Pasadena Magazine is the bi-monthly magazine of Pasadena and its surrounding areas – the diverse, historically rich and culturally vibrant region that includes Glendale, the Eastside of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley all the way to Claremont.
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of the collective creative efforts of these six old friends. Technology, in the form of the internet, rolled over art, culture and commerce of all kinds like a tidal wave, disrupting entrenched and long practiced business models. Few industries, however, saw the status quo obliterated the way it was in the music industry. Back in the fall of 2011, Jimmy Yessian looked around at the industry carnage and chaos and "wanted to know…what my song writing friends were doing with the music business in such disarray…how they're getting gigs and promot- ing themselves." Yessian is a former music industry Creative Development VP. Originally from the Bronx, he's also a long time So. California songwriter, performer and record producer, but despite his psychotherapist wife's encouragement— "Stop putting rocks in the road!" she told him—Yessian wasn't sure his idea had legs. So when he reached out to a group of guys who'd all originally met playing the monthly songwriter night—Western Beat—at a coffee house called Highland Grounds, he thought he might need to sweeten the pot. So when he suggested they start getting together for a regular monthly conversation on all things music, he promised to cook for everyone as well. Whether it was the promise of a fruitful discussion, or Yessian's food that sealed the deal, everyone replied that they were in. They got together the second Tuesday of January 2012, and after a spirited night of conversation, as everyone prepared to leave Axelrod brought up a tried and true workshop prompt with the question, "So what's the challenge?" This method of stimulating creativity is not new, but as Yessian says "I hadn't planned that far. I didn't think these guys would say yes!" But they had said yes and, this being the start of a new year, they determined the fi rst challenge would be to write a song about new beginnings. The challenge turned out to be as prescient as it was apropos. Now some fi ve years on, Axelrod, along with Severin Browne, John Stowers, Ed Tree, and Jeff Kossack have continued to meet the second Tuesday of each month at Yessian's home. All continue to perform separately or in smaller groups, but together perform as the Tall Men Group, and have recently released their third CD, aptly named Feast. Amazingly, these are the only fi ve guys Yessian sent his original pitch to. As he says, "I know many talented songwriters in town, but I just had a feeling that we would all click." Though none were born here, all are longtime Southland residents. And all have been regular features of the local singer/ songwriter scene. Marty Axelrod, a movie industry executive when not wearing his musi- cal cape, plays keys and is a long time fi xture on the local singer/songwriter scene. Ed Tree, in addition to performing, is best known as a record producer, who's ubiquity is inherent in the "One Degree to Ed Tree" concerts held in his name. Severin Browne began recording for Motown at the age of 20 and has been making music for over 40 years. Jeff Kossack bailed on his corner offi ce in the design world in 2005 to do what he loved and has produced over 100 artists since then in his Otherhand Recording studio, in addition to performing with Yessian as From Different Mothers, and John Stowers, another local live music fi xture, and the recipi- ent of a 2004 Billboard World Song Contest award, who's CD, Everything You Do, was released in 2006. And yes, all are over six feet tall. Though as Yessian says, the name is not as much about their personal stature, as it is about their commitment to standing tall in support of each other. Whatever the insight, intuition, or serendipity of Yessian's original choice of co-conspirators—Alexrod laughingly calls it "genius"—the appeal of the Tall Men Group is not just, or even mostly, in the abundant talent of its individual members, but it the collective warmth, respect, and good humor they display amongst themselves and to their audience. In a world that often seems like it's gone mad, the Tall Men Group can provide some big medicine that will go down easy and leave you smiling and feeling better…long after the music is over. tallmengroup.weebly.com www.facebook.com/TallMenGroup/ store.cdbaby.com/cd/tallmengroup3 40 SEPTEMBER 2017 T A L K A B O U T T O W N PULSE the