Monica Pasqual livestream:  gently gorgeous and generously intimate.

For the duration of the Coronavirus pandemic that has shut down live music, I will be reviewing livestream concerts that are part of ongoing series so readers can see the subsequent livestreams.

Monica Pasqual, known for her soaring voice and concert-level piano skills in the folk group Blame Sally, livestreamed a gently gorgeous solo concert this weekend from her childhood home in Oakland, part of her ongoing series of Wednesday and Sunday livestreams.

The visual setting was lovely; Pasqual was seated at a gleaming black grand piano with red velvet curtains and artwork behind her,  (she gave us an art tour later in the livestream), much of evocative of Spain where her family is from.  Lighting was good; she and piano were quite visible although the contrast was a little high.  Microphone placement and sound mix was excellent and easily accommodated her crystal clear, near-operatic voice. A lively on-line audience of 750+ kept up a constant stream of comments, conversations, hearts and emojis. The concert was free but she provided a PayPal tip jar and alluded to it several times during the livestream.

Like almost every livestream I have seen, it did not start on time, but Pasqual handled the tardiness gracefully with a” hello” at the start and then excused herself while the audience logged in and she completed the set up. The 3-minute wait was not uncomfortable as new people logged in and said “hi” and kicked off conversations

She dedicated the concert to her other home country, Spain, which is the second worst Coronavirus infected country in Europe.  She mixed up the setlist with recently released tracks, songs from early albums that we have not heard for a long time, and a handful of new songs we have never heard before.  The selection and her delivery was inspiring, soaring, relaxing, mesmerizing –  all at the same time.  A consummate artist and a gently gracious woman, she prefaced songs with backstories, tales from her childhood, greetings to friends and family, and responses to requests.  The effect was that the livestream was much more than a concert; it was a generous welcome into her life. She introduced her mother and gave us a tour of the music room and her beautiful art collection, much of it from Spain or depicting Spain. The intimacy was the one of the best I have seen in a livestream.

Pasqual spent twenty years playing with Blame Sally, and still joins the other members ( Pam Delgado, Renee Harcourt, Rob Strom, Jeri Jones)  in concerts.  Her solo work has garnered 9 Independent Music Awards  – three for her highly acclaimed 2019 solo album,  “You Can’t Kill the Light,  and six Emmys for television soundtracks on PBS, The History Channel and National Geographic Television.

Patrick O’Heffernan

Monica Pasqual will livestream on Facebook Live very Wednesday and Sunday at noon PDT for as long as necessary

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/monica.pasqual

Monica Pasqual:  https://www.monicapasqual.com/

Pasqual’s tip jar is at https://www.facebook.com/monicapasqualmusic/