Biography
Linda Perhacs, a California-based singer and songwriter, saw her debut album Parallelograms—her sole release for many years—emerge as a landmark psych-folk work that left a deep mark on songwriters such as Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt, Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, and countless others.
While living on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and maintaining a career as a dental hygienist, she composed with focus yet kept her work almost entirely private. Grammy- and Emmy-winning composer Leonard Rosenman, known for Rebel Without a Cause and Barry Lyndon, entered her office as a patient. After ten visits he asked how she spent her free hours; only then did she mention her songwriting. Rosenman requested a hearing, responded with enthusiasm, secured a contract for her with Kapp, a Universal subsidiary, assembled musicians that included drummer Shelly Manne, and oversaw the sessions that produced Parallelograms.
Upon hearing the acetate Perhacs felt dismay, a reaction Rosenman shared; the label had stripped the highs and lows in an effort to suit AM radio, whereas both artists had envisioned an unmistakably FM record. She returned to her hygienist position and withdrew from public view, although she kept writing. In the mid-1990s Michael Piper, whose imprint The Wild Places specialized in reissuing rare psychedelic titles, made repeated attempts to reach her without success. He proceeded with a reissue of Parallelograms anyway, adding notes in the packaging about his search. Contact was finally established—she remained on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and continued working as a dental hygienist—and an authorized edition followed, drawn from her original source tapes that surpassed the flawed Kapp mastering. Issued in 2003 with additional tracks, the album gained fresh traction, particularly among younger listeners and musicians, and has seen repeated pressings since.
Banhart persuaded Perhacs to record with him in 2007 for Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon; the same year her composition “If You Were My Man” appeared in Daft Punk’s film Electroma. She gave her first live performance in 2010. Two years later she joined Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty Records and tracked new songs from September through April 2013. Co-production duties fell to Chris Price and Fernando Perdomo, while Julia Holter and Ramona Gonzalez of Nite Jewel contributed vocals. The resulting album, The Soul of All Natural Things, reached stores in March 2014—her first new release in 44 years. Three years afterward she completed a third album, I’m a Harmony, issued by Omnivore Recordings and co-produced by Pat Sansone of Wilco and the Autumn Defense together with Perhacs and Perdomo.
While living on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and maintaining a career as a dental hygienist, she composed with focus yet kept her work almost entirely private. Grammy- and Emmy-winning composer Leonard Rosenman, known for Rebel Without a Cause and Barry Lyndon, entered her office as a patient. After ten visits he asked how she spent her free hours; only then did she mention her songwriting. Rosenman requested a hearing, responded with enthusiasm, secured a contract for her with Kapp, a Universal subsidiary, assembled musicians that included drummer Shelly Manne, and oversaw the sessions that produced Parallelograms.
Upon hearing the acetate Perhacs felt dismay, a reaction Rosenman shared; the label had stripped the highs and lows in an effort to suit AM radio, whereas both artists had envisioned an unmistakably FM record. She returned to her hygienist position and withdrew from public view, although she kept writing. In the mid-1990s Michael Piper, whose imprint The Wild Places specialized in reissuing rare psychedelic titles, made repeated attempts to reach her without success. He proceeded with a reissue of Parallelograms anyway, adding notes in the packaging about his search. Contact was finally established—she remained on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and continued working as a dental hygienist—and an authorized edition followed, drawn from her original source tapes that surpassed the flawed Kapp mastering. Issued in 2003 with additional tracks, the album gained fresh traction, particularly among younger listeners and musicians, and has seen repeated pressings since.
Banhart persuaded Perhacs to record with him in 2007 for Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon; the same year her composition “If You Were My Man” appeared in Daft Punk’s film Electroma. She gave her first live performance in 2010. Two years later she joined Sufjan Stevens’ Asthmatic Kitty Records and tracked new songs from September through April 2013. Co-production duties fell to Chris Price and Fernando Perdomo, while Julia Holter and Ramona Gonzalez of Nite Jewel contributed vocals. The resulting album, The Soul of All Natural Things, reached stores in March 2014—her first new release in 44 years. Three years afterward she completed a third album, I’m a Harmony, issued by Omnivore Recordings and co-produced by Pat Sansone of Wilco and the Autumn Defense together with Perhacs and Perdomo.
Albums
Live
