Luckily, Jamaica Plain might be that village. The album, which was recorded at the Episcopal Rhode Island boarding school where Wallach teaches, is full of the JP music community's collaborative yes-wave ethos. Charlotte Huffman of Welcome Home, Laura Smith of the Woodrow Wilsons, and Regina Peterson of the Points North all came down to sing on the album, while other musician friends were on hand to hang out and offer input. Kindred spirits from out of town were just as important — Josh and Matt Dean and Tara Toms, who run a mobile recording studio called MurderBoats Music Recording, drove over from Pennsylvania to produce and record the album and add instrumentation to many of the tracks.
"Josh is a good musician with an ear for arrangement," says Lee. "The song 'Waiting Time' was originally written for the banjo with a high-mountain sound, but Josh suggested I play it on electric guitar — it was really fun. Suddenly it had a new set of legs."
Gracious Calamity have a tour planned in March, but in the meantime, they're playing regular gigs around town, including one at the Whitehaus on January 21.
"The underground scene is so vibrant here," says Lee. "People try to stay psyched, and that's what connects everybody."
GRACIOUS CALAMITY + RAYVON BROWNE | Whitehaus, Jamaica Plain | January 21 | 8 PM | $5 suggested donation | 617.477.9480
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, Boston, Music, underground, folk, experimental, Whitehaus, Gracious Calamity, Gracious Calamity, psych, Kate Lee, Less 
