WHERE I GREW UP:My dad grew up in New York and I lived in the
Bronx for a bit when I was a kid. But for the most part, I grew up in
Connecticut, outside of New York. It’s very safe and suburban and
white. And the town I grew up in was wealthy – many of our friends
lived in very mansion-like houses. It was kind of regular to go over
for a play date and be like, “Oh, people live like this!”
...................WHERE I LIVE NOW:To be half-Jewish in the town I grew up in
felt noticed and strange – it was a very monochromatic social
environment. Because of growing up that way, I’ve always sought to
live in places where that’s not the case. Somewhere where any kind
of difference isn’t frowned upon. Oakland, where I live now, is one
of my favourite places I’ve ever lived. On Sundays I love going to my
Haitian dance class, which is right in downtown Oakland. We often
eat Vietnamese food at a wonderful restaurant called Tay Ho, and
take a walk around Lake Merritt, near our studio.
...................WHERE I STUDIED PUPPETRY:Vermont will always be dear to
my heart. There’s so much wonderful stuff there, but it’s not the
same kind of energy as in a city. I lived over a barn; had a job at
the local coffee shop. I studied mostly with one company called
Sandglass Theatre, in Putney. Puppeteers are extremely well-trained.It seems really simple – you’ve got your hand in the back, and it’s
all good. But we actually did a lot of tai chi and work on our craft
that was meant to breathe life into these inanimate objects, and it
was really, really intense....................
WHERE I FOUND MY RHYTHM: My drum teacher is Haitian, so I took
a trip with her to Haiti for a couple of weeks. As with any kind of
musical study, there’s a lot of knowledge passed on – like learning
rhythm and how to hear that through dancing to it. It was a really
incredible opportunity; I learnt so much about Haiti. I learnt about
true hunger and poverty. I also learnt about the wealth of culture
in the country, and the dedication my teachers have to preserving
folklore and dance and drumming and song....................
WHERE I WAS INSPIRED MUSICALLY: I spent a semester of
university in Kenya – mostly on the coast – where I furthered my
study of the Swahili language and took courses on Swahili culture.
I lived with host families and ate a lot of great food. The Nairobi
dancehall scene was something I was introduced to when I was
there. I’m sure it’s changed since I lived there in 2000, but it was
vibrant and centred around this one club that I went to often....................
WHERE I’D LIKE TO GO: There are so many places I’d love to
go. It feels like such a privilege – especially understanding the
environmental impact of travel. We had such an amazing time
both times we were in Australia, and I’m crossing my fingers that
we can go back. You guys know how to cook an egg! It’s rare that
you have such a remarkable breakfast, my goodness. I’d also love
to go to the Philippines, and I did go to Japan, but would love to
go back and spend more time. There are a million places, but
that being said, you know, we’ve been able to travel and tour to so
many places with this music that I can’t believe it. I’m living my
dream over and over and over again.places and spaces
with...
THE WELL-TRAVELLED MERRILL
GARBUS OF TUNE-YARDS.
Interview Rebecca Varcoemusic talks