Upper Lake >> Fineman and Hurd’s music can be summed up succinctly — it’s about love. Whether it’s a love of people, love of nature, love of travel, their songs address every aspect of the emotion. It helps that Alisa Fineman and Kimball Hurd have been in a committed relationship for 24 years, which provides them with a continuous stream of inspiration for their music, as well as insight into their inner workings as a couple.
Take their album, Faith in Our Love. The title track was co-written by Fineman and Hurd during a rough patch in their relationship after speaking with a friend who gave them some much-needed perspective. They were losing faith too easily, she said. A difficult time is something to push through, rather than admit defeat to. It sparked Faith in Our Love, the first song the two ever successfully penned together.
“Relationships have the potential to teach us a lot about ourselves individually if we’re up to the task,” said Fineman.
The two musicians met in 1988, while Hurd was performing with a trio called City Folk. When Hurd had time away from the group, he and Fineman would play together as a duet on the wedding circuit. A few years and innumerable concerts passed, and both Fineman and Hurd found themselves single. Concerned about ruining their strong friendship, they attempted to resist falling for one another. Clearly, they ultimately failed, but Hurd got a great song out of it.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Fineman and Hurd will be performing at Upper Lake’s Tallman Hotel for a Concert with Conversation this Saturday. It’s the duo’s third year in the row at the hotel, making the event a Valentine’s tradition of sorts.
Fineman and Hurd first snagged the gig three years ago after meeting Don Coffin at the Kate Wolf Festival in Willits. Coffin, a local musician performing regularly around Lake County, put the duo in touch with Bernie Butcher, owner of the Tallman Hotel and organizer of the Concerts with Conversation series. The intimate and informal setting was a perfect fit.
Lake County was something of an unknown to Fineman and Hurd. The Monterey Bay residents had only visited once or twice before, but they were eager to expand their travels. Because what they do isn’t only about the music, but the experiences that come with it. “Where the music takes us, it’s magical,” Fineman said. “It’s just as important as the music itself.”
Their travels have been broad indeed. Music has taken them across the United States and much further, even to the south of Israel, where they sang American music with Arab children. So it’s no surprise that their sound, which they describe as acoustic Americana, is also heavily influenced by world music. In their repertoire, Fineman and Hurd have songs in various languages and traditions: Hebrew, Arab and Judeo Spanish, to name a few.
These extensive travels, while highly rewarding, have required some sacrifices. For one, they’ve had to live simply, as music can be unpredictable in terms of financial stability. They also decided against having children of their own. “The music is the thing that drew us together and the songs are like the children we give life to,” explained Fineman.
Their songs are based in a folk tradition, but Fineman wouldn’t label the duo as straight folk. Rather, she would call them new folk or Americana. That doesn’t prevent others from assigning them to the genre, though. Fineman ventured this is a result of their preference for acoustic instruments. Hurd is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, playing a vintage mandola and mandolin as well as hand crafted guitars and a dobro. Although Fineman is the vocalist of the duo, she has a way with instruments as well, many of which she picked up during her travels. She plays a Middle Eastern hand drum and a harmonica from India.
They enjoy acoustic instruments for a number of reasons, first and foremost being the intimate feeling of holding guitars and mandolins in their arms. “They just have incredible resonance,” Fineman said. “They’re kind of an appendage, an extension of who we are.”
There’s also convenience to consider, and acoustic instruments more than fit the bill. “We could take this music and sit in the living room and do it,” Fineman said. “We don’t need electricity.”
While the Tallman Hotel’s Meeting House, where Saturday’s concert will take place, does have electricity, the living room vibe is definitely appropriate. Butcher encourages guests to ask questions and engage with the musicians. Fineman explained that as singer-songwriters she and Hurd always like to chat during their performances, but the show gives audience members the rare opportunity to also participate in the exchange.
During the show, Fineman and Hurd will discuss at length their music and the inspiration behind it. “It’s very satisfying and fulfilling to connect with audiences through our music and through our harmonies and through the message of our songs,” Fineman said. “We’re also very appreciative of the opportunity to come to Lake County to play for everybody.”
And they’ve found that the audience gains as much from the evening as they do. “We’ve got a nice assortment of love songs to address what it means to be in a relationship with somebody else,” Fineman said. “We’ll see people at breakfast the following morning who want to continue a conversation.”
The Concert with Conversation featuring Fineman and Hurd is Saturday evening at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling the hotel at 275-2244 ext. 0. The Tallman Hotel is located at 9550 Main St. in Upper Lake. Cookies and coffee will be provided.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
