Forgive me, for I have sinned. It's been nearly two weeks since our last makeout. I'm sure you've probably moved on by now, found others to make out with and forgotten me completely, and I don't blame you. All I can say in my defense is something you undoubtedly already know -- that family emergencies have a powerful proclivity to clarify priorities and put things in perspective. Getting one of those phone calls is like being awakened from a wet dream by a bucket of ice water, poured over your head by a sadistic Angus Young lookalike. Even if I'd wanted to make out with you while waiting to see my daughter through a bizarre bacterial infection and my father through quadruple bypass surgery, my cotton mouth and shaking hands would have made it pretty unpleasant. But all is better now, and I have to tell you about a local act's cool ploy to get their music into your hands for the price of a cup of coffee -- literally.
Wentworth Kersey, the surprising and surprisingly successful collaboration between George & Caplin's Jeffrey Stevens and oft-admired singer-songwriter (and Bad Weather California bassist) Joe Sampson, is poised to release the second in its trilogy of EPs. But you won't find the new disc at Twist & Shout, on iTunes or at a live show.
Rather than jumping through the usual hoops of CD release shows and distribution headaches, the duo -- both members of which would rather make music than sell it -- has decided to give the EP away, exclusively to patrons of St. Mark's Coffee House.
On Sunday, May 17, Stevens and Sampson will drop off about 500 copies of the seven-song collection at the iconic java stop. All you need to do is stop in, by a cup of coffee and ask for the Wentworth Kersey CD. You'll want to hurry though, because the pair isn't planning to press any more copies.I spoke to Jeff Stevens last week about the ideas behind this creative and wildly unprofitable approach to music distribution, and I'll have more on that later this week.
