This month, Allyson Seconds will release her second solo album, a collaboration with homegrown songwriter and producer Anton Barbeau, whom she met as a teenager working at the Java City on 18th and Capitol.

Barbeau is one of many local musicians with whom Seconds forged a musical bond during her time at the popular coffee shop/venue in the mid-‘90s. In addition to Barbeau, she met her husband, Kevin Seconds of the band 7 Seconds, and local booking legend Jerry Perry, who was recently tapped to book the live music for several massive Bernie Sanders rallies in Northern California this summer, including one at UC Davis where Allyson and her husband played in front of nearly 10,000 people.

She’s an environmentalist and an animal lover who draws zero distinction between her personal life, her music and her politics. She made that clear during a recent phone call with Submerge, when the conversation dipped briefly into the election on the heels of the first debate. She is who she is, whether she’s singing, hiking trails, taking photos or running her fitness company.

Her upcoming album, titled Little World, will come out on Oct. 21, 2016. She’ll play a release show at Shine the following day, with Barbeau and Kevin Seconds joining her on the bill.

Seconds recorded the album while fighting off an illness she caught after flying home from a tour and descending into the smoke of last summer’s wildfire-ravaged hellscape.

“It looked apocalyptic outside and it felt apocalyptic in my throat,” she said of the recording sessions in Barbeau’s father’s living room.

“We embraced the edge of rawness in [Allyson’s] voice,” said Barbeau, noting that a casual listener likely wouldn’t notice a difference, but that an extra layer of authenticity could be found.

We talked about everything from the importance of those early musical years in Sacramento to the recording of Little World which is layered with rich harmonies and anchored by catchy melodies. This is a playfully experimental collection of pop songs that will simultaneously stick in your head and keep you guessing from one verse to the next.

How did you and Anton begin collaborating?
I met Anton around town in the early ‘90s. I worked at Java City on 18th and Capitol when that was the only thing going on around town. There was nothing else going on except for, like, Cattle Club. There were staple folks, and Anton was definitely one of them. That’s actually where I met my husband and we started singing together. Anton’s songs always spoke to me. They just have a melodic aesthetic.

What was the recording process like?
Anton and I have a first CD that we did together in 2009 called Bag of Kittens. That came about because I was going to ask all of my favorite singer-songwriters in Sacramento to just write me a song because I had sung harmony with basically everybody. Everyone was like, “When are you going to do your own solo thing?” and I was like, “I don’t know. I suppose I should do that before I’m like 80 years old.”

It’s scary to sing alone if you’re a harmony singer, but I like to push myself. I asked Anton to write me one song and he basically wrote me like 13. So that’s how the first album came about. He comes home [to Sacramento from Europe] every year to be with his dad. We’ve recorded both albums in his dad’s living room. The second album came about from us hanging out and going, “Hey, wanna do that again?” It was so nonchalant and kind of wonderful that way.

What’s the living room studio space like?
It’s a dusty Sacramento living room and it’s got Anton’s scrappy drum kit and laptop and Wurlitzer and microphones. We just make it work. We’ve recorded so much stuff there. On this album and the last album, the trumpet was recorded by Vince DiFiore from Cake in that living room. It’s not any sort of spiffy set-up at all. It’s so Sacramento.

What’s it like harmonizing with yourself, as you often do on Little World?
I have a weird voice dysmorphia and I have no idea what I sound like, or if it sounds good at all. I’m one of those people. Anton loves when I harmonize with myself in recordings and I’m like, “Really? Are you sure that sounds good?” He’s like, “I love it! We’re doing it!” I’m like, “I’m going to trust you!”

What’s your approach to writing a harmony?
I liken it to playing piano by ear. You kind of just play along until you find the right thing and you know it’s good or you know it isn’t. You go for the things that feel good. That’s how I do harmony with almost everybody I play with. Sometimes I sing with my husband and he’ll have kind of an idea in mind. I’ll try to do that and I‘ll morph it into something else and he’ll be like, “Aww yeah, that’s better!” It just depends. It’s mostly just finding what works.

I read that you felt sick during a chunk of these recording sessions. How challenging was that?
I was on an airplane coming back from being on tour with Kevin. I came back to the wildfires last year that were just horrendous. The air was visible. Those two things took a toll. We had a timeline for recording because Anton was leaving to go back to Europe, so we wanted to get it done. The album cover is a picture I took at that time, and it’s just hazy and looks so apocalyptic.

When it came time to sing, were you able to settle in and find comfort?
No, it was hard. There were a couple of songs where we were pushing my voice a little higher and some lower. Anton has an affinity for my lower voice.

You are vocal about treatment of animals and the environment. How does that manifest itself in you as a person and as an artist?
Nothing is separate at all. It makes sense that when Anton was writing these songs [the environment and nature] would be a part of it. He does a great job of thinking of me and who I am and what’s going on in my life. He did it for the first album as well. It’s all encompassing—an extension of me completely.

How many dogs do you have?
Two dogs. Lulu made both album covers and was the cover model for the last 7 Seconds album, so we’re kind of obsessed with our animals!

How does the other dog feel about that?
What’s great about Hank (pictured above) is he cares less about the limelight. He doesn’t care. Lulu just sounds like someone who would care more about the camera and will always pose for the camera. She’s a photographer’s daughter for sure.

What’s the story behind the album cover?
Anton picked that photo out. I had no idea what the cover would be, but he did a mock-up and surprised me and I went, ‘Whoa, that’s perfect!’ It really encompasses it. As apocalyptic as it looks, there’s still a bit of blue sky poking through.

Where was the photo taken?
It’s my favorite spot on the American River, behind REI and Costco. I don’t go there anymore because it got too dangerous with different run-ins. I’ve just sadly had to start going somewhere else, but I’m not giving up. I’m going to head back there because I love it so much.

There has been less and less support for the homeless and a lot of programs got cut. I went there all the time because my dogs are barkers. I went there for years, daily. We’re talking 300 out of 365 days a year I’m at the river. I love it. I’m friends with several of the folks who live out there because I see them so often, but a whole other host of people have come out there and it’s quite dangerous. So that’s the state of things now.

You and Kevin played the Bernie Sanders rally at UC Davis. How did that come about?
That was so exciting. We know Jerry Perry really well and he was booking all of those rallies. I’ve known Jerry since I was 15 probably. He asked Kevin and I to do the UC Davis rally, and that’s where I went to school, so that was really exciting. That was definitely a highlight of the year. Bernie really supports a lot of environmental issues that I also support. He’s for fair and humane treatment of everyone. We kind of knew it was a rough chance [for Bernie to win], but just to be able to support him by singing at a rally felt great.

How did you feel when his candidacy ended?
The way I feel about things now is that basically, in any way possible, we cannot and should not allow Donald Trump to be our president. That says it all. Whatever we can do to eliminate that chance of happening is what we must do. That’s how I feel.

You said you met Jerry Perry back at Java City in Midtown as a teenager. What was it like being there back in the ‘90s?
I feel grateful to have grown up in Sacramento. Lots of folks from different towns do not understand that statement at all. But if you were privy to that era of Sacramento music—the early ‘90s to early 2000s was a magical time. I don’t think I’m exaggerating that, because so many folks agree. It was a real boom time for music here. I was in my early 20s getting into bands and sharing stages and seeing shows. Knowing someone like Jerry since I was 15—it’s so familial. Everyone knows everyone and we’re all working for the same thing. We love music and community. I’m absolutely grateful to have grown up in a town that has such a rich music and art life.

There were never a ton of venues in town, so you had to be active. Had to get shit happening. It’s almost like being music activists. I grew up in a time when we had to make our own flyers and staple them on posts. Sacramento is a small and tight-knit community. Everyone is just like two to three degrees from each other.

Allyson Seconds will be marking the release of Little World with a CD release show featuring special guests Anton Barbeau and Kevin Seconds, Oct. 22, 2016 at Shine, located at 1400 E St. in Sacramento. The all-ages show starts at 8 p.m with a $7 cover charge and one-drink minimum.

Adrian Bourgeois proves the album is an art form worth saving with his latest release, Pop/Art

The digital music revolution, with its emphasis on EPs and singles, has set into motion the extinction of the traditional long-form album, but local singer/songwriter Adrian Bourgeois says not so fast.

On Feb. 4, 2014, Bourgeois is set to release his latest work, Pop/Art, a 24-song double album. It will be his first release since his self-titled debut, which he put out in 2007.

“You keep hearing that the album is dead and people have such short attention spans and nobody wants to listen to more than 30 seconds of a song… So what’s the logical response to that? Make a double album,” Bourgeois tells Submerge over the phone. “There are really no rules to this thing anymore. Why not just do the absolute worst possible thing to do? You might as well, right? If you love it, if it’s what you want to make, then make it.”

Bourgeois says he’s been working on the songs that appear on Pop/Art for “seven years or so.” After the release of his first album, he’d come to something of a crossroads in his musical career. His debut was getting good reviews and seemed to be generating interest in the industry, but things weren’t quite happening for him just yet. He was unsure whether or not to keep working his first album or start working on a new one.

“I started talking to a couple of different people about the prospects of making a record, and a couple of opportunities came up, but they got postponed,” he says. “All the while, I was writing more songs. At some point along the way, I decided I got to make another album at some point, and waiting for another opportunity to come around is not really getting me anywhere these days, so I should probably take matters into my own hands and do it myself.”

So, Bourgeois armed himself with $500 worth of recording equipment that he says he’d purchased with Christmas money and took a route that many indie musicians have done in the digital age: He started making an album in his bedroom.

While this may sound like a very personal, intimate process (and it was for Bourgeois), the songwriter says he focused more on the craft of the songs as opposed to the feelings behind them.

“A lot of times when I’ll write a song, the first thing that I’ll hear is the track. I’ll hear the finished product before I’ve ever written anything, and then it’s almost like learning the song,” he says.

“It was kind of liberating to sit down and bring them to life.”

He worked on Pop/Art for two and a half years, mostly on his own, playing almost all of the instruments. However, as he said to Submerge in an email, the album wasn’t entirely a one-man show. Cake trumpeter Vince DiFiore and Probyn Wilson (the Brian Wilson Band and many others) both make appearances, as do local colleagues Autumn Sky and Ricky Berger. Bourgeois’ father Brent also pitched in. Bourgeois confides that Berger’s contribution to Pop/Art extended beyond just lending her vocal talents to the record.

“There were some songs on here that I sent to her and she said, ‘You’re better than this. Keep working on it,’ and I trust her enough to hear that from her,” Bourgeois says. “The album would not be as good as it was if not for her.”

Pop/Art is an instantly gratifying album highlighted by Bourgeois’ creamy vocals and lush arrangements. Songs such as “Jonah” provide a grittier rock punch while the piano-driven opener “New December” harkens back to pop’s grand, vinyl past…you know, back when people actually listened to albums en masse. At 24 tracks, it’s impossible to find one that’s simply filler. However, though the album certainly stands as an accomplishment, setting a high bar for Sacramento’s 2014 local releases, Bourgeois remains humble.

“I almost consider this double album to be a complete underachievement because in the amount of time it took me to make this, The Beatles recorded Rubber Sole, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magic Mystery Tour and The White Album, so this is me slumming it I guess, when you think about it, in comparison,” Bourgeois says.

Bourgeois lends further insight into the making of Pop/Art in the following interview.

Were you shopping your debut album to labels?
Yes and no. A label is one potential tool that I considered and flirted with over the years. My goal is to get my music heard by as many people as possible. There were people along the way who have helped me a lot and have provided opportunities. Any musician will tell you this: You get a lot of people with great intentions who say they love you and the music you make and they’re going to make things happen for you, and then you never hear from them again. There’s a lot of that, and that’s fine. I understand there are all sorts of factors that need to be taken into consideration. The good thing about today is that it’s a lot more possible than maybe ever before to say, “I’m going to put it out myself, and I’m going to distribute it myself.” The tools I have to do that really aren’t that much less than what anyone else has. They might have the relationships and the contacts to get it heard by, quote-unquote, the right people…but I don’t even know what “the right people” means anymore. At this point, I want people who like the music to hear it, and those are “the right people.”

It was six or seven years since your last album. Were you getting disillusioned at any point?
I grew up in a musical family. My dad was in the music industry for a long time… I kind of had a balanced view and a realistic view of how everything worked, but it was frustrating sometimes, definitely. I think “Shot in the Dark” [from Pop/Art] was written about that… But I understand. The music industry is a place of short attention spans. They hear you and they love you, but then they hear someone else that they love. There are just so many different factors that I stopped analyzing it too much and took a proactive approach. What can I do to make the life that I want for myself.

Did having a father in the music industry help you gain that perspective?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s definitely given me a lot of experience without necessarily having to experience it first in a lot of ways, if that makes sense.
On the other hand, I feel like I know too much because I’m quicker sometimes to not try something because I know it doesn’t work that way. And then you see some band that knows nothing about the music industry and does something extremely rash and stupid and it makes them world famous. There’s that Catch 22. But overall, he’s great to have around for advice and his years of experience.

You said these songs were written over a seven-year period. You must have gone through a lot of growth as a songwriter and as a person in that time. Do you hear that when you listen to the album? Does it almost sound like a scrapbook of the past seven years of your life?
It’s interesting, because I don’t think I’ve changed all that much as a person over the course of my life. If you’d known me as a 6-year-old, I’m pretty much the same guy, I think…maybe a little wiser, maybe a little less. I think it’s the same thing with my music. A lot of people at some point go through this radical transformation, but that’s never been me. I’ve just evolved over time and refined who I was, but I’ve always been at the core the same person. That’s why I think songs from six or seven years ago fit just fine next to songs I wrote even in the process of recording [Pop/Art]. But it is interesting hearing that growth. It’s almost discombobulating when I imagine what these songs were written about. One song on the record might be about meeting somebody, and the next song is about being in a relationship with that person, and the song after that is about breaking up with that person…
At the end of the day, if nothing else happens, it’s something that I’m always going to appreciate having. It’s like a diary or anything you have in your life that just captures this period of who you were. I’ve never been one for tattoos, but this album is my tattoo, I guess. This is me and who I was and the imprint I made at that point in time.

You said you hear the whole arrangement before you even start writing a song. Have you always listened to music that way? Do you think, “OK, this is how this was put together?”
When I listen to music—I overanalyze everything—but with music, I expect it to be really good. I don’t listen to a wide variety of music. When you ask them what kind of music they like, most people will say they like a little bit of everything, but I’m the exact opposite of that. I like a lot of a few things. It’s less necessarily important to me as to how it makes me feel or if it relates to me, I’m like, “Is this a really great lyric? Is this a really great melody? How is this arrangement brilliant?” And if it isn’t, I don’t listen to it. If I was stuck having to listen to just The Beatles or The Beach Boys for the rest of my life, I probably wouldn’t complain too much.

Celebrate the release of Pop/Art at Luigi’s Fungarden at 6 p.m. on Feb. 9, 2014. In the meantime, pre-order a copy of the album today at Adrianbourgeois.bandcamp.com, and you’ll be able to download a digital copy of the entire thing immediately. Pop/Art will be officially released on Feb. 4, 2014.