BAROQUE ROCK - AKRON, OHIO
SUNFLURRY
🎧 Pre-Save our cover of
Ben's song Espalona here →
🎧 Listen to Ben's recording
of Espalona here →
The Akron Connection
Our friend Ralph Obert is a behind-the-scenes pillar of the Akron music community. He runs sound, hosts open mics, and champions local artists. Ralph was one of the first people we met after moving to the area. He helped us find our footing, pointed us toward venues, and became our unofficial “music scene navigator.” One of the first artists he connected us with was Ben Gage.
It was Tuesday, October 5, 2021, at 750ml Wines in Akron. There he was, squished in a dark corner, harmonica around his neck, playing the cajon with his feet while he sang and played his guitar. At his break, we watched this compact musician unfold into a towering six foot five inches.
Ben talks to you like you’re a life-long friend. We exchanged contact info, and the next day he sent an email with a link to his personal spreadsheet listing hundreds of local and regional venues, complete with booking info. This was literally the first time we felt that kind of support from another musician.
The Birth of “Espalona”
Not long after we met, Ben took what may have been his first trip to our hometown of New Orleans. He called me for tips on local music haunts and food stops off the tourist path, and we stayed in touch throughout his trip. I was excited to connect him with one of our favorite NOLA recording engineers, Ben Lorio.
At the time, Suki and I were in Pennsylvania for a gig at the Greer Theater. That morning at the Air BnB, I woke up, checked my phone, and there it was: a rough mix of a song called “Espalona”.
It was one of those rare, quiet moments in life. No multitasking, no distractions. Just me in the early morning with the phone smashed to my ear, completely immersed in this musical expression from a fellow human being. It was beautiful! That first listen felt like being invited into the exact second a piece of art took its first breath.
And in that moment, I knew: We’d play this song. I wanted to be able to say from the stage, “This is a song written by one of our local singer/songwriters, Ben Gage.” He is ours, isn’t he?
Honoring the Song
When we first started working up "Espalona," we played it exactly as written to understand its anatomy. We listened to Ben’s recording dozens of times and played it at our shows. But we still hadn’t nailed down that magical feeling from that first listen.
Then Ben launched a project where fans could pick from a list of his originals and he’d cut a live recording straight to vinyl. "Espalona" wasn’t even on the list, but we asked anyway—and of course, Ben said yes. He said he hadn’t played it in a long time, so the performance he recorded for us was raw and unfettered. It was clear that the song was in a different place for him now, which added another layer to our approach in re-imagining it.
Our Version Finally Emerges
In general, we’d been processing our Songs from Dusk project for a few years. There was a lot to sort out—not only about the songs, but also regarding the "how-tos" of recording and mixing. Then there’s playing gigs, and life.
With “Espalona” we went round and round, exploring (and stumbling) through all sorts of ideas and approaches. The song demanded persistence: Suki re-recorded the cello parts five times. I threw out my original guitar approach and rebuilt it from scratch. I re-sang the vocal from more angles than I thought could exist. We kept listening to Ben’s versions and circling back to that first emotional spark. We had to let it simmer.
Eventually, we found something that felt right to us. Something we loved. An arrangement that mirrored the internal paradox of this song—a vastness hidden inside its quietest moments.
And just this once, I adjusted a lyric. Since Ben wrote the song in New Orleans, it felt like a little nod to Allen Toussaint (his song made popular by Irma Thomas) was the right thing to do.