{"id":5857,"date":"2015-01-26T14:31:47","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T19:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.michaelgaither.com\/home\/?p=5857"},"modified":"2015-01-26T14:42:48","modified_gmt":"2015-01-26T19:42:48","slug":"three-macdonalds-tears-laughter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.michaelgaither.com\/home\/three-macdonalds-tears-laughter\/","title":{"rendered":"Three MacDonald’s, Tears, and Laughter"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a new venue in town, and it’s quite the cool, artsy place. The Haute Enchilada<\/a>, behind the WHOLE Enchilada<\/a> in Moss Landing, has a new performance space. It’s very cool, and it’s in the capable hands of Bourne Archer, who ran Treasures Roadhouse<\/a> here in town most recently. In prep for the show, Adam Joseph<\/a> of Monterey County Weekly<\/a> interviewed me and wrote this nice piece. It’s reprinted here by permission:<\/p>\n

Michael Gaither and the Rayburn Brothers Bring Americana Roots to Moss Landing<\/strong> by Adam Joseph<\/p>\n

\"michael_gaither_haute_enchilada_012415\"<\/a>Michael Gaither is pissed. The City Council voted in favor of opening another McDonald\u2019s, which will make three within Watsonville\u2019s 6.7 square miles. And the city\u2019s historic theater recently shut. Gaither probably won\u2019t protest the fast food giant\u2019s city takeover or gather signatures for a petition to save the theater. He may, however, write a song about it.<\/p>\n

From his twangy \u201cStill a Small Town,\u201d which cites local institution Taylor Bros Hot Dogs, to his harmonica-driven response to the influx of Mexican joints, \u201cNow It\u2019s a Taqueria,\u201d<\/a> his hometown is the inspiration behind much of his material.<\/p>\n

The singer-songwriter fell into a career in music after a stint as a stand-up comedian. Gaither even sold jokes to Jay Leno early in his career. Though he didn\u2019t gain a following, Gaither says the experience got him into writing regularly and it got him over onstage anxiety. \u201cAfter telling jokes to drunks at 2am, everything else is a cakewalk,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Bringing humor to his music made the transition from comedy to singer-songwriter smoother. But mixing comedy and music is an area few succeed at. \u201cIt\u2019s got to be more than just a funny title like, \u2018Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,\u2019\u201d Gaither says. \u201cThere has to be a good story behind the title.\u201d<\/p>\n

Influenced by the likes of Warren Zevon and Loudon Wainwright III, Gaither\u2019s humor is understated, good-natured and paired with observations of everyday life. His California honky tonk \u201cTell Me Where it Hurts,\u201d<\/a> off 2012\u2019s\u00a0Starlite Drive-In Saturday Night, finds humor in a universal truth: \u201cEyesight is the first thing that goes\/ But you can still read books if they\u2019re not too close.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like prolific songwriting machine Todd Snider, Gaither uses songs as vessels for stories he wants to tell, as with\u00a0Starlite Drive-In\u2019s title track:<\/a> \u201cBack in 1953, my hometown made history with the county\u2019s only outdoor movie screen\/ You don\u2019t see drive-ins now at all, they\u2019re parking lots and shopping malls, but back then it was quite a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Gaither\u2019s most recent release, the 2014 EP\u00a0Lump of Coal<\/a>, he explores more universal truths, including some of the strange holiday season rituals like Black Friday<\/a>. With a new tune he has in the works, though, he\u2019s back to the home front, with a song about the recent demolition of a longstanding bowling alley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to become a lawn mower repair shop,\u201d he says. It sounds like he might be holding back both tears and laughter.<\/p>\n