S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS. For today's show , we're talking about the legal battle for Queen bees. Phil Am creator con and Baby Bush's last San Diego performance. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. We'll talk about what queen bees means to the arts community.
S2: They're really , you know , mourning the loss of a place like that. If it indeed does go away.
S1: Plus , an event celebrating Filipino American creatives and how baby Bershka is much more than a Kate Bush cover band. That's ahead on Midday Edition. A beloved community art space is at risk of closing. Located in the heart of North Park , Queen Bees Arts and Cultural Center is considered a haven for many San Diego creatives. Poets , artists , dancers , comedians and community members have gathered in the space since it first opened its doors more than 15 years ago. But a messy legal battle and massive property sale leaves the future of the cultural hub uncertain. Alma Rodriguez has been the creative force behind Queen bees. Here's what she had to say back in December for the venue's 15th anniversary.
S3: I think my vision for the location was basically be the hub of art and culture , and provide people with a unique space to create a new events and promote art and music and dance and everything that makes people happy.
S1: Well , here to talk more about how this could all impact Queen bees is Alex Riggins. He's a reporter with the San Diego Union Tribune. Alex , welcome.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: Glad to have you here. So break down what's happening for us ? Where did this legal battle come from ? Sure.
S2: So the the legal battle stems from the death of the building's owner , a gentleman by the name of Alan Hitch Jr. Owned the building for for many years. And his father , who was a San Diego city councilman , owned it before that. He rented it out to several tenants , you know , over the past couple of decades. But the last , you know , since since 2008 , he was renting to alma uh , Rodriguez. And in almost telling of it , you know , they became very close , almost like a father daughter relationship. And , you know , he he helped her out several times , you know , during the Covid 19 pandemic , he lowered her rent. Um , so , you know , they they had a very close relationship. He was a mentor to her. And when he died last last summer. His his heirs. He didn't have any immediate family as far as wife or children. He never married. He never had children. So his heirs were were cousins and and , you know , some children of cousins that live across the country. And they believed that they had , you know , the the right to the property where queen bees is. And alma believed that she had , uh , you know , certain claims to it. And so , you know , a really I think you said a messy legal battle ensued. And and that is true. It has been very messy with some with some very , uh , some very serious allegations flying back and forth. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , let's dig into that more. I mean , what are both sides saying here. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So you know , in , in like I said , in Alma's telling , you know , her and her and Allen Hitch junior were very close and and he left , you know , several hundred thousand dollars to her. And he had also signed a lease agreement with her that she could buy the property for $500,000 , uh , which is just well below market , you know , for that area of North Park and that building. So that was that was almost version of it. The family's version was that alma had exerted undue influence on on Alan hich later in his life , and that she had really taken advantage of , you know , of of someone who maybe wasn't the sharpest at the very end. You know , alma denies that. Obviously she she very vigorously denies that. She said that , you know , her and Alan Hitch junior had been friends for for years and years , you know , well before his health started to decline and that , you know , there's there's no truth to the to the fact that , you know , the family is claiming that that she had this manipulation at the end of his life. Um , the family even went as far as , as insinuating that that alma might have had , you know , a hand in his death or covering up what truly happened. Um , really just very , very serious allegations made , of course , in a civil lawsuit , right ? Nothing. Nothing criminal alleged. But in the civil lawsuit made some made some very serious accusations that that alma denies. You know , she she had not acknowledges that she got about $400,000 from him and says that that was money that , that he wanted her to have , but she denies , you know , all of the other allegations that she had any sort of undue influence on , on the decisions that he made to , you know , leave the building to her at a , at a very low , low price. Mhm.
S1: Mhm. Well , I mean , in this big property sale , $2.3 million , who bought the building and what are the new owners planning to do with it. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. So , so alma thought that she had a claim right. She , she , she had signed this agreement with Allen Jr that , that she'd be able to buy it for half $1 million. It turned out that he had signed an agreement with another tenant. The property used to be like a 99 cent store or a dollar store , I think. Before alma brought queen bees there and so through a deal that the former tenant had with Mr. Hitch , and then through a legal settlement that they had together about a little over a decade ago , that former tenant actually had the first rights to it. And so it was actually an LLC that that officially bought the building. But it's a former tenant , a man by the name of , uh , of Ronald Shortland who bought it. And with , I think some partners and and they plan to , you know , it's very valuable real estate right in the middle of , you know , the heart of North Park. And so they plan to tear down the building that that currently houses , uh , queen bees and turn it into retail space and 18 townhomes. It's going to take a few years for them to get all the , the licensing and permitting to do that , but that is the plan. I spoke to Mister Mr. Scotland on the phone while reporting this story. The sale went through with with the heirs of Mr. Hitch on August 21st. And so you know the the property is officially with Shortland and his group and they plan to go forward and , you know , fight any efforts by Almah and her supporters to , uh , you know , keep Queen bees where it is and the way it is.
S4: Well , you.
S1: Spoke to various people about the cultural significance of Queen bees and its place in the community.
S2: And , and they all just really talked about , uh , how how meaningful that space is to them. You know , how it's a place where they feel comfortable , where they can be themselves , where they can host whatever it is , you know , whether it's salsa dancing , whether it's , you know , a goth night , it's really just a place where they can go and and be part of a community. You know , so many different types of communities gather there , you know , for different events and , and the people who , you know , are in charge of those events , who help run them or who have attended , just really speaks so highly of of having a place where they can , where they can have these gatherings and , you know , whatever , whatever little corner of the culture it is , you know , they they can have a comfortable and welcome and opening space there at Queen bees and , and they're um , they're really mourning the loss of , of a place like that , if it indeed does go away and and hoping that , you know , maybe alma can , can open another location somewhere else where they can kind of recreate what they have at the current location.
S1: Well , in your article , you write that alma views the dispute as a classic David versus Goliath battle between a community space and developers , between neighbor , neighborhood , character , and gentrification. I mean , can you talk more about that ? Yeah.
S5:
S2: I mean , her and her supporters , you know , obviously see this , you know , this this very old building that houses this newer business. But but really , you know , there's a lot of character to the building. And it's the old Dixie Lumber building that's been there for , you know , 90 plus years. And then they've turned it into kind of this , this piece of art , you know , and just the way that it looks on the outside , on the inside , there's a big mural on one of the walls outside. You know , it's this just this really special place to them. And they see it being , you know , torn down and just replaced by , you know , just just kind of run of the mill retail space , townhomes , you know , they're all sure to say like , yes , we need housing like none of them , you know , deny the fact that San Diego needs more housing. But they say , you know , why can't it be built somewhere else ? Why does why does , uh , housing have to replace , you know , this , this hub of artists and this hub of culture and especially , you know , it's not going to be affordable housing or anything like that. It's going to be townhomes that , you know , 18 of them that are probably going to be pretty pricey. And so they just they just wish that that kind of housing can be built somewhere else. And , and their kind of cultural space could remain , uh , where it is serving the community.
S1: Well , there is this push from the community to , to get a historic designation for the building. I mean , what does that mean ? Could that happen and what will it take to be successful ? Yeah.
S2: So I think that push was kind of more um , they were hoping to get that done before the sale went through. And so by getting a historic designation , you know , which would preclude the new owners from , you know , changing the outside of the outside of the building very much or tearing it down. They were hoping that it would kind of , uh , dissuade the the people with first right to buy the building. They're hoping it would dissuade them from from purchasing it. And , you know , they thought maybe they would be able to purchase it or , you know , someone else who would want to keep queen bees there. Now that the sale is actually gone through and this new LLC owns it , you know , it seems like quite a long shot , but but they're still pushing forward. You know , they they say that even if queen bees has to move , you know , that building meant a lot to Allen Hitch junior meant a lot to his father , uh , meant a lot to the community because it was , you know , this this lumber , uh , this lumber store that provided a lot of the materials that help build up North Park. And so , you know , they want to protect the building , even if Queen bees isn't there , uh , because they believe that it is a historic landmark. And so it seems like quite a long shot effort , but they're going to push forward with it anyway , even though the sale of the building has gone through.
S1: Well , I've been speaking with Alex Riggins , reporter for the San Diego Union Tribune. Alex , thank you very much for breaking that down for us. Yeah.
S2: Yeah. Thanks again for having me.
S1: Coming up , how the fil am Creator Con empowers and celebrates Filipino American creatives.
S6: The convention is all about bridging the gap between generations and putting together a dialogue so that people can get empowered and find support and thrive.
S1: Hear more when KPBS Midday Edition returns. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. This Saturday , fil Am Creator Con will launch its inaugural event to celebrate , support and empower San Diego's Filipino-American creative community. The convention has actually been a dream project for graphic designer Aaron Navas. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with neighbors about what to expect from the event , along with artist Mary June and Patrick Ballesteros about Filipino representation in the arts.
S7: Erin , we're looking at the first ever fil Am Creator Con here in San Diego. So tell us a little bit about this journey to get here. Yes.
S6: Yes. Um , it started when I first found out the actual main character of Starship Troopers was Filipino in the book. So when I found that out , it was my mind was blown and it put me on a journey of trying to promote Filipino American creativity whenever I could. I first wanted to , you know , meet all these Filipino creators. And then it wasn't until I saw my friend Keaton Jones put together his event , Black Comics Day , that I thought , maybe , maybe we can have a convention for Filipino American creators. And , you know , I could have called it a comic con , but , you know , looking at how Filipinos are active in a lot of different , you know , media. You know , we have comic book creators , you know , actors. I mean , even more recently , the , you know , chefs are starting to take the spotlight , um , writers , tattoo artists. It was at that point where I said , I want to make this about bridging the gap between , you know , people like Willis Potato and up and coming creators who may have , you know , need support and empowerment and give them a space where they can get to know people who are in history , like we have Patrick Ballesteros here and Mary June. She's an awesome surrealist , surrealist painter. So basically , the convention is all about bridging the gap between generations and putting together a dialogue so that people can get empowered and find support and thrive.
S7:
S6: You know , Comic-Con and Comic-Con is such a huge event. And , you know , while I love it , it's such it's really loud and it's really not conducive to having a conversation. And I think that conversation is important. So I wanted my first convention to be an atmosphere where people can have conversations throughout the day to get to know the creators , and for the creators to get to know any upcoming creators so they can give advice or , you know , at least share some stories. Um , so we'll have about 18 exhibitors in our in the national City large conference room , and you can expect panels throughout the day. Because when I'm at , say , events like Comic-Con , I love going to Artist Alley. So I want it to be sort of like an artist alley full of Filipino-American creators. And I love going to panels. So we made an effort to create a sort of diverse mix of panels , will have a panel about Filipino American women. Creators will have one about music , one about starting a podcast , one about content creation. And also , uh , the featured spotlight uh , panel will be about , uh , the Legend Spotlight panel featuring Willis , Patricia and Bobby Rubio , which I'll be moderating there. There are first two guests of honor , so it is an honor having them there. I know that they could have been doing something else , but they , you know , said , cool. Well , we'll be there to help support the show. So I want to make sure that the , you know , our show gives him attention so that people can get to know them. And yeah , like I said , it's all about bridging the gap.
S7: And you mentioned we have two artists here with us and Mary. He Erin mentioned that your art has a surrealistic quality. So tell us a little bit about what you do. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. Um , so I'm a surrealist painter. I sort of just to kind of give a little history moving here from the Philippines , uh , when I was young , sort of pushed me in the direction of speaking through a different type of language , which is art and painting. And through that , and through the experiences of different stages of my life , I sort of realized that the clearest way , kind of like what Aaron was saying of bridging the gap between me and everyone else , no matter where they came from , was a kind of showing my experience through a surrealist lens. Um , having it be more about trying to convey a feeling with different images and and different symbols , where when you look at my work , you might not know exactly what you're looking at , but the feeling between you and the person next to you is very similar. And that's something I wanted to convey with becoming more of a solidified artist that had a certain style. And my work actually centers around the subject of a girl , but often she takes shape in different forms. So the most important part about my paintings is that there is a human figure that carries the rest of the story , whether the story is uplifting or a little bit difficult to understand. I wanted to sort of create the ability that people can feel the exact same way as other people and feel understood. So that kind of fully encapsulates the idea of like , the reason why I made art was just to communicate without upwards.
S7: And Patrick , your art has a very different style , but it communicates very readily with people who are into pop culture. So tell us a little bit about your work.
S9: So I describe my art as bringing a lot of that childhood whimsy into everyday things. Pop culture especially , is something that I love , whether it be animation , games , TV , some books. I'm not going to say that I'm an avid reader , but some books , thanks to my wife , uh , and that's my main priority. Everything that I do , I'm trying to do to bring a smile to your face lately and lately , I mean , probably the past few years before the world shut down and stuff , I've been incorporating more and more of Filipino culture , not just food and and things like that , but stuff that I remember. I remember sporadic things here and there from going back to the Philippines , visiting relatives , but also being a Filipino here in the States and growing up here , two very different lifestyles. But I don't never saw why I couldn't bring those two together. So through the vehicle of my illustrations and my point of view and take , I try to combine those things and make it just fun. Like I'll put characters and a jeepney , something that I'm unveiling at Creator Con Fil-am creator con is going to be a new tricycle tricycle series. That's a series. So that that that stuff gets me excited because it's a little bit of that Filipino cultural flavor with something familiar for people that aren't , don't know a lot about Filipino culture and things like that. And I found that a lot of people , oh , that's a cool bus. And that's my chance to go , oh , that's not a bus. It's actually a jeepney. And it's not like I'm trying to culture. I don't even know if that's a terminology. I'm not trying to do that , but it allows me a chance to talk about it in a more organic way. right ? Not saying. Well , did you know that ? No , I don't have to do that. They're just genuinely interested. And then they go , oh , cool. I never knew that. So that's what I like about the things that I create. And the different takes that I do is trying to combine what you see with things that you haven't seen before. And as Aaron said , bridging that gap not just between generations but between different cultures and that's that's the fun part , is kind of putting that puzzle together.
S7:
S9: Well , I get some trolls on Instagram , of course. Hey bro.
S10:
S9: I actually made this shirt because I saw a lot of videos floating around. Maybe this was about a year ago on TikTok and Instagram and all those other things where people from the Philippines and people from here that were battling each other on like , oh no , you're not Filipino. If you don't do this or you're not Filipino , you're from the States. If you do that , oh , you're too Filipino. You're from the Philippines. And I was like , why does it have to be that way ? So I made a sticker and I told the story about it , and I had it at Comic-Con last year , and so many people commenting like , oh my God , that happens when I visit this person , or that happens when I do that. And it is something that I don't think it's just with Filipinos. I think it's with a lot of different cultures where people feel like , are you enough this. So I made that shirt as a , as a like , oh , tick that. Yes. We are. I don't think so. Um , and that's my whole reason behind it. Like for me to wear the shirt , you know , or for anyone to see this , it's like , I'm not going to question you. Don't question me. I don't question you. If you love being Filipino , you rocket own it. That's totally fine. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves , and that's what I think Aaron is doing with film creator. Con is bringing us all together because we're expressing our Filipino ness. Again , I don't know if that's a word. Uh , with the people that , you know , you don't have to be Filipino to come this actually , we we'd love everyone to come to this. That's what it's made for.
S7: And Mary , do you does that issue ever come up for you ? Yes.
S8: Um , it does I wouldn't necessarily it's not too much of a big deal , except for the fact that , um , you know , when people come to me and it's different ages to that , ask me , like , why don't you paint for your people ? That's even that's even harder. And I yeah , I've had that ask to me because when they look at my work , it is very surreal. There isn't this like guiding light of what something means. Exactly. And for me , my answer back to them is one born and partially raised in the Philippines , so that's not even a thing. Um , and two , it's like my art is to comment on the human experience. It doesn't matter what country you're from and building that relationship , then yes , we can talk about the our different experiences in our in our different ethnic backgrounds , but how did we even get to talking the first place ? It was because of surrealist art. And so I when I tell them like , oh no , I paint for my people because I'm Filipino and I'm painting , and for me , I've always just had to accept that since there aren't specific symbols or certain colors that I'm pushing , I could still talk about my experience moving here and also and like moving here and adjusting to an American lifestyle. And what I tell everyone , which is funny , is that the root of me doing art was because I came from the Philippines. It was because I had to understand two languages and I didn't know how to to express myself in one or the other because none , none of those were strong enough. And so I had to create a different language because I moved here. So the reason me being Filipino enough is just me painting is like , therefore here I am , you know ? So yeah , that was my that's been my experience.
S9: You should call it analog.
S8: That's true. Yeah. Yeah.
S11: Yeah.
S7: And Aaron , you mentioned that it was discovering this Filipino character in the Starship Trooper book that kind of motivated you.
S6: Um , you know , for me growing up , I mean , Ernie Reyes Jr was was there , I mean , sidekicks , um , I watched that growing up , but I don't think. Was he outwardly Filipino in that show ? I don't remember Patrick.
S9: No , I don't think they really like that.
S10: So it was just like Asian kid. Right , right. Yeah.
S6: Yeah.
S10:
S6: And while it was good to see Filipinos and shows and movies , you didn't have actual representation of the culture on there. You know , fast forward now , you watch Cleaning Lady. And Filipino culture is really evident on that show. You watch the latest slew of Spider-Man movies. You know , Filipino culture is right there in your face. You know , it's it's trending that the Filipino culture is getting more of a spotlight. But then again , you know , we mentioned food. Not a lot of people know about Filipino food. And which is surprising because when you take a look at Asian American Population in the United States , proportion wise , you know , or the third biggest Asian American group. But that's not reflected in the general culture or in the food. So I mean , that's another reason why , you know , I wanted to put together the show because I remember one time when I was doing my , uh , my corporate gig up in Orange County for about , you know , I was up there for about ten years , and for the first six months , you know , nobody knew that I was Filipino. They thought I was Mexican. So , uh , you know , you take all those all those experiences into account , you know , it's it only makes sense to for me to put together this convention , you know , based on , you know , my experience. And also , I mean , we're all fans of San Diego Comic-Con and conventions and pop culture. You know , it just felt right to try to put something together. And , um , yeah , I'm just so excited for this event and for this opportunity to once again , you know , uh , celebrate and support , you know , the creators that we have in this room and the ones that we will be having on the show and also to empower the next generation.
S1: That was Beth Accomando speaking with Aaron Abbas , founder of FIL Am creator Con and artist Patrick Ballesteros and Mary June fil Am creator con is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the National City Library. Still ahead , baby Bershka gets ready for their last San Diego performance and closes this chapter of their musical careers.
S12: You know , it doesn't really matter that we're not playing original music because it's interpreting music and experiencing that connection , and as a tool for all that it can do for us is just so powerful.
S1: KPBS Midday Edition returns after the break. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition , I'm Jade Hindman. Baby. Bershka might be considered a cover band , but they're also so much more billed as the Kate Bush Experience of Your Dreams. The band defines themselves as a sisterhood centered around the music and storytelling of famed singer songwriter Kate Bush. But it is time for the talented musicians to close this chapter of their musical careers. Baby Bershka will play their final San Diego show on September 15th , and we actually had the chance to peek behind the curtain and see how these local women musicians bring their performances to life.
S13: And everything right now.
S12: Not just the first two , but the first two. And then you would go run , run , run , run , run , run , stop on honey , honey.
S1: And then you're hearing the bushes rehearse in bandleader Natasha Cole's apartment back in August. But even in this small , sweltering room in Golden Hill , the scene feels powerful to witness. KPBS Arts producer Julia Dixon Evans was there. She later sat down with Cozily in studio to talk about how this seven year Kate Bush experiment came to be. Take a listen.
S14: Take us back to the moment that you knew you wanted to form a Kate Bush project.
S12: It was like the summer of 2017 , and I started listening to her and watching her music videos , actually , which were just wild and weird and went down this total wormhole. And I think what happened was I was at a house party and I put on some , you know , there was a lull in the party. Everyone kind of went outside and and the iPod was just sitting there and I put Wuthering Heights on by Kate Bush , and I didn't think anyone was going to recognize it. But all of a sudden everyone came pouring back into the party and dancing , and I thought , wow , this is so fun. Kate Bush is so cool. And then sort of the idea just came like , oh , it'd be fun to do a dance party at the Casbah and play the music live. And , um , and so then it all just sort of happened one day just sort of thinking about it , and I thought about the band who would be in it. And there was a lot of amazing , you know , women that I knew that played music that performed , and I thought it'd be cool if we all got together to do this in particular. So I emailed everyone and everyone said yes , and it just happened in six weeks later or something like that. We performed at the Casbah.
S14: What do you think it is about Kate Bushs music ? I mean , it's incredibly beautiful. It's smart , but it's also like extravagant and weird. You mentioned those music videos.
S12: She's really not self-conscious about it. She's just sort of expressing what inspires her. She doesn't try to hide , you know , where her inspirations come from. And I think that's what's so wonderful about her work. And weird and wacky because it's it's so real.
S14: So Baby Book is not a cover band or even a tribute band. It's something else. It's this theatrical experience in some ways , where each of the songs has a narrative. It's choreographed and it's costumed.
S12: So you have songs coming from the perspective of a soldier or , you know , a ghost or , uh , housewife or , you know , a father , a mother. And so as we sort of , sort of diving into the music and because she's so theatrical and her music videos are like that and her even her stage performances , it just made sense that you couldn't just go on stage and play the music. It had to be visual. It had to have that that dance in it. She's so multimedia like that. And yeah , I guess sort of story arc started to form with our show. And then as we started to get more into her music and into her later work , it became even more sort of mystical and spiritual and just deeper. It just kept deepening into her womanhood , into her experience of life , her maturing. And that has been how we've developed the show as well. So our act two right now is very much because of that. And you can see it in the show and feel it in the show , and then it's just amazing how that's grown with us as well as women and how we've grown to.
S14: I think it's in the act to the second half of your concerts , where I have seen over the years the most transformation , and I want to talk a little bit about resilience and the things that you as a group have had to transform around. You've been through a lot. Whether it's a pandemic , a tragedy , and particularly the tragic death of one of your members , Nina Leilani Dearing. And before we talk about that , I wanted to ask you if there is a Kate Bush song that particularly speaks to you about getting through things. Mhm.
S15: Mhm.
S12: I think getting through things I would think about Jig of Life because , um , that song is about sort of the future self talking to the younger self saying don't give up. You know , let me live because in the future you have kids and you have this full life. And look , I'm here and I'm alive and I've survived.
UU: To say goodbye to my part of your life. Oh no no no no no no no. Let me Then. She said , come on and let me again.
S12: That's so powerful. As a sort of like a totem or , you know , sort of to hold on to that , that vision , that bigger picture and that hope. Mhm.
S15: Mhm.
S14: So in , in June of 2020 , like we said baby Bush CA member Nina Dearing was killed in a car accident. What kind of impact did that have on on the band.
S12: It was a huge shock and it was absolutely life changing. I mean , she was a very big part of our lives and a big part of the band , and I mean a big part of the entire music community in San Diego. So it wasn't just us who felt the the shockwaves of that. You know , it was when that happened. You don't really thinking about the band or whether you're going to continue , you're just sort of dealing with the death , the grief and that. I mean , I think for all of us , and especially for me personally , it just changed everything about my life and what's important. And , you know , how we deal with death and what does it mean ? What does what did her life mean ? What is her legacy mean ? How do we remember her ? How do we honor her ? How do we talk about her ? And and that took up a big part of that sort of aftermath of that. And then eventually , um , yeah , there was a strong feeling that started to come that this can't be the end and that one of the ways you remember her and you honor her is to continue. And so we sort of began the work of building that again , which was a lot of things. It meant finding somebody to take her place in the band and play piano , which was , you know , really foundational musical part of the band. It meant , you know , sort of building a a show that honored her , too. We built a whole memorial arc , and it was a two year process since her death till when we went on stage again.
S14: There's something really special about the connection and the sisterhood on stage , and everybody in the group is and has been an extremely gifted musician in their own right. These members have PhDs , they teach music or in multiple other projects. And you run a music school , Calabash School of Music and Arts and Bedrock.
S12: You really are. And not just the tragedies , but also the big highs , the tours that we've been on. I mean , it's been peak experiences , you know , it's it's a unique project , not just because of , you know , being eight women and doing the music of Kate Bush , but because Kate Bush is so , you know , she's sort of this cult figure and her fans are the love that they have for her. Music is huge. And then the fact that she just doesn't really perform. So there's this sort of void of sort of experiencing her music live. And so we've been in a really privileged situation where we've gotten to meet a lot of people close to her and the fans in England and , you know , sort of these huge highs and memories and then sort of everything we've overcome , it's it's a lot , you know , it's bonded us and we've all grown so much individually. Everyone's a totally different person than when we started seven years ago. And it's such a wonderful thing to witness each other in that.
S14: Over the last seven years , Kate Bush's music is so enduring , but it's also found such newness as well. Like there's a strange resonance on TikTok with the younger generations after after it was in Stranger Things a couple of years ago.
S12: It's just you have people in the audience of all different ages , all different life experiences. It's so beautiful. Um , you know , when the Stranger Things phenomenon happened , we were on tour , on our second tour and , um , through the UK , and I remember we got back and everyone's like , you know , telling us that this is going to change our lives , you know ? And I was like , I don't , I don't know , I don't know about that. But , um , one of the things that I felt that it that did change was that the younger generation knew about her , you know , like kids in my school who wouldn't know who Kate Bush was all of a sudden new. So I figured , well , we should do a children's choir then , because they're going to want to sing Kate Bush. And so that's really the big thing that sort of changed for us is that we put on this children's choir at my school , and we had like 25 kids come and they sang Kate Bush all year , and they learned about her and they danced. And , um , we had our first all ages show at the Music Box , and it was absolutely wonderful to see them all in the balcony and singing along. And yeah , so it's been wonderful.
UU: It's always good to go back to sort of Mississippi , Alabama. And I'm not even up that bill. Dad.
S14: You've gone on several UK tours. Um , as a group. You play in pubs and small venues.
S12: It was just this big , ambitious goal. And when we when we were finally making our journey over there , I remember feeling so nervous because I thought , well , it's one thing to play for American audiences where you have a mix of people who really love her , but also people who don't really know her music at all. But over there , I feel like it's gonna be totally different. What if they hate us ? What if they think we're frauds ? You know these. Who are these American women who sing Kate Bush ? Um , and I remember we got this email from Del Palmer before we had gone over there. He had discovered us somehow. And Del Palmer was not only Kate's partner , romantic partner for a long time , but he played bass on a lot of records. He recorded and engineered a lot of records , too , like Hounds of Love. So he was like her right hand man , you know ? So I remember when I saw his name pop up in my inbox , I was like , is this who I think it is. And he told us he was going to be at our first gig in London. We were just off the plane , jet lagged. The next day we're doing this gig and I remember feeling so , God , so I can't tell you how nervous I felt. And I remember in the dressing room about to go on stage , and Nina comes into the dressing room and she says , he's here. And I went in there and I , I saw him and I said , sir , are you who you who I think you are ? And he's like , no. And his friend behind him was like , yes , yes he is. And she's like. And she bowed. Of course , that's so Nina. And I remember she was telling us backstage and I was like , I don't want to know. I don't want to know. And we went on stage and we did the show , and it was amazing because everyone sang along to every single lyric. I remember when Nancy did her , her her solo. The man with a child in his eyes. And that's one of the only songs in that first , first show , that first act that's just piano and voice. so you can really hear the room. And it was incredible. Like everyone sang along , there was no there was no ability to slow down or do rubato or interpret the song , really , because they were singing it like they've heard it all their lives. And I just cried on stage. It was so moving. And then after the show , you know , we're back in the dressing room and Shelby comes to the dressing when she's like , Del Palmer wants to see all of us right now. Right now. I was like , oh my God. And so I remember he was leaning against the back of the club. Everyone was kind of leaving the club as kind of empty , and he was like leaning against the wall and he looks so cool and calm and we all just approach like these little puppies. And I was like , oh , what's he gonna say ? It was terrible. What are you guys doing ? Go back home , you know. But he just looked at us and he said , that was brilliant , you know ? And I was just , oh , it was amazing. And he was so generous , so kind. And he. We invited him to the dressing room , and he just told us stories for like half an hour of Kate Bush. And , and then he was like , I called her and I told her we were I was coming here and she's like , oh , not another cover band. And he's like , no , but this is these are women from America. They're doing something really different. And so he was like , I'm gonna call her tomorrow and tell her how brilliant you guys were. And I was just like , well , will you give her a letter to us ? From us as well ? And he's like , yeah , but don't expect a reply. You know , she's she's kind of , um , a hermit these days. And I was like , that's okay. Just as long as she gets it. So that was what that little story there is. Just what it's been like every time we've gone over there.
S14: It's remarkable.
S12: Yeah , it's amazing.
S14: How well doing this project in this work shape you as a musician and an educator , as a person. Moving forward.
S12: I think this project has shown me how important live music is and how cathartic it is , how vital it is for us as human beings to feel community To , you know , sort of transcend and also share grief and , uh , the highs and lows of life. It's different , you know , like I especially after the pandemic , it was just so powerful to come and play the music and , and feel the energy of the audience , and also just how the music has walked all of us through our lives the last seven years. And , um , you know , it doesn't really matter that we're not playing original music because it's interpreting music and experiencing that connection and as a tool for all of all that it can do for us is just so powerful. And that's what I see when we play , when we connect to the audiences and you feel that healing that's happening in the room and on stage with us as well. So that's what it's really shown me. And I don't think any of us will ever be the same. I mean , I think this project has changed our lives for the better , and I'm just so grateful.
S1: That was KPBS arts producer Julia Dixon Evans speaking with Baby Busca band leader Natasha Coscelli. You can catch the band's last San Diego performance on September 15th at The Music Box. You can read the full story on Baby Bershka and more on KPBS fall Arts Guide. That's at PBS.org. That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
