Midnight
(Alison Moyet)
Storm Benjamin, Marimba
Erin Jorgensen, Marimba
Danny Kam, Backing Vocals
I grew up on the island of Kauai in the 1970’s, when the sugar plantations were all still running, and the island felt very small and rural. Every summer, I got to go to the big city, fly into Honolulu, and go to Episcopal summer camp on the North Shore at Camp Mokuleia.
My father was an Episcopal minister, and he would bring his kids for the week he was the “guest priest” at the camp. In the summer of 1982, I had just turned eleven-years-old, and my very cool camp counselor Holly would play a new 8-track album for us to dance to as we cleaned the cabin.
I will never forget when she popped in Yaz’s “Upstairs at Eric’s.” Alison Moyet’s voice! It just laid on my chest and danced around my spinning body. I was just starting to sing and didn’t yet know that Alison Moyet would become an artistic sister to me when all I heard were pop sopranos on the radio.
In the 1990s in Seattle, I met Erin Jorgensen through her sister—actor and teacher Gillian. Erin was this gamine punk rocker who played an instrument that took a large van to move around. The marimba! Erin was a brilliant, understated artist who was building an entire percussive community from her small Seattle bedroom.
Her playing was mesmerizing, and her marimba always brought to my mind the 80’s synthpop of my teenage-hood. Erin and I did some sets of that music at Re-bar, the home of all of my first solo work. Re-bar was the home of Dina Martina, The Brown Derby Series, Dan Savage’s Greek Active, Hedwig, and every queer performing art in the city (and Nirvana did their record release for “Nevermind” there in ’91).
I was so excited to get this song recorded and Erin suggested we bring in her friend Storm Benjamin into the mix for two marimbas on the song. There is a big marimba community in the city now and Erin has moved far from her bedroom, producing films, monthly marimba nights and entire arts festivals. Inspired! Also, shout-out to the fabulous backing vocals from Danny Kam who added them at the last minute.
