Thursday, September 1st at Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneer Town Palace, 8 p.m.
By Lisa Morgan
The legacy of the musically magic Evaro family continues to grow and evolve as Gabriella Evaro’s dove-like voice and empathically poetic lyric sense join forces with the unique rhythm soundscapes of Daniel Joeright, former drummer for the Rentals. Helping them press deep into some uncharted pop-esque celestial folk rock are Be Hussey (bass), Esteban Chavez (synthesizers), Scott Schaffer (Theremin and modular apparatus) and Bob Villwock (keyboards). Evaro, whose signature voice known for its sultry gentility, shows a unique impassioned strength in this project as it soars above the fusion of rhythm and melodic-synth to frame the lyrical pictures of hope within the human experience painted by this ensemble.
Earth Moon Earth is the brain child of drummer/composer Daniel Joeright, and is the result of fate meeting years of experience. Joeright has been surrounded by some of the music industry’s favored sons. “I’ve been playing drums since I was about 5 years old living in Ohio,” he shared with CV Weekly. “My dad played drums in a band with his father in law (my granddad), and he would take me along to their rehearsals and gigs. Drumming just kind of rubbed off on me; it came real natural. I followed music to New York City where I was lucky enough to play with some great people, peaking at a session I was called in on by David Byrne of the Talking Heads. It was a session with singer/musician Terry Hall of the Specials and guitarist Marc Ribot who has played with the likes of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. David Byrne was producing and also playing guitar. I was beside myself for those couple of days. Soon after that, I moved to LA and hooked up with the Rentals in 2006, mainly as the drummer, but before long, we were in my little garage studio recording the first Rentals music since 1999. It was an EP called Last Little Life. I co-produced and engineered that one in addition to collaborating on the songs and playing drums. My role after that, besides drumming, was pretty much as a quality control consultant, tweaking mixes and giving my opinions whether Matt wanted them or not! I left The Rentals in 2010, but some of my drum tracks are on the latest Rentals record which came out in 2014.”
When asked how this current project came about, Joeright shared, “Every year I throw a summer solstice party called, ‘Yucca Man Shakedown,’ and we have live music. Last year, I had a friend with a short wave radio and another friend with a Theremin, so I put together a pretty unusual drum kit – a Tympani; it’s a 28″ kick drum with some triggers for some odd ball samples. We did this experimental jam which went over pretty well, and we were able to create some really interesting sounds. The next day, I started recording the rhythms and sounds I had been playing but with a bit more structure, and that was the beginning. The first song I recorded was, “It Begins,” and it features the Tympani and Theremin. I continued to whittle away at stuff over the course of the year, and as this year’s Yucca Man party was approaching, I wanted to perform these new compositions. I started making calls and assembling a band and that’s right around the time I invited Gabba (Gabriella Evaro) down for the vocal session.”
“I just happened to catch Gabriella at the Trading Post doing a solo show, and when I heard her voice, I thought that it might work well with the song. I invited her down to give it a go and she nailed it! There was something about the tone of her voice that blended perfectly with the big drum sounds and the strings on the track. She improvised some pretty great lyrics right on the spot too. I was so happy! I was secretly hoping that I could convince her to sing on a few more songs, which I eventually did.”
The joy was not Joeright’s alone. “Daniel asked me to sing a couple of songs for his side project,Earth Moon Earth for his annual desert party, “Yucca Man Shakedown,” Evaro shared.“What started out as just something fun, turned into so much more. I have had such a wonderful time recording with Daniel; he allowed me to really do whatever it was I wanted to vocally. He would just press record, and off I would go. From singing gibberish to singing “New Mourning (Hummingbird)”, our single, it was truly a sweet process and really, for me, my favorite way to record.”
The New EP, New Single, New Album and Tour:
Right now the full length album is not quite finished. “It still needs to be mixed and mastered,” Joeright explained. “But we wanted to put together an album preview and make it available for upcoming shows. The three song CD/’Album Preview,’ will be available at our shows. We plan to release the full length album in the fall.”
“This really is a special project for me because this music is something I wouldn’t have ever done,” added Evaro. “It’s been challenging in all the best ways. This year I have been pushing myself to grow in all art forms. I am loving the dance of life. I am so thrilled to going on tour. This is my first, and to be opening up for Skye and Ross of Morcheeba is amazing. I just love our Earth Moon Earth family. Wherever it may take me, I am happy and blessed, surrounded by the best musicians and hard, hard working artists. I can’t wait to see where the moon will take us next.”
Their first single and video release, “New Mourning (Hummingbird),”grabs hold of your ears and will not let go until it’s had its way with your heart. It melodically wraps you in a warm sonic kaleidoscope as Evaro gently, yet poignantly, pours its relevant message over your soul. “I feel the heart ache. That’s because the world just keeps on falling down, falling down for you, and me too.” To Evaro, these lyrics speak to what’s going on all over the world: “It addresses the weight of the pain and struggle that we’re all feeling,” shared Evaro.“Daniel had a song he was working on titled ‘New Mourning.’ It was right after another horrible news day – people suffering terrible loss. The basic concept was that every day, there is something new to mourn. I took the concept and started working out lyrics. A favorite Native American story of mine is about a hummingbird that travels to outer space, and brings back a sacred healing rock that brings harmony to the world. I thought this song could be a vehicle for me to use the hummingbird as a metaphor for us, the people, to represent strength, power and change. We are the change in the world, so ‘don’t lose sight; keep moving quickly up.’ New mourning will always come, but through mourning, we must try to ‘see and live in love.’ It’s a celebration for being human, feeling all, being present, and rising up!”
This Thursday, September 1, will be one of the rare opportunities to see Earth Moon Earth locally before they head out to LA and beyond.
Thursday, Sept. 1 Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneer Town, CA
(Free show – seating reserved for second seating dinner reservations only 760-365-5956)
Friday, Sept. 2, Regency Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
Saturday, Sept. 3, Belly Up,Solana Beach, CA
Sunday, Sept. 4, The Roxy Theater, Los Angeles, CA
Follow Moon Earth Moon and find their music at these links:
www.facebook.com/earthmoonearthband
www.instagram.com/earthmoonearth
-
Photo By Bon Neilson
-
-
