Showing posts with label Artist interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artist interview. Show all posts
Friday, January 3, 2020
Friday, September 18, 2015
Artist Interview: The Assured, Authentic Americana of The Keller Sisters
Since releasing their debut CD Shine in 2013, The Keller Sisters have quickly taken their place at the top of the Americana and Folk Charts and the San Francisco songwriting community for their warm harmonies, keen perspective and sense of humor. Following up Shine up with 2014's equally assured House of Cards, the success of siblings Sheryl and Kerry is well deserved: They bring an easy grace forged by a strong family bond,and a lifetime of musical experience, to any stage they take. The two discussed their life in music as they prepared to perform at the American River Music Festival.
Q: Did you have similar tastes growing up? Did you go through any sibling rivalry or rebellion?
KS: We have been singing together as long as we can remember. We shared a room and
our mother dressed us alike so a strong bond was formed early on. We can not remember a time that either one of us was jealous of the other. We still finish each other’s sentences. One of our songs has the line "Two peas in a pod two nuts in one shell"...pretty much sums it up.
KS: We have been singing together as long as we can remember. We shared a room and
our mother dressed us alike so a strong bond was formed early on. We can not remember a time that either one of us was jealous of the other. We still finish each other’s sentences. One of our songs has the line "Two peas in a pod two nuts in one shell"...pretty much sums it up.
Q: How does (or doesn't!) your first teen duo project reflect your current sound?
KS: Back then, we played the music we were listening to: Music rooted in harmony and lyrics with strong melody. Crosby Stills and Nash, Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel and the Beatles. Over the years, we have developed a love for every genre but our music definitely has these early influences.
Q:Can you describe events that led to you forming officially as The Keller Sisters and recording Shine?
KS: Our cover band, Blue Tuesday was playing a lot — local clubs and some festivals — and while it was and is very fun, we started missing the stripped-down sound and the music that we played when we were young. In 2011, we were asked to play a fundraiser and decided to do a few songs, just the two of us. We played some of the old songs and one original tune. It went well and we really enjoyed it. The first time playing the original song in public was an “Ah Hah” moment and we realized we wanted to do more of that. After writing more songs, we decided to record them just to have for us and our family. We found a wonderful producer and during the process decided that we would release a CD to have something to share when we played live. It all came together quickly, and we did a residency at a local venue to fine tune the songs and try out new ones. One of our first rehearsals we thought of all kinds of clever names for our duo, then gave up and decided to go with who we are.
Q: Your mother was a singer and actress and you've been exposed to music for most of your life: Was there ever a time you weren't doing music or wanted to do something else?
KS: Our mother was a huge influence on us. She had an incredible voice with gorgeous tone and perfect pitch. She moved the family from San Francisco to Los Angeles after our older brother was born. We lived our early lives in Hollywood while she worked in films and did local television. Dad taught the movie stars kids at a private school. His father asked him to join the family insurance business back in SF and the decision was made to come back home. Mom decided that she would go back to her first love which was musical theater. She toured extensively and when she was home was constantly rehearsing. This exposed us to a world of music and wonderful training. We grew up watching her perform and meeting her on tour. We were fortunate to do summer stock with her which was a real education. We both sang in the school Glee Club and did lavish productions in our bedroom.
We worked out all the harmony parts to Beatles songs and aspired to be the next Simon and Garfunkel. We are having so much fun right now, but those moments where our voices become one still bring us the most joy.
Q: How do you write? Do you write together or individually bring songs to the table?
KS: So far, Sheryl does all of the songwriting. The ideas come from personal experience reading and observing life. Kerry is the editor and sounding board. When a song is close, we work together on the details and fine-tune, tweaking the melody to highlight the harmonies which is so important to us.
Q: Who are you listening to or reading now? Any sounds you're especially loving?
KS: We recently saw the amazing Ruthie Foster and had our first Steve Poltz experience. We see as much live music as we can and always come away completely inspired... It is thrilling to discover new music. Currently we are listening to Jason Isbell and Gretchen Peters.
Q: How do you write? Do you write together or individually bring songs to the table?
KS: So far, Sheryl does all of the songwriting. The ideas come from personal experience reading and observing life. Kerry is the editor and sounding board. When a song is close, we work together on the details and fine-tune, tweaking the melody to highlight the harmonies which is so important to us.
Q: Who are you listening to or reading now? Any sounds you're especially loving?
KS: We recently saw the amazing Ruthie Foster and had our first Steve Poltz experience. We see as much live music as we can and always come away completely inspired... It is thrilling to discover new music. Currently we are listening to Jason Isbell and Gretchen Peters.
Q: What's next? Anything new audiences can expect at the American River Music Fest in Sept?
KS: We have a collection of new songs and only one of them has been performed live. We will be spending the next few months fine-tuning them and are hoping to record another CD early in 2016. We are so excited to play the American River Music Festival and are looking forward to hearing all of the music... We will surely discover and become fans of someone we have never heard before and what a thrill that is!
The Keller Sisters perform Friday, September 18 at The American River Music Festival 950 Lotus Road Coloma, CA 95651 530.622.6044
Monday, January 19, 2015
Songwriter Linda McRae Smooths Life's Roughest Edges with Song
As became evident upon further inquiry, McRae wasn't just a stellar artist, she was also a stellar person, both continually creating and giving back. McRae went solo in 1996, after a decade spent with the popular Canadian folk band, Spirit of the West, and has since released five CDs of her own work. Routinely charting in the top-10, performing in festivals throughout North America, she's collaborated, recorded and performed alongside a whose who of roots-based artists including Gurf Morlix, Neko Case and Bruce Cockburn. And the alliance with New Folsom led she and her husband, James Whitmire to start Express Yourself Writing Workshops for other disenfranchised communities in 2011, adding to an already full touring and recording schedule while further fueling her creativity.
Amid a month-long Escape to Create! residency in Florida that she was deservedly rewarded, McRae answered my questions about her work as an artist and teacher and all she'll be up to in 2015.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming year: Are you playing anywhere new? Any key dates or projects you're especially excited about
LM: 2015 is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting year. I’ll be touring all over North America in support of my new recording being released September 15th on my new label Borealis Records. I’m really excited to be working with Borealis. They have been incredibly supportive, and their promotional team was instrumental in my career retrospective, Fifty Shades of Red, hitting some “best of” lists for 2014. It was also # 5 Top Canadian Album on the Folk DJ Charts.
The label is currently working directly with my manager/agent/collaborator and husband (not necessarily in that order) James Whitmire on an October/November North American CD Release tour in support of the new recording. Those dates will be announced in the coming months. I also have a number of festivals I will be performing at this year including Artswells in BC where I will also be teaching a week-long songwriting course. Other festivals include South Country Fair in Alberta where I was made the honorary mayor last year, and a new festival in Ontario called the Kingsville Folk Music Festival. I’ve also just been asked to perform for the first time at Winterfolk in Toronto this Feb. 13-15/2015.
Q: Is this a first-time residency for you at Escape 2 Create? Do you have a 'typical' writing process? Will you be writing material for the new recording on retreat?
LM: The bulk of the material has already been written but there will definitely be some additions as a result of my Escape 2 Create residency. I guess my typical writing process usually involves juggling half a dozen things at the same time, i.e. touring, daily household activities, social networking, publicizing my performances, etc. which in itself is a full-time job. It is an incredible luxury for me to have an entire month in which to write new material and I am relishing every second of my time here.
Escape 2 Create choses twelve interdisciplinary artists though a rigorous juried application process each year, six in January and six in February. Each artist’s private residence is donated by local Seaside, FL, community members and is tailored to each artist’s requirements. This is my first residency and having been chosen to participate has given me a sense of validation. I am also enjoying the fellowship and inspiration I am receiving from my fellow artists and the residents of Seaside. I have already finished four songs in the week I have been here.
LM: The bulk of the material has already been written but there will definitely be some additions as a result of my Escape 2 Create residency. I guess my typical writing process usually involves juggling half a dozen things at the same time, i.e. touring, daily household activities, social networking, publicizing my performances, etc. which in itself is a full-time job. It is an incredible luxury for me to have an entire month in which to write new material and I am relishing every second of my time here.
Escape 2 Create choses twelve interdisciplinary artists though a rigorous juried application process each year, six in January and six in February. Each artist’s private residence is donated by local Seaside, FL, community members and is tailored to each artist’s requirements. This is my first residency and having been chosen to participate has given me a sense of validation. I am also enjoying the fellowship and inspiration I am receiving from my fellow artists and the residents of Seaside. I have already finished four songs in the week I have been here.
Q: How do you know when you're ready to go back into the studio? You've worked with a lot of great producers: whose on deck for this next project? Any new sounds you'll be exploring or would like to?
LM: I guess I know when I’m ready to go back into the studio when I have at least 15 songs that I feel are really strong. I usually like to record 12-15 and then put 10 or so on the finished release. I feel I have grown as a performing songwriter and each recording I think has illustrated that. Having the added perspective of collaborating with my husband and other co-writers has definitely helped me grow as a songwriter as well. Recording starts right after I finish my residency here. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as I will have plenty of time here to get to know the songs inside and out. I like to have them in my head and under my fingers before I record them.
I have been fortunate when it comes to working with producers and great musicians. I’ve had wonderful experiences recording with each producer I have worked with, Colin Linden, Gurf Morlix and Marc L’Esperance. Each of them brought something new to the table and I am confident this one will continue in that same vein.
This time, I’ve decided to work with my old friend, and award-winning producer and guitarist, Steve Dawson. I am really excited to be working with Steve on this project. We started pre-production before I left for my residency and he had some terrific arrangement ideas. We also did some co-writing together, and it just so happens one or two of those co-writes will be on the new CD.
I’ve become really interested in acoustic blues styles and as he is well-acquainted with the idiom he’s a natural choice. I’m hoping to achieve a raw sound on this recording with real deep grooves you can drive a truck through. For me, it’s all about the groove. If the groove isn’t there you have nothing to build on. Start from the bottom up and away you go. I like to keep things pretty spare as well without a lot of unnecessary frills to clog things up. He’s a master and I know it’s going to be great.
LM: I guess I know when I’m ready to go back into the studio when I have at least 15 songs that I feel are really strong. I usually like to record 12-15 and then put 10 or so on the finished release. I feel I have grown as a performing songwriter and each recording I think has illustrated that. Having the added perspective of collaborating with my husband and other co-writers has definitely helped me grow as a songwriter as well. Recording starts right after I finish my residency here. The timing couldn’t be more perfect as I will have plenty of time here to get to know the songs inside and out. I like to have them in my head and under my fingers before I record them.
I have been fortunate when it comes to working with producers and great musicians. I’ve had wonderful experiences recording with each producer I have worked with, Colin Linden, Gurf Morlix and Marc L’Esperance. Each of them brought something new to the table and I am confident this one will continue in that same vein.
This time, I’ve decided to work with my old friend, and award-winning producer and guitarist, Steve Dawson. I am really excited to be working with Steve on this project. We started pre-production before I left for my residency and he had some terrific arrangement ideas. We also did some co-writing together, and it just so happens one or two of those co-writes will be on the new CD.
I’ve become really interested in acoustic blues styles and as he is well-acquainted with the idiom he’s a natural choice. I’m hoping to achieve a raw sound on this recording with real deep grooves you can drive a truck through. For me, it’s all about the groove. If the groove isn’t there you have nothing to build on. Start from the bottom up and away you go. I like to keep things pretty spare as well without a lot of unnecessary frills to clog things up. He’s a master and I know it’s going to be great.
Q: You're a songwriter and writing facilitator/teacher. Can you discuss how you started Express Yourself Writing Workshops and how teaching/facilitating informs your own work?
LM: The idea for our writing workshop came from our involvement in the Arts and Corrections Program at California’s New Folsom Prison. My husband James and I were there for the first time in the fall of 2011, and we were so moved by the response to our visit that we decided to carry it through further with a focus on disenfranchised members of the communities I perform in. It has turned out to be a life-changing experience. In the past three years since our first visit to Folsom we have worked with approximately 1000 individuals in at-risk youth community facilities and correctional facilities. We have also worked with people in detox centers, veteran’s hospitals, and various adult correctional facilities with both male and female inmates. Our experiences talking and working with everyone involved has definitely had an influence on my writing. My new CD will include songs written as a direct result of some of these experiences, including a song I wrote with a New Folsom inmate who is serving life without parole. His name is Ken Blackburn and he is 73 years old. I think it is one of the best songs I have ever had the opportunity to be part of. Ken wrote the lyric and I wrote the music.
LM: The idea for our writing workshop came from our involvement in the Arts and Corrections Program at California’s New Folsom Prison. My husband James and I were there for the first time in the fall of 2011, and we were so moved by the response to our visit that we decided to carry it through further with a focus on disenfranchised members of the communities I perform in. It has turned out to be a life-changing experience. In the past three years since our first visit to Folsom we have worked with approximately 1000 individuals in at-risk youth community facilities and correctional facilities. We have also worked with people in detox centers, veteran’s hospitals, and various adult correctional facilities with both male and female inmates. Our experiences talking and working with everyone involved has definitely had an influence on my writing. My new CD will include songs written as a direct result of some of these experiences, including a song I wrote with a New Folsom inmate who is serving life without parole. His name is Ken Blackburn and he is 73 years old. I think it is one of the best songs I have ever had the opportunity to be part of. Ken wrote the lyric and I wrote the music.
Q:What can listeners and fans expect after March 2015?
LM: I guess the biggest thing is my new CD coming out. I’ll also be doing some shows with two other wonderful artists in the DC area in May Mary Battiata (Little Pink is her band name) and Karen Collins. Mary and I were at a music camp this summer at the Augusta Heritage society and Karen was one of the instructors there. The name says it all: "Women on the Verge! A Night of Traditional and Alt Country."
You can find all my tour dates, music, epk and workshop information at http://lindamcrae.com
LM: I guess the biggest thing is my new CD coming out. I’ll also be doing some shows with two other wonderful artists in the DC area in May Mary Battiata (Little Pink is her band name) and Karen Collins. Mary and I were at a music camp this summer at the Augusta Heritage society and Karen was one of the instructors there. The name says it all: "Women on the Verge! A Night of Traditional and Alt Country."
You can find all my tour dates, music, epk and workshop information at http://lindamcrae.com
Monday, January 12, 2009
Artist Interview: Allegra Gibson and the Adventures of Pukie
Q: Tell me about Pukie. Who is he? Or she?
AG: I call Pukie 'he' but it's a she. [Pokies’] not really sexed. It’s more based on emotionality; he/she’s an emotional character.
Q: Meaning?
AG: Because Pukie is so abject to the surroundings. He/she's an 'other' character, an alien, always trying to assimilate experience and surroundings. But because he/she can't assimilate so he/she expels it. He/she's kind of disgusted with what he/she finds. I'm exploring desire and repulsion.
Q: Why do you think you choose these themes?
AG: It's about exploring social norms you're trying to integrate with and how it just doesn't always work. I think culture can be corporate-generic. Like I use a lot of handbags, exploring consumerism. I'm turning socially acceptable behavior on its head.
Q: How is animating Pukie different?
AG: Animation gives [Pukie] a three-dimensional, real-time aspect. Instead of making 30-second drawings, it's a 30-second narrative. The drawings can be interpreted many different ways depending on how you put them on the way. The animation is more direct. It's a first attempt at demonstrating his/her behavior.
Q: Did it lead you anywhere different or surprising?
AG: It was fun finishing the project, but animation was a lot of work. You have to construct every movement. ...I want to make different episodes, "a day in the life." I think people are really attracting to moving images. I love "Family Guy" and all those shows. This video is about introducing Pukie Pooh. He drinks 'ghetto beer' and then [expels] up the painting. It's surrealistic.
Q: Who influences you?
AG: Definitely Goya black paintings and Dali. The "Mission School" artists like Chris Johanson. I like his use of characters, which are completely irreverent, and how he glorifies them. And his use of color and 2D.
Q: What’s next?
AG: I’m going to continue with the animations. Projecting them as a larger-than-life character is interesting. I've been drawing caves, looking at demons of the underworld. I had this dream last night, where I was on top of a waterfall and I couldn't see over it so I jumped in. I was totally fine. So I think something new is coming, I’m not sure what. I’m going to make some physical drawings of Pukie surfing, [for now]. It’s a leap of faith.
http://www.allegragibson.com/
allegraflash file
Originally uploaded by gazer2
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