Apples with a Side of Sauce
by Lauren Harrington
I screamed into the back of the kitchen “That milk better be soy, Man!” and teetered back and forth on my bar stool like an anxious child. I decide to pocket a chocolate chip cookie and make haste through the eager crowd clutching my latte. The music becomes louder and catchier to my ears as I pass through groups of socialites and thespians; taking a quick break with a cigarette out front. Packing more excitement than crumpets with Grandma, Applesauce Teahouse provides the quintessential forum for the ever-growing population of grungy aspiring artists of our local mountain scene.
Apple Sauce Tea House is our neighborhood coffee shop in Flagstaff. It is located on San Francisco Street just south of the tracks and north of Butler. It is open seven days a week and provides several coffees, teas and hookahs for smoking flavored tobacco, as well as a small appetizer menu. Derrick and Irene Johnson, the owners of Applesauce Tea House, are the ones to bestow us with this delicious beverage stop by day and eclectic music venue by night. The Johnsons are considered a highly trained and worldly couple; especially in the art of teas and coffees. "I've traveled the world because I buy all my teas directly from the estates," Johnson, 42, explained in an interview for the AZ Daily Sun. "I used to go over two times a year, but now, since the newborn, I haven't gone. I worked on tea estates in Japan and India. I was a chai wallah in India and carried the tea on my back. In Delhi, I had to learn the proper way to brew teas, blend teas, like my chai teas; I cook them like you're supposed to." And, she does.
The shop has two small tables with chairs out front, and, while driving by, you can easily observe small groups of Flagstaff’s youth crowding around a hookah or strumming on guitars. When you enter there is a glass table on your left, often unattended, but this counter is where the hookahs can be rented and tobacco can be purchased. This set up also doubles as a space for the sound crew to operate their equipment during live performances. Furthermore, as you enter there is a stage straight ahead, this being hardly a foot of the ground and facing a series of chairs set up in rows. On Monday evenings these chairs are packed with bodies and the surrounding areas provide as a standing room for the growingly popular ‘Open Mic Night’ that the tea house hosts. This is when I find myself there most often.
When I attend ‘Open Mic Night’ I enter and habitually proceed to the left, through an opening and into the coffee area that is set up quite like a bar or pub. I grab a stool and order my large latte with an extra espresso shot, often iced but as the winter season creeps up on this town I have transitioned to having it served hot. In this area of the tea house you can hear the music very clearly; the pleasant sound of raw, unfiltered music tends to resonate throughout the thin corridor of a room. This is also where the musicians tend to gather before and after their ten minute set. So, perhaps as a means of easing myself into the calamity of the situation, I present myself at the bar to the passer-by’s that I have come to know rather well. Most attendees I have met in the past and will stop to talk about whatever we left off on or perhaps just the rapidly changing weather. As the crowd shifts, and people seem to play ‘musical chairs,’ I enter back into the room and find myself a seat or a wall to rest against.
The host of these events is a highly charismatic young man who is a musician and poet himself. He is often cracking jokes and participating with the audience; a very funny individual. I have yet to concrete his name in my head but his face is very familiar— being that he is involved with so many events around town. I could eyeball that scruff and swagger from any distance. He is currently involved with a project they call ‘Spoken Circus.’ He and two female musicians perform spoken word poetry with violin and guitar accompaniment. Sending chills throughout the crowd with each word as the volume of the violin grows and penetrates the audience’s silence. About one third of the people in the audience are holding musical instruments or books of music and poetry; waiting and observing. As the host presents the next act he often uses his charm to create a big loud welcome for the artist. This can often be a saving grace for those who have never performed here before or bombed the last time. New comers are encouraged and always receive proper recognition for the courage it takes to be in the spot light for the first time.
I find it to be thrilling; watching a new face up on stage, I indulge in studying their mannerisms; fumbling over cables on stage or startling themselves with ear piercing feedback. Most people here are overly confident. There are house bands and artists that perform every week and need no introduction at all; the audience is already at full attention. The most prominent are ‘The Birds and the Bees’ (an all female string group), ‘The Brothers Gow’ (an all male group that maintains a Sublime type style), and ‘Synergy’ (a new-age reggae band that is guaranteed to have you dancing). One night a traveling reggae band from Africa stopped for the night in our small town before moving onto their next destination. Someone passed on the word that they should attend Applesauce and play a song, so they did. I recall the outbreak of dancing bodies after only a few minutes of their first song. The crowd was feeling the vibrations as the lead singer declared, “Jump around if you really love Reggae! Jump around and dance with me!” We danced and cheered them on for another thirty minutes.
The best part about these events and this particular location is the unexpected. This is the ideal forum for unheard talents to get the opportunity to perform. This is also the amazing breeding ground for music productions to come; not to mention that spoken word has its own grand place and time at the tea house too. On Wednesday nights the tea house hosts a Poetry Slam. This is where the local poets can gather and share their work with other patrons of the art. It is organized like a ‘Battle of the Bands’ where each performer reads their poem to the audience and is graded on a scale from one to ten. Winners are recognized and then the featured guest poet of the week will have the stage for the evening. Some poets like to accompany their words with fitting music where as others may enjoy the stark and raw effect that the silence provides. Some poets may read from a script where as others may scream at the top of their lungs mid-aisle at a complete stranger. Either case, you can experience the events here from start to finish or just witness something inspired as your passing through. You could be grabbing a coffee or signing up to sing next Monday. At Applesauce Tea House the definition of your experience is up to you.