(illustration: Rob Goodman)

Remember two weeks ago, when we debuted Awkward Convos with Beejus? That was fun, wasn't it?

Well, we've got one more surprise for you...

Returning to our podcast roots, we're heading up a special spotlight series called Turn Up the Bay, which highlights local artists doing exciting, innovative, or just plain weird work here in the Bay Area.

Case in point: Longtime local Sam Chase, who, at the end of this month, is debuting...wait for it...a full-on rock opera, The Last Rites of Dallas Pistol.

But...why? What would compel someone, in this economy, to devote themselves to writing an 18-track rock opera? How much of the Andrew Lloyd Webber catalog did he consume in his childhood? Does the plot of Dallas Pistol tread too close to that of The Santa Clause?

Answers to these questions and more in our very first episode of Turn Up the Bay.

The post Turn Up the Bay, Episode 1: Sam Chase writes a rock opera appeared first on The Bay Bridged - San Francisco Bay Area Indie Music.