What could be mistaken for a bed of human sardines (promo photo), sings like a dream, engages audiences and tells stories to boot? On the count of three, “the Evangenitals.”
That’s the group’s name and its body of performers will be entertaining at Boulevard Music Saturday, Sept. 28 from 8 to 10 p.m., at 4316 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. Tickets are $17.50 and can be ordered at the store, or by phone at 310-398-2583.
Boulevard Music owner Gary Mandell says, Evangenitals “will celebrate the full spectrum of human emotions (with) the darn good songs they make.”
Look past the group’s name, as it is “not” one of those risqué shows. Evangenitals promises a solid PG-rating for the evening,” the whole family is welcome to come to fall in love with the diverse catalog of bandleader and songwriter Dr. Juli Crockett, whose compositions range from truck-stop lullabies to Kleamer-punk-jazz odysseys, and heart-breaking ballads to hillbilly stomp.”
Founded by playwright/director Crockett (Padua Playwrights) and opera, jazz and gospel singer Lisa Dee (Selah Gospel Choir), the Evangenitals are a veritable Pandora’s box of musical influences and experiences. On a quixotic crusade in the key of life hell-bent on breaking hearts open, they are a genre-bending, ever-creating force of nature. Filling out the band on this glorious night will be violinist Andrea Baker (The Moth Mainstage), bassist Joey Maramba (John Cale), Michael Feldman (Cousin Junebug) on keys, and Robert Shaffer (Ninja Academy) on drums and percussion.
The News spoke with Crockett this week. She had a few things to share, including what the audience can expect on Saturday.
“A reviewer once called our music ‘soul-fondling — so prepare to have your soul fondled?” she mused. “We pack a lot of feelings into our two sets. You will laugh, cry, think, be amazed, laugh some more, hoot and holler, and feel that your whole self and life experience is being seen, appreciated, and tickled. And then you’ll ask us why we’re not famous. Happens at every show!”
All of that energy was developed in a musically-inspired life.
“Pretty much my whole life I’ve written songs that I never intended to play in public,” Crockett said. “It wasn’t until moving to Highland Park, meeting my best friend Lisa Dee, and getting introduced to Arlo’s Open Mic at Mr. T’s Bowl in late 2003 that I took the leap and actually performed my songs outside of my own bedroom. Since then, I can’t stop! So many songs!”
She said her influences are many and varied.
“From Abba to Zappa. I’m drawn to artists who don’t seem to pay much mind to concepts of ‘genre’ and are really having a good time. Age 10-20s my favorite band was the Dead Milkmen, then I got introduced to Ween,” Crockett said. “I spent a couple of years in a Johnny Cash tribute band doing the June Carter parts and developed quite a love for the Carter Family. I love Cynthia Hopkins (Gloria Deluxe) and Otis Redding. I also am influenced a lot by non-musical sources, like directors, playwrights, and novelists.”
Throw those influences into a blender and what you have is a milkshake of delicious sounds.
“We often have a contest at shows where audience members are asked to help us identify our genre,” Crockett said. “We’ve gotten some great ones, such as ‘Rhythm and Entropy’ and ‘Avant-Appalachian Pirate-jazz.” Lisa Dee calls our music simply ‘The Good Kind.’ It’s bluegrass, Americana, funk, jazz, klezmer, punk, emo-indie rock, you name it. Think of all the feelings you go through in a day, and that’s our genre. You’ll love it.”
The Los Angeles-based band is headquartered in northeast L.A. in its backyard studio, Sound43. And Evangenitals really works the city with its fun and funky, eclectic music.
“The local scene is really diverse,” Crockett said. “We do very different shows for very different venues. For example, at folk-ish clubs like Boulevard Music and Coffee Gallery Backstage, we play a different kind of set than we do at the barnburner, dance-party venues like Pappy & Harriets. We’re super adaptive, so we love the variations.”
The Evangenitals is known for their “fun experiences.’
“(Our best gig was) the Melissa Etheridge Cruise. That was epic,” Crockett said with a smile. “If you see the video of us doing Prince’s ‘Let’s Go Crazy,’ with Melissa in front of thousands of people (I’m the one wearing a shiny purple thong leotard) for ‘80s night, you will know just what kind of epic I’m talking about.
“We have a special ability to make the seemingly worst gigs great,” Crockett says, with a wink. “We’re always happy just to be hanging out and playing music with each other, everything else is just life experience and the great unfolding. Some of the most profound moments have been at shows with small audiences, or venues with weird sound, or responding to aggressive people and seeing them soften and open up to the love. Those are beautiful moments. No bad gigs!”
Evangenitals also sports a resume of recorded music to its offerings.
“Our Moby Dick album is a friggin’ masterpiece,” Crockett said, eyes rolling like dancing stars. “So, if you haven’t heard it, go listen right now. We have a fun music video for the song ‘Turbulent Flow’ on YouTube directed by Sofia Garza-Barba. It can turn a bad day around. And we have a weekly podcast (The 100 Song Demo) that features a new song every week, as well as some silliness with the band members and special guests!”
No strangers to Culver City, the Evangenitals performed at Boulevard Music last year, Crockett said.
“It was a night to remember. We were blown away by the reception, and how much the regulars really appreciated what we do,” she said.
Crockett has appeared at the music store before that, she added.
“I first played Boulevard with Jim Kweskin, whom I occasionally do shows with — and will be playing with him at Boulevard in November (as ‘Juli Crockett and Band’)!” the musician said. “Jim and I do old folk songs, jazz standards, and some of my originals, which is a real treat. Kweskin actually appears on our Moby Dick album, on the song Moby Dick, which was written by a friend of his in the ‘60s.”
