With most bands these days, it seems to be what’s outside that counts.
What makes the imaginative duo of Sarah Scott and Jonathan Kochmer -- known
as Two Loons for Tea -- stand out from the crowd starts inside. Literally
in the case of Sarah. She’s got an extra rib – 13 of them on one
side rather than the conventional dozen.
Maybe there’s a connection between that and the hauntingly beautiful
voice, hypnotic melodies and colorfully offbeat lyrics she brings to the
music of Two Loons for Tea.
Jonathan, as far as he knows, has the standard number on both sides. But
he mirrors his partner’s asymmetry with his visionary musical constructions.
Recorded in part at Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in Texas with
drummer Matt Chamberlain (Pearl Jam, Tori Amos), keyboard master Patrick
Warren (Michael Penn, Fiona Apple) and strings wizard Eyvind Kang (John
Zorn, Blonde Redhead) helping out, the album brings the alchemy of Sarah’s
hauntingly beautiful vocals and colorfully imaginative lyrics combined with
Jonathan’s vivid musical vision to full fruition.
The title is a perfect fit for the songs that are both crystal clear portrayals
and vivid visions worthy of Jung. The atmospheres can shift from being as
lush as the Seattle landscapes to as arid and spare as the west-Texas desert,
the images range from intimate confessions to colorful character sketches.
Very much not about trends and hairdos. But what is it about?
The tingle.
“Our involvement with music is about making a connection with something
larger than ourselves,” Jonathan says. “It’s that whole-body
tingling feeling we get when we’re recording or performing and alerts
us that we’re on the right path.” But it’s not just for them.
It’s for the audience. “To hear back reports from others that
they’ve experienced the same tingling at home or at shows is wonderful.
It’s about creating a community of feeling.”
It’s Jonathan and Sarah who sound like proud parents as they discuss
their hopes for the album. “We want to do this one right,” Jonathan
says. “This time, I’m staying away from butter knives and buffalo
burgers. I don’t want to miss that thrill when people tell us a song
has a thematic tie to their lives”
“Or even,” Sarah notes, “when they say, ‘We made a baby
to one of your songs! Or ‘your music made me get lucky.’ We hear
this one a lot! And they share far too many details with us. TMI! Strange
to think we’re in the bedroom with them.”
Buy T.L.F.T.
CDs
