Some of the best experiences with live music happen in intimate settings. That up-close-and-personal experience gives listeners a strong connection to the music and the artists in small venues like dive bars and cafes. These are the moments that can contain pure magic, like an a cappella chorus echoing over a hushed crowd or the stripped-down version of a fully produced song.
It’s these moments that The Rye Room Sessions look to capture, delivering that magic, warmth and intimacy—“almost as if you were in a living room [with the artists]," says videographer Merlin Showalter—via private performances with local acts.
“I became a fan of Starover Blue by watching their live performance at The Secret Society,” says Matt Greco, studio owner and producer at The Rye Room. “Their spacey pop sound just sticks with you. Kendall Sallay-Milotz plays a tenor electric with a killer tone that really shines through. It’s a perfect complement to Dirk Sallay-Milotz’s Juno synth. That synth takes up a lot of sonic space, but because the tenor guitar only has four strings, it is able to cut through better than a six string would.”
Starover Blue’s Kendall and Dirk Sallay-Milotz began their musical journey in the music department of San Jose State. Recently married, they now call Portland home. James Herbert on drums and Kyle Polensky on bass and vocals round out their experimental, bittersweet sound. Equal parts eerie and dreamy, “Twelve Tides” is from the band’s sophomore LP Spacegeist.
