacquie Sanborn performs her original "You Are Enough" at King Avenue 5: 8/14/2014. Still photos - Dan Mitchell (Mitchell Multimedia) Audio/Lights - Jeff Straw 2014 North Star Productions