SHANA FALANA BACK TO ROOTS AT TUBBY’S
Kingston-based psych/shoegaze rocker Shana Falana is going back to her roots as a musician at Tubby’s on Friday, March 6.
The show is the second of two back-to-back shows she’s playing alongside her drummer, Michael Amari, at the Midtown bar in preparation for their performance during the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, which runs from March 13 through 22.
“That’s why we have this set and we’re playing these two shows,” Falana said. That means skipping out on the loop processors she typically uses for both her vocals and her guitar and opting for just playing and singing with drums and guitar.
Gold Dime, who plays drums and is a sound person for Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, will open Friday at 8 p.m. Falana is set to take the stage at 9:30 p.m.
“At first, we were like, ‘Oh my god, this is really rough,’” Falana said. “Now, we’re exploring. “Mike is singing more. I can see how strong the actual songs are when you take the guitar parts out and you’re just playing and singing with drums and guitar.”
They’ll also strip away the light show that’s become a signature of their performances at Tubby’s and later South by Southwest. Falana said the decision was driven in part by the fact that smaller bands at South by Southwest don’t get a soundcheck.
“You don’t get a lot of time to worry about your gear,” Falana said.
She added that they like to control their sound as much as possible so it was just easier to strip down the set, allowing them to set up really quickly and still sound good.
“We created this set for this festival,” Falana said. “It’s going to be easier for us. We’re just going to show up with drums and an amp, instead of all the other stuff.”
Falana admitted this has been a challenge after using loop processors for the past 15 years.
“I’m pretty comfortable with that,” she said. “It can make a solo artist sound bigger and more complex.”
The looping process involves taping a one-chord drone that fits over an entire section of music while she plays and then bringing it out with volume peddles, she said. Falana said she last played without loop processors before she teamed up with Amari to create backing tracks. She’s found, however, that taking a different approach to her music was rewarding.
“We’re rehearsing every day,” Falana said. “It also feels like an old friend.”
She also said her music is pretty “simplistic in terms of writing” and makes stripping things down easier.
“I’m not writing complicated music. If anything, the only complicated part is the vocals, which make it sound more complicated. A lot of my music is repetitive, droney and simplistic in that way.”
She admitted that, in the past, she was never keen on playing South by Southwest, but she decided to play there on Amari’s recommendation.
“I’m sober for 10 years. It seems like thousands of drunk fans are wandering around,” Falana said. “I’m 48 years old. Everyone at South by South is in their 20s and 30s.”
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But, Falana added, age is not really a factor for her, and she likes to be around any group of musicians and artists who are active.
“I can’t imagine my life not being in midst of a music community. I’ve done doing this since my 20s. Other people in their late 40s playing music wonder if they’re supposed to stop. I’m in a different spot.”
Falana said their work on these stripped-down sets has made them consider putting out a lo-fi record.
“We’ll have to wait and see what people think after the Tubby’s show and South by Southwest. Mike is in love with this set. I’m the one that’s just a little unsure.
“We’ll let the audience decide.”
Falana said their decision to play the show was also partly driven by the success of their latest album, “Darkest Light,” which was released last October and has found its way overseas.
“It’s definitely in the U.K. and people are writing about it,” Falana said.
Closer to home, it has found airplay on WFMU, an indie radio station in East Orange, New Jersey. “It’s a really cool radio station there. People really got into it.”
The title “Darkest Light” comes from a desire to find some kind of light at the end of a tunnel we’re in right now, according to Falana.
“A lot of people are in a really dark place right now. It’s sort of me saying, even in the darkest of times, there’s always a light.”
Falana said she moved to the Hudson Valley in 2008 to get sober. “I was trying to save my life.”
At first, she said, she only stayed because she feared relapsing.
“I didn’t know anybody when I moved to the area. I was really lonely for four years.”
But she was determined to stick it out, saying she had hope that she would eventually find her tribe.
“I come from a colorful, creative, freaky artist community. Market Market opened in Rosendale. That was the first marker in the area.”
Then things just progressed from there.
“Market Market (Café) was a home base for avantgarde artists that were living here. That place made me feel like I can stay in the
PROVIDED PHOTO BY SHERI GIBLIN
area.”
When Market Market closed, O+ and BSP kept cultivating that scene, Falana said. She added that Tubby’s reminds her of the alternative DYI music scene she was part of in San Francisco in the 1990s. It’s a small room, with lower costs than BSP or Colony Woodstock, giving the venue more wiggle room to experiment with weird eccentric bands, she said.
“We’ve been needing that here, so I’m excited to play there,” Falana said.