the mood
the low din of the party has become abrasive. you excuse yourself from conversation. you smack shreds of hay off your jacket, winding your way to the back gate. the latch rattles shut behind you, punctuating your departure. a quiet euphoria trickles down your spine.
…
you are driving home alone. bits of pop beats, country choruses, and symphony swells scratch out at you from local stations as you search for an inner resonance. you switch the radio off. municipal amber streetlights pulse smoothly across your face in silence.
…
you pass a part of town that you know very well, from a long time ago. your palms become damp for reasons unclear.
…
you are in the right place.
like a sad, queer Bruce Springsteen
Gabriel Saron, mandolinist (J.B. Barton + Co)
a sense of drama… classy production, even though it’s quite sparse… a keeper
on Subcutaneous Homesick Bruise, Kris Jozajtis (Folk Devils) — LIFE ELSEWHERE vol 204
a formidable lyricist, full of wit, humor and crafty observations
on Purgatory CA, anonymous review
the details
stage name:
Tracy Manuel
also known as:
Trace
operates from:
Davis, CA / Sacramento region
hometown:
Redding, CA
hometown nicknames:
Scarlet Town, District 12, Calabama
gigging since:
age 15
instruments:
drums, percussion, guitars, electronics, hunt-and-peck synths
musical style:
wry, lyric-driven; moody yet buoyant; a taught balance of ethereality and grit
adjacent genres:
dream pop, freak folk, alt-country, singer-songwriter, ambient, electronic, experimental
pairs well with:
Adrianne Lenker, boygenius, Daniel Lanois
has shared the stage with:
Jolie Holland, Joe Pug, Izaak Opatz, various bandmates of the late Merle Haggard
writes about:
rural melancholia, suburban melancholia, California, fire, flood, flu, heartbreak, death, faith, complicated women, getting sick, getting well, the quiet agony of healing, the occasional Tesla
stage persona:
unexpectedly chipper
day jobs (past):
avocado salesman, pixel pusher, visual artist, nonprofit spreadsheeter, yoga teacher, researcher, creative educator
day job (present):
designer in healthcare
# of graduate degrees:
two
# of brain surgeries:
two
# of Spotify followers (approximate):
two
# of delay FXs on pedalboard:
more than four
