It Sounds Like Something at a Funeral

Spanish dance-rockers Delorean’s show this Friday at Neumos is a benefit for Capitol Hill Housing (CHH). In recognition, The Stranger went out to visit three CHH residents in their homes, played Delorean’s latest album, Subiza, for them, and asked them their thoughts.

Interviewee 1: Henry Kleaveland, aka Scribes, age 22

Scribes is an up-and-coming hiphop artist and an assistant resident manager at Fleming Apartments in Belltown (a CHH property). He has a microphone set up in his living room for recording demos of his raps, a view of a fire station from his living room, and a copy of The Catcher in the Rye on his coffee table. He loaded Subiza into his computer, where he’s been working on trying to figure out what his next single is going to be.

So what do you think of this?

I don’t know if I’d sit down and listen to this by myself. It’s not bad. It’s kinda like—I wouldn’t say Jamiroquai… It’s not techno, but it’s that uptempo thing, you know? It’s not bad. It’s definitely not bad. But it’s definitely club-oriented. Like, you’d be high on ecstasy at Neumos, and you’d be like, “Man, this is the bomb!” Not that I’m saying I do that. It sounds like—maybe ’cause I’m ignorant of this kind of music—it sounds like a more authentic version of this. [He finds Gigi d’Agostino’s “I’ll Fly Away with You” on YouTube and plays it.] Which to me is the ultimate bubblegum, or straight-up, Euro-in-the-box nightclub shit, the most poppy, corny nightclub stuff.

How much do you hate it on a scale of 1 to 5?

Five being I dislike it? I wouldn’t listen to it because I don’t relate to it.

Would you rather listen to this or Mariah Carey?

Probably Mariah.

Would you rather listen to this or Limp Bizkit?

Depends on the atmosphere. Maybe Limp Bizkit. I dunno, that might be pushing it. But I bet I could go out to a club and have a good time to [Delorean]. I bet I could go out to a crowd and enjoy myself.

Interviewee 2: Virginia Salter, born Aug-ust 18, 1927

“So, I’m 38,” she joked. Virginia Salter’s parents were the first African-American farmers in El Paso, Texas. Her sister once dated and dumped B.B. King before he became famous because, “she said, ‘He’s never gonna go anywhere.'” Virginia says she loves all kinds of music. Her shelves are stocked with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Hank Williams Jr., Al Green, Ray Charles, and Michael Jackson, among many others. She is watching figure skating on television when we arrive, and she remembers every address ever involved in her life story. The first song off Subiza starts. Asked what she loves about music, she says, “It makes me feel content.”

Does this make you feel content?

Not yet. I’m sorry. Not yet. [Mocks the abstract noises the singer is making.] This music doesn’t have the spirit of—what shall I say? It sounds like something at a funeral to me.

The voice that they’re sampling?

Yeah. [Mocks the voice some more.] It has a beat that’s okay, but in between… [Shakes her head.] I don’t care for that. Go to the next.

Okay, next track.

[Listens.] I couldn’t sit here with that beat. What am I going to be concentrating on? No way. I like classic music. I can put on music I have here and read my books and play my puzzles, but not this.

Too distracting?

Sure is. Can’t do it. Get a good headache.

Okay, next track.

Same old beat. Do you have anything else? I can’t listen to that anymore. I can’t listen to that beat. I got this one guy, this black guy, I got his music here, and he’s got all these drums going, and I can’t listen to that too long.

Should we put on Donny Hathaway? Let’s put on your Donny Hathaway.

[She nods happily as Delorean comes out of the CD player and Donny Hathaway goes in.] This is beautiful. Isn’t that good music? You can sit back and just relax. It’s beautiful.

When’s the first time you listened to Donny Hathaway?

In Compton. We had all kinds of music. That’s where we were living when [Hathaway] committed suicide. He jumped from a building, I think? I don’t know the story.

Interviewee 3: Alfredo “Doe”

We never got Alfredo’s last name. According to the CHH employee who helped us set up the interview, he’s a Panamanian immigrant. He was our last hope for someone who might like some Barcelona dance-rock, but he kept pushing our meeting back, eventually past the deadline. Listening to Delorean with us was not a priority for him.

Gay Stenographer contributed to this story.