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Devil Down Records boldly throws their hat into the distribution ring with a great debut release; a previously unheard collection of “Mississippi” Fred McDowell recordings titled COME AND FOUND GONE: THE BILL FERRIS RECORDINGS.
Taken from the official press release:
“This release, the first from Devil Down Records, provides never before heard recordings of McDowell, and also include his wife Annie Mae, friend Napoleon Strickland (a legendary blues harmonica and fife player in his own right), and another unidentified musician. These recordings are different from any other of Fred McDowell due to their very nature: rather than conducted with the production of a record in mind, the recordings were made casually over the course of a night. McDowell is here heard at his best, relaxed and energetic, performing many of his most famous songs as well as songs never before heard. With the his foot tapping on the hardwood floor and laughter in the background, COME AND FOUND GONE brings the listener into that host night in August, 1967, immersing them in the world of the blues house party, and guiding them through the night as it unfolded.”
Given the circumstances of the recording, the sound quality is surprisingly good. Aside from the occasional bit of mic noise, one would never guess that these intimate performances were never intended for official release. McDowell and company are in fine form, serving up a collection of fantastic acoustic blues; with a raw and often fun energy that simply will never be duplicated. These are fascinating recordings that beautifully capture a moment in time.
In addition to 16 musical performances listeners are treated to an entertaining bit of banter between the musicians and a worthwhile audio interview with Dr. William Ferris; the world renowned blues scholar that is responsible for these recordings. The CD also features gorgeous packaging, wonderful photographs and informative liner notes from Dr. Ferris, Luther Dickinson (of the North Mississippi Allstars) and distinguished French blues scholar Vincent Joos.
This is a great first effort from Devil Down Records. If they put this kind of effort into their future releases, blues fans will have a lot to look forward to.
Thanks and keep reading American Blues News and also check out Media Wah Wah for more of this writer’s thoughts and opinions about Movies, Music, TV & More.
Welcome back Blues fans! I recently caught Ruthie Foster at Joe's Pub in New York so I have posted some photos from that show. I had seen Ruthie before, a brief set opening for Robben Ford sometime last year. When I saw she was again playing in New York I knew I had to go catch a full set. I'm fairly new to catching shows at Joe's Pub but it's another great place to catch some live music. Ruthie and the band were in fine form and the appreciative crowd loved what they heard. This is another show you should catch if it comes to a venue near you.
I would like to thank Sue Schrader for getting me on the guest list. Until the next go-round, keep supporting the Blues. As you can see these cats are working hard to lay it down for you.
What's up Blues fans! This week I am submitting photos of Eric Bibb from his show at Joe's Pub in New York on Feb. 23, 2010. I will tell you that Eric put on a great show for a full house and I will suggest you read the very fine interview by our own Monica Yasher at this link here. It was very heartwarming to see a storyteller like Eric stand on stage with just his guitar and his voice and move the audience like he did. Grant Dermody lent subtle but effective support on harmonica on a few songs. Eric is out on the road so drop by when he's near you and enjoy a good night of acoustic blues.
Until the next go-round, keep supporting the Blues. As you can see these cats are working hard to lay it down for you.
Thursday night, March 11th, 2010, found New York blues fans filing into B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill to see David “Honeyboy” Edwards; a blues legend and one of the last original Delta bluesmen.
Early birds to the show were able to catch Texas blues-guitarist Marc Benno, as he entertained the crowd with an opening set that ran just shy of an hour. Benno, who has played alongside everyone from The Doors and Eric Clapton to Lightnin’ Hopkins and Leon Russell, did not come off as incredibly enthusiastic; playing for the 300+ in attendance. His banter was kept to a minimum and though it was quite clear that he is a very talented and accomplished guitarist, his playing and the set in general lacked any kind of real excitement. The song-list consisted of pretty standard Texas-style blues fare; never really striving for anything outside of the box or challenging. The set did manage to pick up a little bit of momentum as New York native Michael Packer sat in on guitar for the band’s final number, but for the most part, Benno came across as an exceptional musician that seemed content with resting on his laurels.
After an excruciating 45 minute intermission (really how long could it possibly take to set up two guitars and three mics?), Honeyboy’s supporting guitarist, Rocky Lawrence, took the stage and opened the set with a few solo numbers. Lawrence, whose solo acoustic guitar playing is excellent, unfortunately does not have the same talent when delivering a lyric. That is not to say that his voice is bad. His voice is fine, but the man just does not have the vocal presence and the ability to interpret a lyric the way a bluesman needs to. His delivery came off as forced and insincere; almost the opposite of the blues greats. He has great potential, but it is going to take a lot of work before he reaches it.
After sitting through 45 minutes of rambling drunkard-filled intermission and 10 minutes of Lawrence’s solo efforts, the crowd was hungry for the legend they paid to see. Before Honeyboy took the stage, a representative of The National Guitar Museum stepped up to the mic; introducing the 94 year-old bluesman and presenting him with a lifetime achievement award. It is worth noting that Edwards also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in January of this year.
Now, when one goes to see an artist like Honeyboy Edwards, celebrating a lifetime of achievements is exactly what you are there to do and in his case it has been a long life, filled with a plethora of achievements. As this review seems to already be a laundry list of complaints about that evening’s performances, I’d like to avoid disrespecting one of the oldest living blues legends and just say that Edwards is long past his prime. Fans going to see him perform these days, should not expect too much from the 94 year-old bluesman and be content with the fact that they are really attending his shows to celebrate the man, his career and an art form that may continue to be successfully imitated, but will never be as genuine as it is when he is playing it.
(Washington DC)What a week in the nation's capital! We are just starting to get over our last snow, and now the weather man projects 1-2 feet of snow(depending on the area). I'm a bit West of DC, and we typically get more snow than the city does, so we are in for a long weekend. Too much snow can definitely make a person Blue in D.C.
I originally had an interview with Anthony Gomes planned for this weeks article, but something came up on Anthony's side, so I will substitute the interview with a review of Mr Gomes band called the New Soul Cowboys. I know what you're thinking ... why would a band named New Soul Cowboys be on a Blues site? Anthony Gomes music is deeply influenced by the Blues, and has just recently changed his bands style to a form of Southern Rock. New Soul Cowboys describe their sound as Outlaw Rock 'N' Roll.
New Soul Cowboys are a power trio out of Nashville that can play kick@ss rock with the best of them. The band is composed of singer/guitarist Anthony Gomes, bassist David Karns, and drummer Peter Lang. It is great to see a band like this come out at a time where I feel Rock was taking a back seat to RAP , R&B and other styles of "music". No offense to those who like R&B ... I like it myself but these guys are going to make a big splash on the music scene very soon, and I am glad to see this resurgence. Here's a shocker ... these guys can actually PLAY their instruments, and very well at that.
Anthony Gomes
I will admit that I have only seen this band's videos on YouTube and have heard many of the tunes from their CD. No live show yet, but I will say that they are near the top of my list! Anthony Gomes is a well respected guitarist in the Blues world. I saw him jam with Miss Ana Popovic at a small venue a year or so ago, and he was totally awesome. He has total command of the guitar and has a great vocal style. The jam session was 99.9% Blues, which is always fine with me. He puts out an amazing tone, and he gives 101% for his fans, as did Ana.
"We have created a sound that embodies the rebel spirit of musical outcasts like Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash and Howlin' Wolf. We're here to take back Rock 'N' Roll", the guitar-slinger boldly but unapologetically exclaims. "We are part of a new revolution in Rock. A place where bands know where the music came from, can really play their instruments, write their own songs and take no prisoners doing it. We couldn't care less about American Idol, we're here to take our music to the streets." All I can say is, THANK YOU so much Mr Gomes for bringing the Rock back to the people! Your bands music is sorely needed these days, and your band's versatility will take you to the top.
Anthony Gomes
I checked their tour schedule, and as of today, I don't see a show on the East Coast. I am sure that he will be doing shows in this area once the weather warms up and the Blues festivals begin. You can be sure that those shows will be posted on this site as soon as they become available.
"It's high noon, and I've got my six string by my side. I've been baptized by the Blues and saved by Rock 'N' Roll." Amen!
The Delta Flyers is a Houston-based blues duo creating new and exciting music that stays true to their Mississippi Delta roots, while managing to seamlessly incorporate flavors from Chicago all the way down to New Orleans.
Their 2007 album, ON THE LEVEE ROAD, showcases the talents of front-man Stevie DuPree and guitarist Jack Saunders. With this studio effort, the duo is not striving to take the blues to a new level or reinvent the wheel, but they do deliver a fun and authentic collection of originals; that jumps back and forth from upbeat acoustic/folk bounce to down and dirty electric roadhouse “raunch”…and I mean that in a good way.
DuPree’s vocals are clean and passionate and though his harmonica playing is not as flashy or upfront as many blues fans may prefer, it shows a refreshing amount of restraint and seems at home with the material presented. The same can be said about Saunders, whose playing also demonstrates a “less is more” attitude. His guitar-work is tasteful and low key; and his talents are best represented on the tracks where he is playing slide (like on "Dancin’ With The Devil" and "Aidie Jean"). It should also be noted that Rich DelGrosso’s mandolin adds a wonderful flavor to 3 of the album’s 10 tracks.
ON THE LEVEE ROAD is recommended for fans of “roots” music and acoustic/folk blues. The amount of flash and electric guitar shredding is practically non-existent here. So if you’re looking for the next heir to Stevie Ray Vaughan’s style of Texas blues-rock, this album may not be for you.
For our Memphis readers and everyone else that is lucky enough to be attending this week’s International Blues Challenge, make sure you keep an eye (and ear) out for The Delta Flyers featuring Stevie DuPree and his current guitar playing sidekick Travis Stephenson. They made their IBC debut in 2008 and have been a staple of the famous Memphis blues event ever since. So head on down to Beale Street and check ‘em out!
Geoff Muldaur emerged as a music artist in the 1960s as part of the era's growing folk, blues & folk-rock scenes. Among the many groups and musicians he has played with over the years, Muldaur was one of the original members of The Jim Kweskin Jug Band of Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as the Woodstock based group, Paul Butterfield’s Better Days.
In 2008 Muldhaur’s longtime friend and fellow musician, Stephen Bruton, was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Shortly after, the two veterans entered the studio with a formidable group of roots music all-stars and recorded an excitedly authentic and entertaining exploration of traditional American folk, blues, country, ragtime and jug band music.
The fruit of those sessions is a band and album both named GEOFF MULDAUR AND THE TEXAS SHEIKS. The album, which was released in fall of 2009, features a collection of traditional arrangements and songs penned by arists that include Big Bill Broonzy, Skip James and Robert Johnson. It is undoubtedly these songs, All By Myself, Hard Time Killin’ Floor and Travellin’ Riverside, that blues fans will gravitate to, but the album as whole is a fun listen and will transport you to a simpler time, when banjos, mandolins, dobros, standup basses and fiddles didn’t seem so out of place in popular music.
This album may not satisfy the standard electric blues fan, whose tastes may lean more toward blues-rock, but fans of delta blues, folk, bluegrass, country and even some jazz, may be pleasantly surprised that collection of songs played this well and authentically, with production values as high as this, could be released in 2009…the same year as such notable dreck as The Black Eyed Peas’ Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.
Sadly Stephen Bruton passed away in May of 2009, before the release of GEOFF MULDAUR AND THE TEXAS SHEIKS, but with albums like this one, his music and in turn his spirit lives on…as does, thankfully, the music of a nearly forgotten era in American history.
First of all , I'd like to introduce myself . My name is Geraldo , AKA Bluesman , and I will be handling the D.C. area Blues scene here every Friday .
My plans for this great site are as follows , but not limited to : Reviews of D.C. area music venues , Concert reviews , CD reviews , Interviews and much more . D.C. is a hotbed for the Blues , and generally a person can see a top Blues entertainer in a small but NICE venue without having to brave the big crowds .
Some of the Blues clubs in the DC area that will be reviewed here are Blues Alley , The 9:30 Club , Madam's Organ Blues Bar , The Zoo Bar and many others . Some of these venues also go with Rock and Jazz but some are strictly the Blues . My goal is to help get the word out about the Blues life DC has to offer . When you're ready to listen to some Blues , come HERE and find the best places available in the area .
Reviews of shows like Joe Bonamassa , Michael Burks , ANA Popovic , Jason Ricci , Joe Perry Project , Candye Kane and so many others will be found here as well . Where are they playing , how much is the admission , is there a dress code , how to get tickets etc : I will do my best to answer these questions for you in my posts .
I chose the picture above for this post for two reasons : (1) I took the picture (2) This is one of my favorite entertainers in the world today . For those of you who may not know who she is , her name is ANA Popovic . She has the rare ability to electrify a crowd with her stage presence and her amazing mastery of the Fender guitar . Her name will pop into many of my postings and her music / shows will often be featured here , along with all the other greats of the Blues world , especially those frequenting our area nightclubs and Blues festivals .
I'm hoping to see all the D.C. area Blues people here to get all the latest Blues updates in the area . I also cover the local talent here and not just the legends , so if you know of a local Blues act (DC area) who deserves a bit of attention , please feel free to let me know the details . I can not guarantee the acts reviews will make it to this site but I will do my best to consider all requests .
Thanks everyone for reading on , and please make this your place to get all the latest Blues scoops in the Nation's Capital !
Monica: I am here with Ann Rabson of Saffire, and we are at the West Virginia Blues festival. We want to ask her a couple of questions. It is my understanding this is the Have the Last Word CD tour and these are the final concerts for Saffire.
Ann: Right. Our final tour, the farewell tour.
Monica: I saw that you wanted to be musically promiscuous.
Ann: Yeah. Funny you should mention that. I was just talking to a bass player and drummer, and hey, told them if they needed a piano player to let me know. I’ve enjoyed over my career backing up a lot of wonderful, wonderful musicians and meeting a bunch of wonderful, wonderful musicians and I would like to do more of that.
Monica: You write songs. Do you think this will give you more time to write?
Ann: I hope to. Yeah. You never know. I’m not in charge of that. It just happens when it happens, and I wish I was more prolific…and I wish I could make it happen. But sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
Monica: Let’s talk a little more about your songwriting. Do you start with lyrics or a great chord progression? How does it start for you?
Ann: Each song is different. I have, for example, on the new album…I have one song where I’ve had the lyrics for probably 10 years and kept changing them and changing them….putting them in different settings. It’s a song called, Since You’ve Been Gone. and it just got a lot of lyrics. It’s actually hard to remember them all (lol). Some of the songs like, there’s one on my most recent solo album called, I can’t get my mind off of you...I had the tune for years before I had the lyrics. In fact, I was inspired to write it when my dog died.
Monica: Oh
Ann: So, yeah. But when you write, you don’t want it to be about anything specific. So you make it about loss, because everyone has been there. So, there has been stuff like that. Another song that took me years to write is on my Strutting My Stuff recording and it’s called, Late November Afternoon. I finally gave up. I couldn’t…all the lyrics that I could think of were either too trivial or to whiney for the melody so I enlisted another co writer. A person named David Almay. He wrote the lyrics. I wrote the music, then we sat on the piano bench in his house, and wrote the lyrics and music to the bridge together.
Monica: You’re a Handy winner?
Ann: No No. No. I’m very often a Handy nominee. Many, many times. Well I mean, I’m in a category with Koko Taylor. I always said I would rather Koko be around than win the Handy. But, unfortunately, that’s not true anymore. So maybe if I’m nominated…who knows.
Monica: Let’s talk about those nominations. That’s still amazing! What do you attribute to being on that list so many times? Is it the songwriting, performance? What do you think put you there?
Ann: I really don’t know. I think one of the things…there are several different things I’ve been nominated for. One is songwriter, and that was years ago for a song called Elevator Man. Many…most of them have been for traditional female blues artist. That’s partly because I sing. I write. I play guitar, which most people don’t know. I play piedmont style guitar, and I play barrel house style piano. So I have a lot of area to cover. I think that is where that maybe comes from, and then one of my albums Music Making Model, my first solo album was nominated for a traditional album of the year and acoustic album of the year. But again, I’ve been up against people like BB King, Buddy Guy, and I’m just so honored to be one of the nominees. One of the best five female blues artists in the country. Come On THAT’S nice. I can’t be concerned.
Monica: Do you think for the blues, that women have it harder to make it than men?
Ann: You know, I have an essay on that on my computer.
Monica: Do you? (laughs)
Ann. I think, again. It works both ways. On the one hand it is very hard to be taken seriously. But on the other hand, people pay more attention to you, and one you got their eye, if you can do it, if you can play, if you can sing, if you can write, then you got fans. But you got noticed. Another advantage which I think is disappearing sadly very fast, is the older blues gentlemen are very, very kind to women, and the older blues woman are very very kind to women. So you kind of have the older generation backing you up.
Monica: Let’s talk about….do you want to talk about….why saffire is not going to go on after this year?
Ann: I just think we all have other directions that we want to go in. I know that I started playing blues professionally in 1962. Saffire started in 1988. So I have a background and all during this time. I have been playing solo, and playing with other people backing up old guys and just playing in a lot of different bands. So I’ve just been enjoying that. I just want to do more of it.
Monica: Where are you going in the future? CD’s, Websites, touring? What do you want to tell us about? What do you have in store for us?
Ann: OK. I’m working on an instructional video on how to play barrelhouse piano for Hal Leonard. I’m almost done with the script. I only have a couple more lessons to script out, and then I’ll record it. Probably after the big push of Saffire. So, that’s coming out. I’m hoping to teach at more workshops. I really enjoy that. I teach at one in Elkins West Virginia.
Monica: Have you ever been to the Fur Peace Ranch?
Ann: I have twice. I am so honored to be asked to teach piano at a guitar camp (laughs). The other thing. There is a place called Centrum out in Washington state where I taught. But there’s a lot of workshops for guitar, but not a lot for piano. I hope to do more of that. I hope to do a lot of solo work, and I hope to accompany other people. I enjoy these. I just don’t want to be in a band all the time.
Monica: When you say you want to accompany other people, who is your dream gig? Do you have one? Ann: Wow! Are we just talking about one gig? (We laughed.) There are a lot of players out there I would like to play with. Unfortunately most of them are dying. But, there are still quite a few. Actually one of my favorites is Magic Slim. Oh my goodness! He’s wonderful! I’ve enjoyed…There’s actually a number of people I have already played with. Pinetop and I had a nice little duet. Marsha Ball and I have done some duets. I’m trying to think…there’s just a lot of \people. Like I said, a lot of them aren’t with us anymore, and I missed opportunities on quite a few.
Monica: Whenever you put in a CD or listen to your ipod, what are you listening to? Do these people inspire you?
Ann: Very Much! Very Much! I listen to a lot of new artists. I’m at a lot of festivals this summer, and I am hearing a lot of new artists…and I’m really enjoying hearing some new people that I really haven’t heard before. I heard Chris Thomas King once before, and was impressed by what he was doing. But, I heard him THIS year and I am VERY impressed.
Monica: So he grew as an artist?
Ann: He grew as an artist. I think he had to get older. He was doing some stuff that was very edgy and that’s fine. I want something from the heart more and he’s back to that.
Monica: That’s what the blues is about.
Ann: I think so. The blues is a big tent. You got the rock blues, jazz blues, folk blues. There‘s even classical blues. I mean…there‘s just all kinds of stuff. I love it. I love all the corners. If you listen to my solo CD’s you see there’s stuff by ZZ Hill and then stuff by Ray Charles. There’s country blues. I like the whole….and if it’s good…I even like the rock blues. Speaking of which, going to be here soon is Ronnie Baker Brooks. I think he is terrific! He’s kinda rocky.
Monica: Have you met him before?
Ann: I have! I knew… I know his Dad. I would love to play with Ronnie. I’m very impressed with him. Very impressed with him. I like him. I like his music. I like his attitude. I don’t know if you have time for this story.
Monica: Sure!
Ann: I did a festival as a solo…I think in Ohio, and he did a Ray Charles song with a line about if you walk around here with your head so hard I think I’m gonna have to use my rod. I believe I believe. I thought, How’s he gonna deal with that? You’re walking around here with your head so hard I think I’m gonna havta play my guitar! He went to this great solo and rocked it out!
Monica: So, he worked it!
Ann: Yeah! He did. I know he is raised right cause his Daddy is a sweetheart!.
Monica: Cool. Anything else you want to tell me?
Ann: I’m going to do some more recording. I just haven’t figured out what to do just yet. I have all these things in my mind…like all Ray Charles…like all people that were popular when I was coming up.
Monica: Thank you Ann. I look forward to hearing all these good things you have planned.
Ann: Thank you.
I turned off the recorder here and we chit chatted a bit more and I got “Turn that recorder back on!”
Ann: One other thing I was thinking about doing for the next festival scene. I was thinking about…You know how they have those harp blowouts and guitar? I want to get a piano shootout going. A number of people I’ve been thinking about. Maybe Erwin Helford, Daryl, Amos and maybe Barrelhouse Chuck. There’s a whole bunch of great piano players, and I don’t think they get…3 players, 3 pianos…everyone plays a little bit by themselves and then together. What do you think?
Monica: I think it’s awesome! That’s a CD for sure! I love that idea!
Ann: Ok. We are now good and thank you.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
As the female perspective at American Blues News, I want to remind everyone who has a special lady in their lives to remind them to take care of themselves by doing thier breast exams! I shouldn't have to tell you, but will tell you, that the lady in your life will most likely put herself last. So, be sure to tell them you love them by reminding them to take care of themselves! And, if you find someone you love battling to be a survivor, here is a great video by Saffire reminding us you can still shine....Here is Bald Headed Blues:
“A very special moment for me in Saffire…Just having the love of KoKo. Having some blues artist like her, be so welcoming to a young Midwestern white girl.”
That’s just one thing that Andra Faye shared with us. As promised, this is the second part in our three part feature of Saffire-The Uppity Blues Women. They are on their final farewell tour, which ends next month.
The day of my interview we arrived at the Heritage Blues Festival, and Maureen and I were walking around the food stands checking things out. The food...GATOR? Everything fried! There goes the diet I keep saying I'm on! And, I spied Andra's husband, Chris. I haven't seen Chris for a few years. But, he is someone that you just don't forget once you meet him. If you ever met him, you would know exactly what I mean! I used that old line, Hey I know you! And, Chris stops to chat, since he is our contact for the Saffire-Uppity Blues Women interviews! Chris makes the connection via cell phone and we are off to our interviews of the ladies.
I enjoyed speaking with Andra. Her smile is big, and she is just one of those special people you like to talk to! She likes to laugh. She tells me she laughs at Chris' jokes all the time around the house. And, from speaking with her, she likes to live; and, music has allowed her to live life and go places a midwestern girl can only dream of!
Monica: We’re here with Andra from Saffire and she is on the Saffire final concert tour.
Andra: Yes I am.
Monica: It ends in November
Andra: Yes.
Monica: What are your feelings of the final concert tour?
Andra: Well it’s been very exciting. It’s been fun to be able to full steam ahead again. We had kinda decreased for different health reasons and things, and it’s been really fun to be back up and in full tilt boogey mood mode! It’s bitter sweet you know.
Monica: I know.
Andra: Come November 8 after the last show, I’ll be like ah oh now what?
Monica: And, what now? Do you have any ideas?
Andra: Well I have several irons in the fire. I also have begun to give private music lessons at a music store-it pays the mortgage. A kinda nice thing. So I’m touring under my own name. A band that works quite a bit called Andra Faye and the mighty good men.
Monica: Is it acoustic or electric?
Andra: It’s both . It depends on the gig. I have drummers with me sometimes. Go electric sometimes. Go acoustic sometimes. It’s nice to have the flexibility to do both. Monica: You were the country blues influence in the group. Are you going to carry that through more heavily in our own efforts?
Andra: Core roots I‘d probably say. Sometimes when I do a blues set I want to do a country song and if I do a country set full time I want to do more blues. I’m contrary that way. I just like…I really love…all kinds of roots music.
Monica: Do you think you will ever take on the title, I hate to say this since it’s a blues website, of Americana?
Andra: I don’t mind Americana. It’s right in there with roots.
Monica: Yeah. I think so to.
Andra: I’m probably a better fit there than other places. It’s hard to pin hole your music and I just like to sing what I want to sing. So, if it’s Americana that’s fine. If it’s roots, that’s fine. It’s blues that’s fine. Whatever just call me! Call ME!
Monica: What do you think is your most requested song?
Andra: Man-that probably depends a lot on what album people have. Gaye’s, Middle Aged Blues Boogie, is an all time….now are you speaking of one’s I sing? Or across the board?
Monica: Whichever you want to share.
Andra: The new album has our new little hit and it’s one that I do sing, called, Too Much But. And, there ain’t no such thing as Too much.
Monica: I think I have that on our site. I found a you tube copy and posted it. It’s not the best copy out there.
Andra: There’s a few of them out there. There’s a woman dancing to it called Chocolate Thunder. (laugh)
Monica: The one I found had you doing an acoustic set, and the crowd was going wild and just loving it! I remember your husband singing that at the Augusta Camp. I thought he wrote it.
Andra: It was Gaye’s idea. It’s been around Fredericksburg and is a local hit. The guy who wrote it travels and is a comedian musician named Art Bruce. What’s really cool is it has been a guy’s point of view for all of these years, and I moved to town and heard it and thought. I just moved to town and how could there be a song about me already? You know. But some women didn’t like it. I thought it was fun. So Gaye suggested putting it in the first person. A lot of people….like women….kinda like it now. They’re owning it more rather than having someone talking about them. They’re kinda talking about themselves.
Monica: You can laugh at yourself.
Andra: That makes it kinda cool.
Monica: You know I had the great opportunity of speaking with Chris Smither. He wrote love me like a man.
Andra: Sure did!
Monica: That was the first time I heard it from the male perspective. That song is so hot!
Andra: That’s a great song! I can love ya like a real man. Yeah, right. That’s good.
Monica: That’s just tweaking the right person that the song is written in. What a difference it can make in a song!
Andra: It’s hard to say. Not all songs can be tweaked. But, it’s nice because it brings it such a fresh attitude to the song.
Monica: Absolutely!
Andra: I’m sure he’s happy Bonnie covered it though!
Monica: What does it mean to be musically promiscuous to you?
Andra: Well I am already musically promiscuous. I play with a lot of folks locally. You know for the past 5 years I’ve been the electric bass player at a jam every Wednesday when I was home. So I like to play with a lot of different great people. I give lessons. I’m always looking for opportunities to play with other people. I’ve been stepping out for a while. (she laughs) Which is true. Actually in the past couple of years we haven’t been gigging as much. So, I was looking for other opportunities just to play music outside of my living room. You need to meet other people. You never know when you might need another bass player, drummer that kind of stuff.
Monica: In your tenure with Saffire, what do you think was the best memorable moment you had? Do you have one?
(Andra got quieter) There’s a lot. There’s so many. I think you are going to make me cry. Best moments.. there are so many. One thing that is true for me is that I have always loved to travel…and so I‘ve gotten to go around the world. Barcelona, Spain, Brazil, New Zealand, Africa. Just so …it‘s amazing where our little band has gotten to go because of music….and having the experience of people enjoying your music that don‘t even speak your language enjoying your music is pretty cool. And, plus our music is so vocally oriented, when we are at a place where they don’t even speak the language we play really good. We try to make the music speak. You know. That has been for me, a dream come true.
Monica: Cool. Who do you listen to?
Andra: Eden Brent is pretty exciting. I listen to old favorites a lot. Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, KoKo..I just recently listened to KoKo. My own little tribute ’cause I love her so. A very special moment for me in Saffire…Just having the love of KoKo. Having some blues artist like her, be so welcoming to a young Midwestern white girl
Monica: That’s awesome.
Andra: It’s really awesome. I just finished listening to a whole 2 CD compilation of KoKo of her youth.
Monica: Are you a songwriter as well?
Andra: I am. I am not as prolific as Gaye, by any means. They cook. They take a while to cook. They have to sit on the back of the stove and boil a while. I have two on the new album.
Monica: Any thing you want to tell us?
Andra: Sure. My website is AndraFaye.com. I’m always interested in meeting other women musicians and hearing what’s going on in the world. Our world is kind of small really. It’s nice to get to other festivals and hear other bands and stuff.
What makes American Blues News unique is our coverage across America. Here is our lineup:
Mon: Memphis Correspondent - Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms
Nighthawk is our resident globetrotter and man behind the scenes, as he tours with the Reba Russell Band.
Tues: New York Correspondent - J. Blake Blake is the American Blues News review and interview guru. You may catch him out and about in NY playing the blues.
Wed: National Correspondent - Monica Yasher Monica is our executive director and artist interview specialist. You can catch Monica singing the blues around Pittsburgh or working on some country music songs in Nashville.
Thurs: Washington, DC Correspondent - Virginiabluesman
Geraldo offers inteviews and reviews. You may have seen him at an Ana Popovic concert or conversed with him on her websites, as he offers administrative support with her music.
Fri: Northeast Photographer - Nelson Onofre Nelson offers a Friday column of blues photography and pictorial support for the interviews covered by the team.
Jim Stick in Colorado
Jim will be focusing on the Blues Festivals in the beautiful state of Colorado, and the artists that live and visit there.
Maureen Elizabeth, our resident art correspondent, will be focusing on blues art as she explores the creation of CD covers, or speaking with artists who also have a love of creating pictorial art in addition to their music! She may also feature some of her good friends in the Pittsburgh area. In her love of art, you may find Maureen's photography accompanying writer's articles on our pages. Maureen is also our marketing director.
Pittsburgh correspondent and photographer, CR Bennett, will share the Pittsburgh scene with all of you. You may also see CR's pictures accompanying other writer's articles.
We head to the big state of Texas! Abby Owen, our Texas correspondent.
Another big area to cover, the West Coast with Casey Reagan, Casey will feature many artists and events on this ocean's shores.
Lastly, we have our roving blues entertainment writer,
Chef Jimi.
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