They write the songs
New songwriters' night brings fresh sounds to Palo Alto
by Rebecca Wallace
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"When you come up against a wall, knock it down!" Tami Mulcahy sings on the small stage at Fanny & Alexander in Palo Alto. The air smells of buffalo wings, and the clean-cut blonde is all earnest energy.
Nothing can stop her -- until her guitar pick breaks.
Fellow songwriter to the rescue: Mike Steed jumps up from the audience with a new pick.
It's a cute moment that epitomizes Tuesdays Tacos & Tunes. A couple of months ago, the San Carlos group West Coast Songwriters kicked off the weekly evenings to provide a new venue for Bay Area songwriters. The musicians also share war stories and perhaps find a composer or lyricist to team up with.
Tuesdays Tacos & Tunes (named for the $1 tacos) is still, in the words of West Coast Songwriters executive director Ian Crombie, "a growing thing." Crombie brings in a mix of songwriters, some new and some with a following, and the turnout varies.
Last week, when Mulcahy, Steed and the duo emith played, the crowd was pint-sized but spirited. This week, Crombie said about 200 people turned out, partly because Palo Alto children's folk singer Nancy Cassidy was holding a CD release party at the event.
Overall, Crombie says the point is to give songwriters a place to play, which is not easy to find around here. He laments such bygone Palo Alto venues as the Varsity Theatre (now a Borders bookstore) and the St. Michael's Alley restaurant, which used to host musicians.
Tami Mulcahy, a Los Altos resident who played at the Varsity years ago, has been writing songs since she was a teenager. Once a physical therapist, she's now a full-time musician.
"I'm fortunate; my husband supports me," she said.
Mulcahy recorded her "White Wall" CD in 2000, and has performed in many venues, including school music programs. Indeed, her music -- which she sings in a high voice reminiscent of Shawn Colvin -- is family-friendly, with upbeat chords and messages.
One song includes the lines: "Jackson was as good as any man could be / but Jackson couldn't read." Ultimately, Jackson finds a mentor and becomes a teacher.
Before singing "Jackson," Mulcahy tells the audience: "Somewhere between Safeway and home it got written. It was a gift."
At the front table, her husband, Tim, and son, Colin, watch over their Starbucks cups and fries.
While Mulcahy writes both lyrics and music, she enjoys collaborating with other musicians, and tonight is joined by Los Altos guitarist Roger Strom. She sometimes finds musical partners through West Coast Songwriters, where she's a longtime member.
Founded in Palo Alto in 1979, the group seeks to help songwriters both create and market music. Activities include writing classes; other songwriter "showcases" like the one at F&A's; and "songscreenings," where music industry folk critique members' songs. Recently, a Nashville music publisher visited, looking for new country songs.
"Country music and TV and film are probably the most open markets. The pop market is pretty much sewn up. If it's not the artist themselves writing the song, it's their producer," Crombie said.
While Mulcahy says she's content to perform locally, many others in the songwriting group are very interested in heading for Nashville or other heady locations.
San Francisco songwriter Mike Steed, who takes the F&A stage after Mulcahy with guitarist Rick English, is all set to leave his work as a merchandising consultant to tour with the Mike Steed Band. He calls his music alt-country with a pop side, songs about "break-ups, make-ups, road trips, things you learn along the way."
Steed says he gets compared to Tom Petty, and on stage it's clear why: There's the curling smile, the vocal twang on the quiet notes. He's got power higher up in his vocal register, though, and the music rocks harder, filling the bar.
Also set to perform tonight are Stevie Gurr of Los Angeles and his San Mateo music and romantic partner, Carol H.
The two are the acoustic duo emith, a folky pairing accented by Carol's breathy, pensive voice. They somehow manage to write songs together across the miles. "It's a lot of phone calls," Gurr says.
This night, though, is not about long-distance challenges or writer's block. It's just about being behind the mic, warm under the lights, and bringing what you've created to everyone in the room.
"Music," Steed says simply, "is all I've ever wanted to do."