Beauty amid the ruins

They say the best art comes from pain and the saddest songs are the most beautiful ones. That’s certainly true of Robert Longley and Roger Thoreson’s new song, “Break Even Woman,” and the accompanying music video directed by Puspa Lohmeyer and her assistant Roman Kihl.

The two talented musicians Longley and Thoreson have been playing together as a duo for about a year and have been working on a CD that will be coming out soon-ish, they say.

When friend and visual artist Puspa Lohmeyer heard the tracks she chose the saddest, most emotionally wrenching song to make a video to.

“It resonated with me,” Lohmeyer said. “It has a rawness and a vulnerability to it. I always like the sad songs the most because there is a beauty to them.”

The song, “Break Even Woman,” was written by Thoreson for his close friend, Ariel Robinson.

“Ariel is a dear friend of mine and she had a boyfriend that wasn’t seeing her depth,” Thoreson said. “He was only appreciating her superficially. She became very upset. I went home and the song wrote itself through me. It was like light refracting through a prism.”

The song showcases Robby’s delicate finger-style guitar playing and Roger’s soulful voice, complemented by the string-like sounds of a mellotron, an instrument that sounds like a violin. The video stars the stunningly beautiful Robinson herself, acting out the emotions behind the music and lyrics.

“I was channeling raw emotion,” Robinson said. “The tears you see are real. It was difficult because it’s not only about the breakup but my father ended up dying three weeks before.”

The death of her father, who had also abandoned and rejected her, only intensified her pain.

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“It was a very dark place for me,” she said.

But amid the darkness, there is light — and beauty.

The video was shot at Camp Naco, where it will be showcased publicly this coming Saturday night at 7 p.m. The showing at Camp Naco adds to the atmosphere and tone of the video.

“It’s very symbolic,” Lohmeyer said. “It’s a ruin and it symbolizes the emotional ruin. It has all these metaphoric layers. It’s an echo of the story. That’s why we chose that location.”

The film will be broadcast on one of the crumbling adobe walls of Camp Naco. In case of rain, the showing will be inside one of the buildings.

Robby, a master gut string guitarist and symphonic composer, is responsible for production.

“That one hit me,” he said of the song. “Roger’s initial demo was emotionally stirring and I just added to it. My job is to be sensitive to the lyrics and emotions.”

In addition to the mellotron, Longley plays a 12-string guitar, which gives the music a touch of that south-of-the-border sound.

The video took one day to shoot, a week to edit and four months to organize, Lohmeyer said. It is an intimate look at the feelings expressed in Thoreson’s lyrics, intensified by Longley’s lovely, melancholic melody.

The video debut is free and refreshments will be served. Longely and Thoreson will also play for the crowd. Donations appreciated.

So head down to Camp Naco on Saturday night for a soulful evening under the desert stars and check out this beautiful, poignant music video by a talented group of Bisbee artists.

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