Interview Exclusive: 3 Hand Stephen
By Taleena LaVerne
09/27/2024
Embark on a journey into the heart of musical ingenuity as we step into the intimate setting of 3 Hand Stephen's apartment. Nestled amidst the bustling cityscape, his abode exudes an aura of creativity and warmth, adorned with exotic instruments in every corner. As we settle into the cozy confines of his abode, the anticipation mounts, knowing that we are about to witness a rare and intimate performance by the maestro himself. From the melodic strumming of his homemade guitar to the soulful strumming of his homemade guitar to the mesmerizing twang of his harmonica: 3 Hand Stephen's music knows no limits. With each melody, a new story unfolds, weaving a tapestry of emotions that resonate deep within our souls. In this magical moment, connected by the transformative power of music and the remarkable journey of the man behind the music—3 Hand Stephen.
The interview begins before I had expected, with Lee swiftly discovering something that sparked her curiosity.
Stephen's home and walls are festooned with small instrument pieces. He has tens of instruments lined up against the wall and on the counters. A large gang-like instrument intrigues us as we look. It's an instrument, and Stephen tells us "air" before lightly cradling the neck of it. A string, it continues to emanate, resonating in the air.
There is so much to see. Lee and I see a multitude of questions about small cat. She informs us the painting is of his cat, Ally, who is in the other room. Stephen says Ally is probably not going to come out because she's shy around new people. (Spoiler alert: I did see her before we left. She peeked her head out.) He also tells us that he has a song called "Ally the Cat," and it echoes how he met the cat. I will perform it for you today.
"I'm going to give you a few things for driving of the way over here," he says.
What a unique Welcome and thoughtful. He gives us a red book, Riggy Red Pants. He tells us it has outreach stories, photography, and poetry.
Lee says with a serious face - "You know what you need to do. You need to sign this." We all laugh.
Along with the book are two of his albums by him and his band, The Tree People, as we collected applause for the performance we were about to witness. Stephen picks up his first instrument of the performance. It is a miniature instrument, something I have never seen. It's long, and there's a box attached to it. The box reminds me of a small kalimba instrument my mom always had in the house growing up.
The box is wooden. It is made out of a cigar box, he tells us. It was made inside and out. Like many of the instruments he plays, he made it himself. Ally the Cat is an emotionally resonant composition characterized by its swift tempo and heartfelt melody.
"It almost made me cry," Lee tells us. After 'Ally the Cat' is over, Stephen moves on to the next song. The instrument he uses for this song is a small guitar. I think it is a ukulele at first, but it has five strings.
"It's a miniature guitar – I had it made by a guitar maker in Portland. I wanted a small guitar because she said it didn't sound very good, so I ordered this guitar maker and told him what I wanted, and he came through with this beautiful guitar."
My favorite line thus far:
"This is a one-of-a-kind miniature guitar– the only one in the entire solar system."
My favorite line thus for:
Well, a song called 'Nearing Tied.' We see a harmonica. He begins to play, followed by the two box bass and piano. The harmonious of the two blended very well together and the sounds of course, unique.
For this song, He uses a small handheld instrument he says he himself made. He calls it a "Tiny Me" instrument. It has a tin-whistle-y quality to it. The tin he tells us was once a junk metal piece on the top...and three strings, all on a cigar box.
The song is called "I Give You The Universe" — A beautiful instrumental.
Next, he pulls out printed lyrics for us to sing along with. The next song is "Bridges of Thee Saem."
This was by far my favorite song of the performance. It felt so heartfelt and soulful and perfectly captures the essence of Portland - the lakes, bridges, locales and locales. It made me feel like I was walking a bridge in the evening, my melody in play. He uses an acoustic guitar for this song, which is perfect, and it was a privilege to experience it up close and personal.
Lee and I applaud in awe.
Lee: It all depends. A little bit of both. It depends on the song. Sometimes I'll have a guitar part, then the words will come to me. Sometimes I have the words first, and then the guitar comes. So it all depends...with this song it took me a while, different phases, times.
Lee: Yes, I know, and that includes a trip to Spain. Arturo Garguez, who runs Aversion Records, a Spanish record company that signed him and The Tree People. Flew us to Spain to play at a festival he produced there.
How did you come up with the name 'The Tree People'?
My first instrument was a trombone. My trombone instructor wanted me to look at a book called The Tree People, but at the same time, I was learning that Rolling Stones and The Beatles. The top 40 songs all had guitars in them, so I decided if I wanted to write songs, guitar was the way to go. I always loved trombone and taught myself guitar at 14, and I've been playing ever since.
You can find where to catch Brandsephen and his band The Tree People's upcoming shows at www.3handstephen.com
Brandsephen's music is streaming, on all platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
Stephen's website: www.3handstephen.com