Marjorie Fair on tour with Sheryl Crow and John Mayer now through Oct 16th

Self Help Serenade'

''We live in a big loft in one of the strangest neighborhoods in L.A.,'' says Evan Slamka, the heartbeat of Marjorie Fair. ''I'm trying to find the right word; it's.. interesting. It was a godsend to find, because the rent's cheap and it's a huge space and we can maximize the amount of time spent playing music. But, you know, it's called Skid Row.

Not in a pejorative sense, but.. officially. The city calls it Skid Row. I suppose they gave up even trying to give the neighborhood a proper name. It's where the majority of L.A. homeless population spend their time.

It's very fast-paced, with lots of drug related issues, and I've seen and experienced a variety of things I'd rather not revisit anytime soon. It can be very desperate and sad. That said, I've met lots of people with wonderful spirits who I've befriended. Most of these people have had the deck stacked against them, and they are just trying to survive as best they can.''

Does it feed your creative juices? ''I'm sure it must on some level. I often wonder what toll it has taken on my psyche, as well as my ability to keep an optimistic outlook on things. On a subconscious level it must have informed some of the many songs I've written since I've been there, without a doubt. But through the people I've gotten to know, I've learned quite a bit more about the human condition than I had known before. Sad as it can be, sometimes it's a real education. That's kinda the way life is.''

Marjorie Fair is Evan Slamka (vocals, guitar, keys), Wayne Faler (guitar), Scott Lord (bass), Jayson Faler (drums) and kindred spirits.

Evan grew up in New Jersey, and in the early Nineties did ''the usual sorta group member thing.'' When collaboration ceased to fulfill him - ''I don't think I was collaborating well on any level of my life at the time, actually'' - he started writing his own songs.

He began playing small cafes and bars around New York, then with two friends formed Parlour, who with ''more of an old-school folk approach than a rock'n'roll one,'' had ''a lot of good times, and stripped everything down to the basic essentials of what we love about music.''

As for the name: ''I didn't realise it was a rose at first! A friend suggested it, and I liked it, but liked it less when they told me it was the name of a rose. Not that I have anything against flowers or anything.. just, it seemed more mysterious before it was explained. Like many things. Trying to put a name on your music is not enjoyable.''

Self Help Serenade isn't easy for Evan to describe in a nutshell either, but he gamely gives it a go. ''If I'm bored or doing some psycho-therapy on myself, I'll maybe look through the lens of the record and try to figure out what it's about, what it means.

It's sort of a past and present intersection of influences. Growing up I listened to The Beatles and Beach Boys and the stuff that goes along with that. Buffalo Springfield, David Crosby. Bing too! Then when I got to L.A. we were playing louder, the guitars were getting washed-out and a lot of effects were involved. So suddenly I had people mentioning slo-core and shoegazing and My Bloody Valentine to me, which I then checked out. All very cool and modern, given that I was probably listening to Chuck Berry at the time! We do stretch the chords out, I guess, and test barriers, and it's good to have a comradeship with other bands, since being a musician can get isolating and lonely. Even though I think I'm a neo-hippie who wished he lived in the Sixties..'' Evan studied philosophy at school, and reckons he does lean towards the analytical in life, though he tries to keep that part of himself away from the songs. An off-the-cuff, wilfully obscure list of influences and interests includes Johnny Ray, Segovia, ''Tired Eyes,'' ''The Ghost Notes of Salt,'' ''The Saint and the Palookas,'' 'The Bonfire of the Blade'' and ''Witches and Wolves Without Limits.'' The ocean features strongly. ''It was probably a musical reference that caused me to fall in love with the sea first. I'm fascinated by the ocean, there's no doubt about it. I hadn't necessarily realised I brought it into the music a lot, but the great thing about songwriting is that things you're not even sure you're feeling deep inside can find a way into the sound, as an expression of what you do.''

So East goes West, and a rose grows on Skid Row. Marjorie Fair's music walks on air. Just help yourself.

Band Members

Evan Slamka - Guitar/Vox, Wayne Faler - Guitarland, Scott Lord - Bass, Jayson Larson - Drums

Website

http://www.marjoriefair.com