Barefoot and wearing a granny dress, Lauren Fox brings her successful 2013 show Canyon Folkies to
The Cutting Room tonight in preparation for touring.
“When I was on my early twenties, I moved out to Los Angeles and almost immediately upon settling there, met a group of musicians that were living in Laurel Canyon. I sang with them regularly at clubs around town and in their home recording studios. It was about the ART and MUSIC, and nothing else. The history of the era that birthed the Laurel Canyon music scene is palpable, even today. It’s about community.”
“We’ve lost that thread in modern society, and I find that sad. I find myself nostalgic for the time when artists were creating for the sake of art and community. I can’t really describe why the particular sound of that era of music resonates so deeply for me. It just does. It’s a vibe. It haunts me. I wish I had been a part of it.” Lauren Fox
“The air is warm and fresh, everything seems more colorful, singer/songwriters are poets. It’s the mid/late 1960s and 70s. Laurel Canyon overflows with cross pollinating artists. Few make any money at the top of these years, some die, many are famous by the end. No one locked their door..”. I wrote at the top of my original review.
I am a child in these hills/And looking for water/And looking for life… Fox sings imbuing the song with raw hope. (“A Child in These Hills”- Jackson Browne) David Crosby, Stephen Sills, Graham Nash, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Jackie DeShannon, Glenn Frey, John Philips; Carole King immigrating from New York… Imagine arriving there – then.
Fox immersed herself in research for this show. It’s a look back, steeped in memory for those of us who lived with the music when it was new. Every song is put into context, bracketed by stories of pivotal relationships, illuminated by anecdotes. The artist doesn’t emulate, she inhabits. Her voice seems warmer, fuller, more mature; long notes feel unforced, range appears greater. Arrangements are expressively textured; the band is terrific.
Photo by Stephen Hanks
An ominous “For What It’s Worth” (Stephen Stills) failed to chart. You may not recognize the title, while lyrics are likely familiar: There’s something happening here/What it is ain’t exactly clear/There’s a man with a gun over there/Telling me I’ve got to beware… Though the song was employed as background to Vietnam films, it was written about cops harassing longhairs on Sunset Strip. Jon Weber and Peter Calo offer rich vocal back-up, the latter delivers a hard guitar strum. Buffalo Springfield (Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin, Stephen Stills)
The Byrds (Jim McQuinn and Chris Hillman) “So You Want to Be a Rock n’ Roll Star” was described by journalist Tim Connors as “an acerbic, but good-natured swipe at the success of manufactured rock bands like The Monkees.” John Phillips’ “Twelve-Thirty” aka “Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon” further nods to success and groupies. (The Mamas and the Papas– John & Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliott, Denny Doherty)
When David Crosby drove into the Canyon with a green Porsche, his peers took notice. The song starts buoyant with Fox dancing in place, then becomes raucous. The artist jumps, wiggles, and waves. Weber offers a harpsichordish classical turn. Several verses are blended a capella. Sound is like a waterfall.
Stephen Stills’ “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (a play on “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes”) was written for Judy Collins.
I am yours, you are mine… is punctuated by a hard nod. It’s declarative. The word “heart” slides. Fox rhythmically slaps her thigh. Calo’s guitar twirls and leaps. Doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo, the three infectiously sing. Audience is encouraged to join. Graham Nash arrived from England and an unhappy marriage. The group Crosby, Stills and Nash was formed.
Photo by Stephen Hanks
Joni Mitchell fell in love with Nash. He moved into her house and it became “Our House.” (Joni Mitchell/Graham Nash): I’ll light the fire/You place the flowers in a vase… Fox is sincere, grateful. Octave rises creating harmony. It didn’t last. Mitchell had an affair with Stills. All three agreed to cancel a Crosby, Stills and Nash tour. “Cheer up, you’re gonna get at least three good songs out of this,” Cosby quipped to Stills.
“Laurel Canyon was magical. One morning, everyone decided to open their windows and drop a needle on The Beatles’ “Let It Be.” (Fox) Migration west from The Brill Building (New York’s songwriting center) began with freshly divorced Carol King looking to reinvent herself. “Way Over Yonder” (from Tapestry) arrives hopeful, relieved, determined. Weber keens back and forth at the piano.
Songs were not always introduced by their writers. King’s iconic “You’ve Got a Friend” was a hit- in fact his only charted hit- for James Taylor. Here Fox sings to individual audience members. All you gotta do is call, she points. Bone deep directness identifies performance and author. David Geffin started his own label, Asylum, with Jackson Browne, Glenn Fry, JD Souther, Linda Ronstadt, and Joni Mitchell.
Despite the quintessential nature of “Woodstock,” Joni Mitchell never made it to Max Yasgur’s Farm for the celebration. She was booked on The Dick Cavett Show and Geffin was afraid she might get stuck. One can only imagine her chagrin when Crosby, Stills, and Nash (helicoptered out) surprised her on television. By the time the festival was over, she’d written the song. The trio had a hit, but it’s her version that resonates.
Fox’s interpretation is haunting. Vocal rises higher to classic folkie level. She rolls “stardust” around in her mouth savoring. Calo and Weber evoke ghosts. Jamie Mohamdein provides ballast. And I dreamed I saw the bombers/Riding shotgun in the sky…She looks up. I remember lying on a blanket in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow at a Be-In when a crop duster flew over, having the same nervous thought. The plane dropped flowers. “The song fades.
Courtesy of the artist
“By the end of 1969, things changed in Laurel Canyon.” Fox introduces us to singer/songwriter Judy Sills and an all but unknown Neil Young song. (These are tonight’s two weak choices.) The Manson Murders took place. People locked their doors. Death by drugs became a music industry plague.
Jim Morrison’s stoned, evangelistic “The End” symbolizes dark days. It’s dissonant, cacophonous and frankly hard to listen to. Fox closes her eyes and sways. Calo’s guitar sounds bee-like. Bass rumbles. Weber’s notes roil like lava. “Before the Deluge” (Jackson Browne) describes the rise and fall of a utopia: Some of them were dreamers/Some of them were fools…A capella conjures sense memory.
The show closes with “Hotel California.” (The Eagles– Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Fry) Fox’s arms rise balletically, she swings her long hair to the side. Calo excels at what sounds like classical Spanish guitar. The vocalist steps aside against a pillar to fully enjoy. We all sing the chorus: Welcome to the Hotel California/Such a lovely place (Such a lovely place)…Sound penetrates skin. The atmosphere has changed.
Opening Photo Andrew Poretz – Jon Weber, Lauren Fox, , Jamie Mohamdein, Peter Calo
Canyon Folkies (Redux)
Lauren Fox
Musical Director/Piano/Vocals – Jon Weber
Peter Calo – Guitar/Vocals
Jamie Mohamdein – Bass
The Cutting Room
44 East 32nd Street
Calendar: https://thecuttingroomnyc.com/calendar/
