Travis Oberg "Red & Gold"

Santa Cruz-based folk musician Travis Oberg is a sweetheart, both in his demeanor and his sound. His voice reminds me of a perfectly seasoned day, a warm summer or crisp autumn: absolutely blissful. Before we even started recording, we had a nice long chat in my kitchen, and even the conversation was soothing to the soul. I love experiencing a musician whose sound exactly matches his or her personality, it makes the transition from conversation to performance almost unnoticeable and so organic.

One of my favorite parts of this video is when my make-shift end table that Travis is sitting on (a stack of cardboard boxes that house art supplies with a sheet over it) slightly gives way under him. So he's shifting and adjusting his weight throughout the video, but continues to play. What a champ. Apparently it made him drop a verse. My fault for suggesting the location, sorry Travis!

Travis has been making music for over ten years and has released at least 2 albums. Travis has been selling his recently released album Live Project on GetSocial to fundraise for building wells in Africa. This deal expires this Thursday, so buy his album soon! Also make sure to check out his website and his facebook page. 

Who is your favorite author?

Author: right now I’m reading Stephen King, which is pretty good, but Annie Dillard is one of my all-time favorites. Also John Steinbeck has such a handle on the English language, it’s fascinating. I wish I could write like him. 

Who are your musical influences?

It’s a pretty varied, ever expanding lot, in no particular order, including: Counting Crows, Bob Dylan, Coltrane, sleepy John Estes, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Paul and Mary, They Might Be Giants, Jim Croce, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Radiohead, Yann Tiersan, Appleseed Cast, Jenny Lewis, Sufjan Stevens, Avett Brothers, Bruce Hornsby, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Elvis Costello... 

What is one lyric you wish you would have written?

Paul Simon’s Graceland album starts like this "The Mississippi Delta shining/ Like a National guitar/ I am following the river/ Down the highway/ Through the cradle of the civil war I'm going to Graceland." It kills me every time. I wish I could have written something like that! 

What are your top 5 desert island albums?

Songs in the Key of Life-Stevie Wonder, August and Everything After – Counting Crows, Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, My Mother’s Hymnal-Johnny Cash, Graceland - Paul Simon. 

What is one crazy story from tour?

This last tour I did we were on the freeway and I took a picture of a boat in the back of this truck in the lane next to us. The men in the truck saw me do it and got angry. So angry that they were revving their engine and shouting insults at us through the open windows. They looked very very scary. I think they wanted to fight us and they probably would have won. "He took a picture of us!" they roared. Someone in the front seat said "He didn't take a picture of you. He took a picture of your boat. He likes your boat!" The men nodded, said "Oh!" and then just drove off. It was awesome.