Monterey House Concerts: Broussard, Rogers, Weiss, Zettler (AKA Lightyear)

L to R:  Allison Weiss, Lauren Zettler (AKA Lightyear), and Rolling Stone cover contestant Lelia Broussard after their May 2010 Monterey show.

Broussard (at right, above and below), along with fellow performers Weiss and Zettler, caught the attention of Monterey County Weekly photographer Nic Coury and landed on the May 27, 2010 cover of the Monterey County Weekly (below) after playing a Monterey House Concerts show put on by Sierra Dehmler. Read that “House Music” cover story, “Local house concerts provide struggling musicians with respite from economic travails,” by Paul Wilner.

Read more about Lelia and the RS cover competition on this site.

© 2010 by the Monterey County Weekly.

Photo by the Weekly’s Staff Photographer Nic Coury.

Left to right:  Lauren Zettler, Allison Weiss, and Lelia Broussard

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The info below was originally published November 2010:

Post-show update: This was a magical experience for all who attended.  Allison Weiss, her humor and musicality in great form, opened and set the tone for an extraordinary evening.  Bess Rogers followed, and from her own tunes to her momentary Cream riffs to her cover of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” a la her country-bluegrass ’80s cover band The Flux Capacitors, Bess charmed the room.  Then Lelia Broussard nailed down the audience with her passionate and playful performance. 

And there were several numbers with two or all three performing together–beautiful harmonies and clearly some friends who love to make music together.

Top these three ladies off with a special treat for those who stayed late:  Stephen Covell was in the audience and was coaxed to play a few tunes.

The Monterey House Concerts shows are booked by Monterey native Sierra Dehmler, who relocated to New York in Jan 2011.  Sierra provides a services for independent musicians, including social media management, tour support, concert photography, and more. To contact Sierra, email: montereyhouseconcerts [AT] gmail [DOT] com

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Thursday, November 18

Monterey House Concerts presents

Quest for Glory House Show—

the tour’s only stop between Ventura and Eugene.

Same venue and two returning artists as appeared on 5/27/10

Monterey County Weekly cover:  back by popular request, Allison Weiss and Lelia Broussard.

Plus Bess Rogers.

Doors open: 6:30 p.m.  Show: 7-9 p.m.
$15 suggested donation (all money goes to the musicians).

Advance reservations strongly recommended.

Reserve your spot here: http://www.questforglorytour.com/houseshows

All-ages show. For location, and for other questions,

contact Sierra Dehmler via email:   montereyhouseconcerts@gmail.com

Optional:  Bring your own beer/wine or non-alcoholic beverage and potluck food (from healthy snacks to decadent desserts) to share.

Bike-there tips?  Scroll to the end of this post.  And it’s a HER Helmet Thursday, so enjoy HHT spots en route!

About This Concert

(Guest post by Sierra Dehmler)

Top to bottom: Bess, Allison, Lelia

The Quest for Glory Tour is coming to Monterey! We’re super lucky to get them on their busy fall tour–playing 11 shows in 11 days from San Diego to Vancouver, BC–and in such an intimate setting no less.

Read on to learn more, and then RSVP. This will be the last concert I host before moving to the East Coast, so come on out and pack the house!

Each show is packed with lots of laughs and beautiful music. Bess, Lelia & Allison are all veteran performers and accomplished musicians, with lots of tours and albums under their proverbial belts.

For those of you unfamiliar with Bess, Lelia & Allison:

Bess Rogers has been writing, recording and performing her own music for years, as well as being in many other bands (including The Age of Rockets and her 80’s country/bluegrass cover band, The Flux Capacitors). All this in addition to touring extensively with Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs, Allie Moss, and others. Bess just released a new EP (Bess Rogers Presents Bess Rogers), and it’s super awesome! Check it out (http://tinyurl.com/29zqfae) and come to the show ready to sing along.

Lelia Broussard is a super talented lady with the best laugh on the planet and songs to match. The maturity in her music is breathtaking, her songwriting is stellar, and her voice is A+. Her new album, Masquerade, comes out in November 2nd, and is available for pre-order here: http://tinyurl.com/27tvxry. Listen to some songs from the upcoming record via the links below. Then do yourself a favor and come see Lelia before she’s too famous to play living rooms! Do it!

Allison Weiss is a force to be reckoned with. No joke. Her catchy tunes are likely to get stuck in your head (and you won’t mind, either!).   She has been working her behind off touring, recording, and releasing all her own material for the past few years. She recently released Allison Weiss Was Right All Along (my favorite album of hers by far), which was produced by Dan Romer (who also produces Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs, and nearly everyone else I’ve ever loved). Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/28cuyrh.

So! Come see these fancy ladies! Sit on a couch!  Eat some food! Hear some awesome music!  Oh, and maybe even…GET KNIGHTED and win cool stuff. (Yeah, seriously.)

*RSVP to montereyhouseconcerts@gmail.com to reserve your spot.*

Follow the QFG Tour as they knight people and rock faces all across the country:   http://questforglory.tumblr.com/

11/10 — Manhattan Beach, CA @ Twelve & Highland
11/11 — San Francisco, CA @ The Hotel Utah
11/12 — Medford, OR @ Johnny B’s
11/13 — Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre Lounge
11/14 — Seattle, WA @ House Show (get tickets)
11/15 — Vancouver, BC @ The Railway Club
11/16 — Eugene, OR @ Cozmic Pizza
11/18 — Monterey, CA @ House Show (get tickets)
11/19 — Ventura, CA @ Zooey’s Cafe
11/20 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
11/21 — San Diego, CA @ Lestat’s
More info on all of these shows at http://allisonw.com/tour
Check us out at http://questforglorytour.com

More links:
http://www.myspace.com/bessrogers + http://www.bessrogers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/leliabroussard + http://www.leliabroussard.com/
http://www.myspace.com/allisonweiss + http://www.allisonw.com/

Bike-there tips

There is secure bicycle parking at this event.

How long does it take to bike there? From Wharf II, Monterey, Google’s new bike directions indicate it takes 20 minutes for this 3-mile (one-way) trip.  As a local who does this route, I’d say it may take you a bit longer en route (due to the uphill portion) if you’re not in shape.  And for the return trip, yes, you are likely to do it easily in 20 minutes via Garden Rd route, which has bike lanes  (or via the Joselyn Cyn route, which is not recommended for biking in the dark–no bike lane and narrow or no shoulder).

Where is the concert ? Specific directions are provided when you RSVP.  If you’re thinking of bicycling, here’s what to know for now:

The concert location is off Josselyn Canyon Road.  Best option for biking in the dark is to skip Josselyn Canyon and come to the concert via Garden Road, followed by 4/10 of a mile along Highway 68, then a left turn onto Josselyn Canyon Road.  From there, it’s just a quick hop-skip-and-pedal to the concert!  (Garden Rd route has an extended gradual hill at one point en route, no real climbing  on the way back.)

If you’re experienced with and prefer biking Josselyn in the dark (not recommended–no bike lanes, narrow or no shoulder), then here ya go:    Biking Josselyn Canyon (from Mark Thomas Drive),  the 1.3 mile canyon section of your route to the concert is mostly easy and only mildly strenuous at times.  It’s likely quite comfortable for most cyclists.  It’s downhill, then flat, then a very slight uphill climb for extended period, then a very short hill).  The return trip is cinchy, with one very short, easy hill at the end before you’re back on Mark Thomas.  (From Mark Thomas, it’s an easy ride to the coastal bike paths and many other bike routes.)

Personal safety:  Since your bike trips will be in the dark, it’s suggested that you bike with one or more friends and use proper lights and night-visible apparel. Remember to charge up those bike lights in advance!

And even when traveling to the concert, whether you bike there via Garden Road (and a tiny section of Josselyn), or whether you take the route entirely through Josselyn Canyon, high-visibility apparel and accessories are appropriate.

This is a mixed-ages, beer-and-wine or no alcohol event in a private home.  That’s great for biking, because you can hear live music outside of a wild and crazy bar setting where you might be tempted to unwisely overindulge in alcohol before bicycling home.

Tour guide or bike-and-ride options:

If you would like the option of a local bicycle tour guide for bicycling the return trip in the dark, please contact me, as that service could be arranged for this event.

Another option for a safe return trip is to use a bike-and-ride solution, such as:

• meet up at the concert with a friend who isn’t biking there, and do the return trip by toting your bicycle home on/in their vehicle;
• call a taxi (bring a bunji cord to secure the cabbie’s trunk);
• and if you’re staying at a local hotel, you may have access to a hotel shuttle to pick up you and your bike after 10 o’clock.

There is no evening MST bus service to this location.