No B.S. – The JPQ Through the Eyes of Michele Khazak

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m in the process of shooting a video for the Jason Parker Quartet’s upcoming Kickstarter campaign to help fund our Nick Drake Project CD. The campaign kicks off on Nov. 15th and I’ve been driving around Seattle to film video of each member of the band to introduce them to our potential backers. It’s been a blast and a great opportunity to spend time with each person talking about their experience playing in the JPQ. I’ve gained some valuable insight into how my compatriots feel about the group and had really fascinating discussions with each of them.

Michele Khazak

Yesterday, vocalist Michele Khazak was kind enough to let me come to her house and film her. I’ve known Michele for many years and have always been floored by her musical talents. She leads her own band, Scandalmonger, and sings with many other wonderful Seattle groups, including Threat of Beauty (led by JPQ bassist Evan Flory-Barnes) and Spekulation.

The first time I heard Michele sing was right around the time that I was first contemplating the Nick Drake project and I knew immediately that she was the right vocalist for the job! I came to find out later that she’s a huge Drake fan and she was just as excited about being part of the project as I was having her along. It’s nice when life works out like that!

No B.S.

Yesterday we spent time talking about her relationship to the tunes, how she approaches singing with her whole being, and what her experience has been like joining the JPQ on this project. As always, her answers were extremely thoughtful and insightful. When she described the JPQ as “no b*** S***” I just had to smile! Here’s some of her thoughts on the band:

Big thanks to Michele for allowing me to film her and for her enthusiastic participation in this endeavor. We couldn’t do it without you!

Michele has a couple of very cool shows coming up that you should check out if you’re in Seattle, including the Seattle Rock Orchestra’s Tribute to the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds & the Wall of Sound this Saturday. Check her website for more details.