Shhh. It’s all about listening.
Bent Myggen is a man of many talents, all of which he pursues. But, his one true love is music. Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say, his true love is sharing music – something he will do with you “Down the Crooked Path,” free of charge on any given Saturday, or Sunday afternoon, in Los Olivos. Donations accepted.
“I hear songs coming at me,” he says, guitar in hand, closing his eyes for a moment and humming. “The songs come from someplace, and they have someplace to go.”
Depending on the weather, he usually sets up around 3, and the music continues for about four hours. With his lovingly refurbished near antique speakers, and his stage built with found lumber, he is keen on not bothering the neighbors, and on fitting in with the quiet, artistic feel of the town.
The staff at Jedlicka’s, immediately next door, uniformly agrees. “It’s a nice gesture. When we close at 4, there is often a good-size crowd sitting and enjoying the music. It’s never too loud.”
Myggen has no set band, allowing local musicians to join him. This weekend he was joined by Frank Palmer, on bass, and Grace Feldmann, on percussion.
“I have people who have been kind enough to learn my songs,” Myggen says. They sometimes play other venues, including the Cold Spring Tavern.
Myggen, a Dane who has lived in the U.S. for 30 years, places his speakers around the audience so the musicians hear what the audience hears. He knows something about creating an audience-friendly environment. He runs his production company, “VisonEars.Com,” from the same locale.
“The first thing I ask is that people listen,” he says. “Bring your own instrument, but listen before you play.” If you haven’t got one, chances are Myggen will pass around a basket of “shakers” for would-be participants to use.
Myggen readily tells you that he once wrote a theme song for a movie, and that he recently won a prestigious award, but with his mind so focused on what he can share now, it takes him awhile to come up with the name for either.
For the record, the movie was Hooper, the 1978, Oscar-nominated, Burt Reynolds action flick about an aging stunt man. The prestigious award was an International Health and Medical Media Award, more commonly known as a “Freddie.” They are thought of in the industry as “the Oscar” for medical documentaries. Myggen’s documentary, a 45-minute video entitled The Medicine of Compassion, was co-produced by, and for, Adventures in Caring in Santa Barbara. It won the best video in the patient care category in 2004.
According to Myggen’s website, he has produced roughly 150 documentaries and videos. These range from trekking in Nepal, to underwater birthing, to a six-part series on the families of Solvang for the Elverhoj Museum. Myggen’s production company handles all aspects of the work from script to DVD authoring. He is writer, cameraman and sound guy, all at once.
Born the son of a concert pianist and a newspaperman, it only stands to reason he both writes and plays. Myggen’s whole family is musical or creative in some way.
“That’s what’s kept me alive all these years,” he says, “writing music.”
But it is when he speaks of sharing such passion that his face lights up. He shares a story about three children playing violins in the park next door. He invited them to come and play on his stage.
With parents in tow, he set up microphones and speakers. First the children played. Then he played their pieces for them on his keyboard while they listened. Then they played together. ”They were all able to ‘link in,’” he notes. “Music does that. Music is a language that doesn’t need any words.”
They played a good 30 to 45 minutes, Myggen says, laughing as he describes the joy he watched come across the children’s faces.
Of his concerts, he says, “These are an experiment. It’s about finding the people who need what I do.”
Fame is not what Myggen seems to need or to be looking for. “I don’t want to attract people who just think it’s glamorous,” he says. “I’m not a marketing person. I just want to have the freedom to have a good idea and to try it.”
Try it he does – and it seems to be a winner.