There are certain musical styles and sounds that evoke thoughts of a particular part of the country. The brassy jazz of New Orleans, the polka-laced country of the Texas Hill Country, the thoughtful folk-rock of Southern California. The latter was invoked by a duo based across the country, Massachusetts’ Opal Canyon. Their latest record, Tomorrow To the Sea washes over you with messages of hope and introspection before it picks up the pace and emerges from the canyons to set a feeling more representative of other SoCal locations.
The first three songs all feature Debra DeMuth’s soaring vocals. She sings about regret and remorse on The Invisible. Crickets And Stars is a romance novel noting that “when we have crickets and stars, we don’t need a crowded bar”. Come Ashore is about hope, and seizing it when it comes. All three have an indie folk vibe, acoustic or sometimes lightly amplified. It all comes across as being so peaceful.
Things start to change with Worried Bird, a fun little ditty about telling the little bird outside your window all your troubles. You start to hear more of the other half of the duo, Dave Houghton, both in his vocals and also his guitar. The title track is a clap-along, sing-along that could have been in one of the scenes of a Gidget beach party. Cool Adventure adds a touch of funky rhythm that’s a little more Garden Grove than Huntington Beach in a travelogue that advises “turn off the cell phones, inhale the salt air.” The album finishes on Palm Trees with Bakersfield twang recalling the weather in the high desert where “mittens in the morning, sandals by noon” is just part of the lifestyle.
Although they don’t claim this to be a “concept” album, Debra, Dave, and producer Jon Evans knew they wanted to take the listener on a mental and emotional journey. And although they’re not from California, Opal Canyon could very well be there, whether as a band, or as one of the deeply wooded, fog-shrouded ravines that lead to the ocean. Check out Tomorrow To the Sea and see if it doesn’t project that for you, too.
About the author: I've actually driven from Tehatchapee to Tonopah. And I've seen Dallas from a DC-9 at night.