E:
Where musicians unplug in West County
Tuesday,
May 10th, 2011 | Posted by Laurie
Weed
By
LAURIE WEED
SEBASTOPOL
CORRESPONDENT
It’s
not every concert ticket that comes with a treasure map. The map leads
to a converted barn on the southwest side of Sebastopol , where narrow
lanes wind among the apple orchards and quiet farmhouses. It also reminds
ticket holders, on behalf of the neighbors, to drive no more than 15 mph.
Nina
Gerber, left, and Chris Webster, right warm up during sound check at Studio
E in Sebastopol , May 7, 2011. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)
At
the end of a country road, two volunteers in day-glow vests direct slow-moving
cars across a lumpy field. An hour before show time, most of the audience
has already parked and is lined up outside the barn, also known as Studio
E, waiting patiently for the doors to open.
Laurie
Schaeffer of Schaef-Abel Productions works the door, welcoming each ticket
holder warmly and greeting regular guests by name. As usual, the show
is sold out.
Schaeffer
has a deep, lifelong passion for a certain kind of music: acoustic Americana
with a country-folk bent. She started booking shows at Studio E seven
years ago with the goal of creating “a listening room,” where folk musicians
and singer/songwriters could play their music “the way it was meant to
be heard.”
The
barn, a former Grateful Dead party house, was turned into a professional
recording studio by current owner Jeff Martin, who saw the potential for
a private performance venue. Inside, almost a hundred people are jostling
politely for seats on the motley assortment of folding chairs and old
sofas. Curved wooden sound panels, painted purple and black, appear leftover
from the Dead era. Martin bounces through the crowd, grinning and shaking
hands. More volunteers staff the CD table and sell drinks out of the kitchen.
“This
is almost a no-profit venture,” says Schaeffer. “Everybody is paid on
percentage, and we get by with lots of volunteer help. People just love
coming here; it feels like a family affair.”
And
a family affair it is: Martin’s parents often spend a whole day baking,
then invite everybody into the kitchen for dessert after the show.
Peter
Viehoever, sound technician at Studio E in Sebastopol , runs through sound
check with Chris Webster and Nina Gerber, May 7, 2011. (Crista Jeremiason
/ PD)
Another
volunteer steps up to the microphone to welcome the crowd, some of whom
drove all the way from Humboldt County . Waving from behind the soundboard,
engineer Peter Viehoever gets his own enthusiastic round of applause even
before the show begins.
The
appeal to the audience is clear, but what does it take to convince top
musicians to play a 100-seat barn in West County ? “We
treat them really, really well,” Schaeffer says. ““This is a home-away-from-home
for the performers. Our amazing sound guy runs out and helps them load.
And I always make them a home-cooked meal, which is something that musicians
on the road don’t get too often—and I take requests!” She
adds: “It’s hard work being on the road, performing at different venues
all the time. Here, they can put down the set lists for a night, just
relax and do what they love best, and be appreciated for it. That means
a lot to them.”
Tonight’s
show features country/folk singer Chris Webster and legendary bluegrass/folk
guitarist Nina Gerber. The two have played together many times over their
20-year acquaintance and talk to each other like old friends, yet nothing
about their performance feels worn. “Normally,
Chris and Nina are both kind of shy. But when they’re together, they play
off of each other, improvise, break out new material and jokes, cracking
up each other and the audience.” Schaeffer says with delight.
Setting
up on stage, the two musicians seem relaxed and happy, chatting with people
in the front rows. Describing the full house as “snuggly,” Webster acknowledges
that these shows are a labor of love.
“Laurie
[Schaeffer] makes all of this come together. She’s put her whole heart
into it, made it special. It’s obviously not for the money, she just loves
music—and musicians. We come back to play here because she’s created this…”
Webster searches for the right word. “Community. And for the pie, of course.”
The
place may look makeshift, but as Schaeffer says, “Our sound is pristine.
Every show is recorded, and some of the recordings will be released as
live-performance albums.”
As
the first perfect note is strummed, all chatting falls silent. You can
almost hear the rapture, everyone in the audience breathing softly so
as not to disturb the sound. When the song ends, the crowd responds with
religious fervor: thundering applause, whistles and cheers. A gray-haired
woman clasps her hands under her chin and sighs. One man leaps to his
feet, waving his arms in revival-meeting ecstasy. Schaeffer
laughs and nods with satisfaction at the scene. “What
else can I say about this place? You have to experience it for yourself.
There’s nothing like it.”
For
information about upcoming shows at Studio E, visit: www.northbaylive.com
(see
below for more photos from Studio E)
Laurie
Schaeffer of Schaef-Abel Productions before a show at Studio E in Sebastopol
,
May
7, 2011.
Nina
Gerber warms up during sound check with the help of her dog Tootsie Roll
Gerber at Studio E, May
7, 2011. Tootsie Roll sits on stage during Nina Gerber's performances.
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