THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENT "DOUBLE TROUBLE" - GODDESSES OF OBSCURITY: JUDEE SILL AND LINDA PERHACS. DOUBLE DOWN!!

Dead or alive? Today, we feature one of each: two exquisite female singer-songwriters from the 70’s - one a heroin casualty, and the other a remarkable example of patience rewarded. Judee Sill could have been a Laurel Canyon diva on the order of a Joni Mitchell, but, an unquenchable, self-destructive thirst put a stop to her success; and, Linda Perhacs, a name lost in the archives of time, until a fluke, third-generational cult of folky weirdness reopened her long dormant chrysalis of talent. JUDEE SILLThere is a recent documentary, LOST ANGEL, that covers the tragic spiral and conflicted soul of the artist Judee Sill: reform school alum, heroin addict, prostitute, prisoner… followed by the release of two widely admired albums, then, tragically, her untimely demise at 35 from an O.D. But, it’s her music that matters and endures: startlingly original, quirky, deeply felt folk rock, tinged with ironic humor and pain, in a mix that elicits complex emotions. As Jesus loved the sinners and rejects of this mottled world, Judee, fearing that she would be lost, longed for the salvation that the Savior would bring. And, in the persona of the  “Phantom Cowboy”  (also the title of a 1935 Western movie), Judee evokes that ever elusive “Action” hero that will come, rescue her, and carry her safely to heaven.LINDA PERHACSIn this, our internet age, it’s been posited that everyone has the potential to be a star - but in 1970 there was a different algorithm working, and for a dental hygienist with musical talent… what were the odds?Linda Perhacs’s brilliance had a shot at being acknowledged when the dental hygienist gave her demo to a patient, the noted film composer Leonard Rosenman. He got the message, and produced her first record, Parallelograms. It was released and sank, and Linda resumed her quiet life. Cut to 2014 - 44 years later, and Linda’s record is rediscovered, thanks to “The New Weird America” folk music movement. It was repackaged and released on CD, and what a blessing to hear that ethereal, crystalline voice reanimated.  And, at 81, with a couple more albums out, Linda is a dental hygienist no longer. She’s an inspiration to aspirants everywhere.