Painting by Wendy Liepman
Pennsylvania raised me, California saved me
I flew across this continent so wide
For a myriad of reasons, I have traded in the seasons
To walk these coastal trails in wintertime
If I start to miss the snow, up in altitude I’ll go
To stand among the redwoods and the pines
In this California state of mind
—”California Melody” by Wendy Liepman
Many of us have experienced “this California state of mind.”
For me, it’s approaching almost 40 years since I came west, searching for a more rewarding life. Find six people sitting together at a restaurant in San Luis Obispo; I’d wager that four of them came from somewhere else.
The popular music duo Bob & Wendy evoke that feeling in a wonderful new song “California Melody,” released last month, that reflects a deep love of the Golden State and all the riches, the opportunity, it offers.
Wendy, a native of Pittsburgh, wrote the song, produced in the studio by the great Damon Castillo. Popular local singer Miss Leo harmonizes with Wendy on the recording.
Wendy describes “California Melody” as the story of a woman who grew up in Pennsylvania but felt that she never quite fit in, so she set out to search for her true home.
“I grew up in Pennsylvania, but I couldn’t wait to get out of Pittsburgh,” Wendy says. “I just love San Luis Obispo and always feel so lucky to be here. The song is really about growing up feeling like you don’t fit in in your own hometown. You’re looking for a place that feels like home and you’ve got to find your peeps. I’ve been able to do more music in this little pond than if I had been in a big city.”
Local radio host Abe Perlstein, after hearing the new music, encouraged his friends to invest in a song publicist for wider exposure on folk-oriented radio stations around the country.
The strategy “seems to be working,” according to Bob. The song was shared with more than 1200 stations around the world.
During the first week, “California Melody” hit the airwaves at stations from Nevada City to Houston to New Brunswick (NJ). A station in the Netherlands now has the song on its playlist.
Bob says that the song was aiming to create a “California state of mind” musically. His cello and Wendy’s vocals were interwoven in the studio to create, “an intimate, evocative soundscape, while pedal steel evokes road trips down long stretches of highway.”
Folks can judge for themselves. The new song, plus other Bob & Wendy favorites, are showcased in a special concert on Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. at Don’s String Shop in Los Osos (smack between Carlock’s Bakery and Volumes of Pleasure Bookshop).
Bob & Wendy will be joined on stage by Paul Griffith on drums.
“Don’s String Shop is the perfect setting for this kind of listening experience,” Bob says. “The room is warm and close, its walls lined with rare and unusual guitars, resonators, mandolins, and more, creating a space where every word feels personal.”
But seating is limited. Tickets are $20 each and can be reserved by calling or texting Bob directly at (805) 235-5456. If the show sells out (which they have in the past), a waiting list will be created.
“I hope people in California will get to hear this song, because I think a lot of people can relate, because a lot of people are not born here, but have made it home,” says Wendy.