Dark Comes Soon

I flip-flopped about heading out to an event on Wednesday night. But I remembered skipping out on what might have been a great show a few years back. Geary Ave. is more gentrified since then, but there was still room for fun. A small recording studio/event space called Division 88 was hosting a Winter Solstice party.

The industrial space had a hip vibe with wooden benches, graffiti, a wall papered over with comic book pages, and a section filled from floor to ceiling with vinyls. The studio area was partially closed off for the show. It was more house party than advertised event, even if there was a door cover and you paid for beer and wine. I was pretty sure any liquor license for the venue was likely of the nod-and-wink variety.

The two hosts for the evening started with a group sing. While Emily Steinwall accompanied the crowd with the repeated lyrics from Crosby, Stills & Nash's Find the Cost of Freedom, Kyla Charter improvised melody and harmony. With the crowd now engaged, Cheyenne Sapphire (a last-minute replacement for Merival) led folks through some moving meditation involving breath-work, body movement, visualization, and vocal releases (singing, yelling, etc.). She then did a combination of spoken word and performance art with Steinwall adding occasional sax and flute riffs. As this artist offered tantra coaching and related teachings, some of Sapphire's verses and movement got rather spicy. I was in awe with someone so unselfconscious and comfortable with themselves.

Charter returned for a proper set. Using a looping station, she layered a cappella vocals for originals (Doubts, Forest Jam, Thousand Goodbyes) and a wonderful cover of Radiohead's 15 step. When I first saw her, I felt she had a sweet but weak voice even if she sang backup quite nicely. But tonight I was astonished by her range and power. Full-throated Earth Mother was a better fit than sad indie girl. Charter had a surprise at the end for the audience (that included many friends) and her father. She was changing her name to Laila Noel as her current name was mostly a feminized version of her dad's.

I left soon afterwards because I was too old for these late-night events. I also don't enjoy house parties and certainly not an (in-all-but-name) one where I was a total stranger. But listening to Steinwall's album Welcome To The Garden (which won a SOCAN prize) the next day, I think I missed out on a great performance. Well, half a FOMO is better than a full one.