One of the best things about being a fan and a supporter of local music in Houston is the accessibility and the amicable nature of the musicians. Contrary to the wildly held stereotype, all musicians aren’t tortured souls with grossly inflated egos, subsisting on fan worship, while practicing detached indifference to these same fans who embrace their music with conviction. For the most part, local musicians are eager to meet, mingle, and interact in person and on social media with those who enjoy their music. Mystery Loves Company, a Houston chamber rock band led by Carlos A. Machado (guitar and vocals) and Maddy Herdeman (cello and vocals), is one of those bands that has a genuine, friendly rapport with music fans. They show it in person, conversing with fans before and after sets at their shows. They show it online through regular Facebook interaction with fans, and they show it by inviting fans to attend special events, such as their upcoming live in studio recording of their next album - MLC Live 2. The MLC Live 2 Recording event is the second audience included live studio recording hosted by Mystery Loves Company. It will take place on February 27 at Lucky Run Studio in Houston with Carlos and Maddy and their full band - Alauna Rubin (clarinet), Christine Gerbode (viola), Jeremy Dudman (bass), and Danny Patterson (drums). This intimate interaction between musicians and fans promises to offer an inside look at the recording process of a local band, along with a performance of some great local music, and a chance to meet and talk with the band. The MLC Live 2 Recording shows the dedication Mystery Loves Company has for staying in tune and in touch with music fans.
Making and keeping a connection between musicians and fans isn’t an anomaly among local bands in Houston. For the most part, it’s the norm, because local bands appreciate their fans and they want to keep them. There’s no mystery to the motivation behind the affability of local musicians. Think about how much it must mean to musical artists to gaze out at an audience, big or small, and see strangers, singing along to a song, or dancing to music that the musician at some point created out of thin air. Wouldn’t you want to get to know the people who have connected with your artistic creation and befriend them?
If you question the power of this symbiotic connection between musician and fan, look at Bruce Springsteen as an example, who has deservedly achieved superstar status. Despite all of his fame and notoriety, Springsteen has managed to maintain a connection with his fans. Obviously, because of his incredible stardom and the current state of the world, (thanks Mark David Chapman, et al), Springsteen can’t interact and mingle regularly with his fans like he once could have when he was a local artist in his own hometown. However, if you watch Springsteen perform “Badlands” live, you see that connection is still present. There’s a moment in the live performance of the song, about three and a half minutes in, as it transitions from a guitar and a saxophone solo, where the audience takes the reins and erupts into an impromptu chorus of “whoa, whoa, whoas,” that rumbles like a tidal wave through the crowd in a crescendo of liberated emotion and an outburst of energy leading up to the next verse. During this spontaneous interlude of fan participation, you can almost sense the rumble of that do-it-yourself chorus coursing through Springsteen’s body, and you see an expression appear on his face that exudes a sense of satisfaction, joy, and accomplishment; a realization of “this is what it’s all about.” It’s as if he is saying to himself, “Did I create this? Well, I guess I did… Back to work,” whereupon he subsequently takes the controls back from the audience and picks up with the song where he left off. At this moment, you realize Springsteen has not only just connected to thousands of strangers, but in their hearts and in their souls, he’s connected with each of them individually. Click here to see this bond between Springsteen and his fans.
Even though the logistics and reality of his fame make it difficult, if not impossible to interact with his fans on a one-on-one basis, like Mystery Loves Company can, Springsteen has been known to occasionally make unannounced, surprise appearances at his former hometown haunts in New Jersey. He'll hop on stage to play a song or two of his own, or rock along with the other scheduled bands on the lineup. Maybe this is his answer to recapturing that feeling of immediacy and intimacy with the people whose struggles and victories play out in the stories winding through his songs. It may be the closest he’s able to get now. Maybe it is his Rosebud, or his MLC Live 2.
Springsteen’s current tour won’t be coming through Houston this time around. Chances are, he probably won’t be making any spontaneous, surprise appearances at any of Houston’s smaller venues either, but that’s alright. There are more than enough local musicians who will be taking to those stages throughout Houston, including Mystery Loves Company at the MLC Live 2 Recording studio performance. The relationship between musician and fan doesn’t get much more intimate than this. Come share that common link between musical artist and music fan, up close and personal with Mystery Loves Company while you still can on February 27 at Lucky Run Studio. You’ll find the bond between musicians and fans at the local level is subtler than that of musicians with superstar stature, but it’s no less significant. If you know the words, and feel a connection with Mystery Loves Company while you’re at the MLC Live 2 Recording, then sing along. If the music moves you, then by all means, move to the music. For Carlos, Maddy, Alauna, Christine, Jeremy, Danny, and scores of local musicians on stages throughout Houston you may not yet have heard of, this is what it’s all about.
Click here for a preview of what you can expect at MLC Live 2.