Johanna Warren performing in the Purple House backyard in Isla Vista. (Sofia Cain/Daily Nexus)
On the 67 block of Sabado Tarde Road, a backyard was transformed into a musical haven on Jan. 18 when Isla Vista band Magnetize opened for singer-songwriter Johanna Warren.
The band, which produces all original music, includes UC Santa Barbara seniors Adeline Gouda, an environmental studies major, and Sophia Pelosi, a sociology major. Lucas Herzog and Santa Barbara City College nursing student Victoria Larson are also in the band, though only Gouda and Pelosi were present at this particular show. Audience members huddled together on blankets scattered across the grass of the home popularly known as “Purple House” while cigarette butts glowed, dotting the lawn like stars and creating an intimate and casual atmosphere, exactly what Magnetize was going for.
Magnetize’s I.V. shows have become fewer, as they more often play venues downtown, making the show all the more special as it was held in their own yard. This was the first show Magnetize has played at their own home.
“We set up the whole yard and made the sound system really good. I felt really comfortable. Being at home was really nice. It felt like a relief to me,” Gouda said.
Warren — an American folk singer, now based in Wales, who has garnered over five million listens on her top song “Black Moss” on Spotify — further added to the magic with her airy and soothing vocals on her ballad-esque songs.
Gouda, (co-lead singer and guitarist), explained her connection to Warren’s music which began with a roommate showing her one of Warren’s songs.
“She’s been my top artist for a year now. When she was coming up there were not people who were receptive to her kind of music yet. Now she kind of paves the way for artists like us,” Gouda said.
Warren’s music warrants that kind of admiration with her stunning vocals and lyricism, in addition to touring with household names such as Mitski and The Army, The Navy. Her debut album “Fates” was released in 2013 and she has toured several times since.
However, Warren goes about touring in a non-traditional way, generally playing house shows instead of larger venues. This is how she ended up in I.V. in the first place, after Magnetize reached out offering their yard as a venue.
Purple House’s yard is not large, but it comfortably fit the nearly 30 attendees to listen to the emotionally evocative music performed by both artists. The string lights and overgrown garden paired with the chipped wooden chairs Magnetize played from and the lack of a stage created the coziness advertised on posters for the show.
On a background of purple, the posters read “A Cozy Backyard Show.” Magnetize’s setlist consisted of songs written for the people in attendance, for the weird experience of aging into adulthood in Isla Vista, of falling in love in this place, for the love of friendship.
Before arriving at Purple House, Warren had reservations about playing in Santa Barbara due to strange experiences the last time she visited: a teenage Adderall dealer, a possible hitchhiking cult murderer and a man that moved like a glitching video game. Her stories drew the audience in and the show was in conversation with the audience.
It was clear that Warren’s set list was fluid, moving with the feeling of the crowd, again reinforcing the intimacy of the show. The receptiveness of the audience allowed Santa Barbara to have redemption in Warren’s eyes, a testament to the warmth of both the people and place.
Audience members teared up during Magnetize’s songs and during “For My Brother,” they clutched each other more closely, the air heavy with emotion. The show felt far removed from the typical band show experience in Isla Vista where crowds are often rowdy. Instead, Magnetize and Warren offered the audience momentary peace and reflection.
Pelosi, co-lead singer, was grateful for the opportunity to play for such an intimate group.
“I feel like there’s a lot of times where people are not going to shows for the music. And the kind of music we make is intentional listening, so it felt like that kind of moment,” she said.
In their own home, the sounds of guitars, artist’s vocals and the breeze blowing through the palm trees were heard, rather than screaming audience members. The yard became a sacred space and only a handful of times did Isla Vista assert its presence through roaring car engines.
The night was chock-full of biblical references made by Warren, furthering the illusion that the backyard was in fact the Garden of Eden. Further sanctifying the space was Warren’s request that the audience not clap, but rather offer snaps or little hoots and hollers. The little snaps crumbled the wall separating audience members from musicians on stage.
“It was a good reminder that the artists you look up to are just people. It’s hopeful to anyone pursuing any sort of craft that the people you look up to are just people; so you can do it too,” Pelosi said.
This appeared in the Jan. 29 print edition of the Daily Nexus
