Stanley Jordan at the Iron Horse this past Saturday, photographed by David Barnum.

Avery Sharpe Trio at Iron Horse this Friday. Owen McNally/Hartford Courant previews show, new LP (with liners by Tom Reney of WFCR)

Owen McNally | Riffs: Jazz Notes

After a long collaboration with the legendary pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist/composer Avery Sharpe is making his own mark as a leader in his own right.

In the latest break from his role as the quintessential sideman, the Springfield-based virtuoso has released a sparkling new disc, "Autumn Moonlight" (JKNM Records). A trio session, it showcases his skills not only as a very sharp soloist, but also as a composer, bandleader and even executive producer.

Sharpe and his two associates, pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs and drummer Winard Harper, celebrate the disc's release Friday at 7 p.m. at the Iron Horse Music Hall, 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass. Advance: $15; door, $18. Information: 413-586-8686.

"Autumn Moonlight" has fine playing from Sharpe, whose round, resonant tone and deft note selection project a feeling of high urgency. Gumbs, an excellent but underrated pianist, is solid throughout, contributing two tunes to the CD's 10 selections, which include six originals by Sharpe. And Harper, who has a devoted following in Hartford, once again displays his artistry as a master colorist.

Along with original compositions and Woody Shaw's "Organ Grinder," the trio creates a fresh take on James Taylor's "Fire and Rain."

Liner notes by Tom Reney, host of "Jazz a la Mode" on WFCR-FM (88.5), an NPR affiliate in Amherst, Mass., provide a handy capsule summation of Sharpe's art and bio, including his deep ties with his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Reney describes Sharpe's formative connections on the Amherst campus with Archie Shepp and Fred Tillis, among other influential luminaries on the faculty.

Reney recounts how Sharpe, a 1976 UMass grad with a BA in economics, had to decide whether to commit himself to music or business. Early on, when just married, Sharpe worked 9 to 5 at a safe job as a claims adjuster and gigged by night with jazz and funk bands in the Springfield area. At the office, Reney writes, Sharpe thought it prudent to keep a lid on his busy alternate life.

But the budding bass player's supervisor, a jazz fan, noticed Sharpe was getting a lot of calls at work from musicians whose names the supervisor recognized. It might be time, his boss suggested, to choose between jazz and insurance.

Sharpe chose jazz, a career path that's still taking him to new vistas.

Also on track at the Iron Horse are The Dirty Dozen Brass Band tonight and guitarist Stanley Jordan Saturday night. Downbeat time for both concerts is 7 p.m.

Jordan, an iconic guitarist noted for his "touch' or "tap" technique, is on tour promoting "State of Nature," his first major release in 10 years.

Amy LaVere will be at the Iron Horse - Thurs 5/28 - 7pm

(Click to to enlarge )
Another Mojo article here on the author's (David Harfield) blog.

As well as a fantastic interview here.
Amy LaVere 5/28 @ Iron Horse

The Bangles return to Northampton on Friday May 29th at the Calvin with Antigone Rising featuring Shannon McNally

I reviewed the first full album by the Bangles, All Over The Place, for the UMass Daily Collegian upon its release back in May of 1984. 25 years ago this month. Unfathomable. To my ears, the album was Revolver done by women. In 1984, the Bangles were just another club band from Los Angeles's Paisley Underground scene (The Three O'Clock, Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate...). Though their peers would disband after mere college radio success, the Bangles would parlay the Underground into superstardom. The curiosity factor then afforded to an all-girl band and their later recording of Prince's "Manic Monday" were certainly instrumental to their rise, but All Over the Place proves that the Bangles were nobody's contrivance. "Hero Takes a Fall," "James," and "Tell Me" showcase Vicki Peterson and Susanna Hoff's knack for hooks; and covers of the Merry-Go-Round's "Live" and Katrina and the Waves' "Going Down to Liverpool" give props to their heroes. And let's not forget the non-LP b-side to the 7" vinyl single of "Hero Takes A Fall,": The Grass Roots' "Where Were You When I Needed You.". All Over the Place never approached the sales figures of the band's subsequent albums, but the Bangles would never make a finer record. They played John M. Greene Hall at Smith College in 1985 on a co-bill with The Hoodoo-Gurus. This is the last time I saw them and it's thrilling to have them back in town on Friday, May 29th at the Calvin. The all-female Antigone Rising with their new vocalist Shannon McNally, taking a break from her solo career, open the show.

I asked local music scholar Dan Kandel to put a few words together about The Bangles for the blog:

Lets talk Bangles a bit. Ever since Different Light exploded across the airwaves in 1985 with the mega-hits “Walk like an Egyptian” & “Manic Monday” (penned by none other than Prince aka “Christopher” as he is credited) these gals cemented themselves as one of the best girl groups in Rock n Roll history. There was something about them that was retro-cool & refreshing at a time when we were watching Rock Royalty like the Who, Bowie, Clapton etc. struggle to find a place in the glossy overproduced world of the Eighties. UK bands like Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode, and U2 were establishing themselves on the airwaves while the US was offering up little more than insufferable post-metal “Hair Bands." (Post punk/No-wave & Industrial/Experimental music would soon create an explosion & give birth to bands like Jane’s Addiction & The Flaming Lips-but we weren’t quite their yet).

The Bangles cast their net wide & their catchy guitar riffs & vocal harmonies were immediately identifiable with a return to 60’s & 70’s pop songwriting. I remember the first time I heard their version of “September Gurls” and I was completely blown away. Very few bands today would risk covering a Big Star song and these gals were dishing it out with a Beach Boys meets Cocteau Twins harmony arrangement while still retaining all the underlying Alex Chilton angst of the original. (The re-birth of Big Star, coaxed out of retirement and unjust obscurity by a smitten 80s pop family tree, was underway and would culminate in a reunion with Jon and Ken from The Posies joining Jody and Alex....but that's another chapter.)

In 1987 they deftly delivered yet another retro-chestnut “Hazy Shade of Winter” by Simon & Garfunkel (Bookends 1968) for the Soundtrack to Less Than Zero, rearranging the up tempo folky classic into an aggressive sonic assault that charted at #2, 11 slots higher than the original!

By no means am I downplaying their own material but rather pointing out their fearless integration of rather obtuse covers into their own world of "Bangelonia" in all its Paisley Pop glory ( I mean who else would chose to cover Jules Shear ( “If She Knew What She Wants”) & Big Star song on their second full length recording…these gals knew what they were doing & did it well.

Lastly, this should by no means be seen as a “Re-union Tour”per se, Suzanna, Miki (who departed a few years ago), Debbi & Vicki have been recording & performing off & on since 1999. They released the critically acclaimed Doll Revolution in 2003 & have played numerous shows & festivals in recent years & most recently performed at a tribute to the seminal all-girl group The Runaways at the Roxy in Los Angeles back in March.

The Bangles plus Antigone Rising with Shannon McNally play the Calvin Theatre in Northampton on Friday, May 29th at 8PM. Good seats still available here!

Four nights of Jazz at the Iron Horse. Bill Frisell, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Avery Sharpe, Stanley Jordan.

Bill Frisell's 858 Quartet featuring Eyvind Kind, Hank Roberts, and Jenny Scheinman -Wednesday, May 20^th – 7PM Iron Horse Music Hall

Bill Frisell wrote some string quartet music for a CD to accompany a book of Gerhard Richter paintings in 2002. The paintings were all called “858,” so Mr. Frisell used the same title for his eight pieces and for the band itself. These works — played by Mr. Frisell on electric guitar, Jenny Scheinman on violin, Eyvind Kang on viola and Hank Roberts on cello — weren’t tunes so much as gestures: slow or frenetic, based on short figures. Looking at the wide, heavy paint-slicks on the canvases and thinking of music, he tried for something more sublime, dense and basically classical than what he’s associated with. The group outlived the project. Mr. Frisell has cultivated it onstage a bit since then, and the 858 Quartet has grown out of its original purpose into something else. Unlike the original album, onstage Mr. Frisell’s music has a mild sense of humor and a reflexive embrace of blues, bop and country languages. It doesn’t feel micromanaged or built as a reflection of his sonic image or beholden to his frequent improvising tics. The players’ individual personalities come out and infiltrate the songs. They interact and create new ideas within the music right there on stage. It’s not indulgent improvisation so much as a sense of adventure and a sense of humor. Exchanging glances and grins, watching for provocation, and having fun. At a recent show at the Village Vanguard in New York, they brought the audience right along for the ride. Now it’s Northampton’s turn. TICKETS

Fresh from Jazzfest, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band plays the Iron Horse on Thursday May 21st at 7PM. Primate Fiasco opens.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band in its prime successfully mixed together R&B with the instrumentation of a New Orleans brass band. Featuring Kirk Joseph on sousaphone playing with the agility of an electric bassist, the group revitalized the brass band tradition, opening up the repertoire and inspiring some younger groups to imitate its boldness. Generally featuring five horns (two trumpets, one trombone, and two saxes) along with the sousaphone, a snare drummer, and a bass drummer, the DDBB was innovative in its own way, making fine recordings for Rounder, Columbia, and the George Wein Collection (the latter released through Concord). Guest artists have included Dr. John, Dizzy Gillespie, Danny Barker. The DDBB re-emerged in 1999 with John Medeski as its producer, and many called the group's Buck Jump release a return to classic form. The group then returned in 2002 with yet another surprising album, Medicated Magic. Two years later, the band made their Artemis label debut with Funeral For A Friend. TICKETS

The Avery Sharpe Trio’s new album is Autumn Moonlight, and they play the Horse Friday May 22^nd at 7PM

The Avery Sharpe Trio makes a sharp dressed brand of jazz. At once intelligent and immediate, the eleven songs that make up Autumn Moonlight are splendid fuel for Sharpe's crack piano trio with exceptional pianist Onaje Allen Gumbs and drummer Winard Harper, who collectively raise the art of the trio to a level where the concert stage and bandstand are on an equal level. Isn't this egalitarian stance exactly what jazz is all about? Autumn Moonlight remains in the jazz mainstream where its appeal may be realized by the largest possible audience. It does take chances in exposing us to newer ideas such as the interface between acoustic jazz and modern (post-Frank Sinatra) popular music. Sharpe is a master bassist and composer, who like Johannes Brahms remained relatively conservative while forging carefully into new directions. TICKETS


Stanley Jordan’s new album is State of Nature. The iconic guitarist plays the Iron Horse on Saturday May 23^rd at 7PM

From the moment he made his debut in 1985 with the gold-selling Grammy nominated album Magic Touch, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has proven himself as a forward thinking innovator. With his nimbly executed “touch” or “tap” technique, he ushered a dazzling and spellbinding new sound into the world of progressive instrumental music. Over the course of five major recordings and several smaller independent releases, Stanley has explored earthly and astral musical trailways. Because of the extraordinary originality of his approach to guitar, Stanley has been looked upon first and foremost as a musical original, orbiting in an artistic universe without predecessor or immediate successor. With his groundbreaking new album, State Of Nature (his first mainstream release in over a decade), Stanley Jordan makes another bold step by using his music to aurally illustrate profoundly unifying truths about man's relationship to nature and humankind. TICKETS

Coming Soon: The Gary Burton Quartet Revisited with Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, and Antonio Sanchez, Calvin Theatre, Friday June 19^th at 8PM. TICKETS

The Deadly Nightshade, classic female rock trio from the 70s, play the Iron Horse Sunday, May 24th

That's the Deadly Nightshade on Sesame Street! The band consisted of members Pamela Brandt, Anne Bowen and Helen Hooke, who formerly performed under the name The Moppets, by the way.

"Deadly Nightshade, an all-female group, has a whole melange of folksy/country bluesy styles at its disposal and uses them correctly. ... With no label, they have been gigging around New York recently, following good reaction from a WBAI-FM live radio broadcast. It must happen for them." -- Rolling Stone, October 24, 1974
In the beginning, there was the Moppets (1966-1967). This all-female rock band was based at Mount Holyoke College in the Pioneer Valley. Before breaking up, the group got pretty far down the road to what is commonly thought of as rock and roll success.

Pamela Brandt, along with two other Moppets, formed a new outfit, Ariel (1968-1970), which was based in Vermont. Anne Bowen and Helen Hooke also signed on as members of Ariel. Like the Moppets, Ariel attracted the interest of major labels, though no recording contract resulted.

In 1972, Bowen asked Brandt and Hooke if they would be interested in forming a band to play at a Valley women's festival. These three then became the Deadly Nightshade (a name that was formerly used as a pseudonym by Ariel).

Long before there were supposed to be any all female rock bands, Pamela Robin Brandt had already been in two. From the ashes of Ariel, a group that combined a handful of Smith and Mt. Holyoke college students, sprung The Deadly Nightshade.

"We didn't think we were revolutionary back in the day, we were revolutionary," said Brandt. "Back then, it was fine for females to be a "chick singers" a belittling term I only use because the powers-that-be did (and still do). But female electric rock / country players were a no-no."

Brandt played bass to Anne Bowen's rhythm guitar. Helen Hooke played lead guitar and fiddle. The band formed in 1972.

"We were rabid feminists, but not a feminist band," said Brandt. "We considered it a feminist statement to insist on being billed as a band period. After all, did the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin call themselves an all-boy band? They were bands and all-girl bands were considered novelty acts. We were not about to let the guys get to be the real thing."

The Deadly Nightshade hit the club circuit and after three years of playing venues like the Rusty Nail in Sunderland and Max's Kansas City in New York, signed a deal with the RCA custom label, Phantom.

The band recorded two albums which received preliminary Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and also released two singles including a disco version of the theme from "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman."

Brandt recalls the live performances with satisfaction, noting the group opened for Sister Sledge and Peter Frampton, backed Flo Ballard of the Supremes in Detroit, and played several times on "Sesame Street."

She proudly recalls their tour with Billy Joel.

"We had a fireworks fight one night after our gig which did so much damage to the motel, from the carpets to the metal bathtub drains, that Billy's management forbade them from hanging out with us anymore," she said. "Howie Emerson, the former lead guitarist in Billy's band just visited me in Miami and told me it was one of his greatest rock' n' roll memories."

Brandt likes to think of the band as semi-famous rather than almost famous. Some of their artifacts reside at the Smithsonian's Women's History Collection.

"Our disreputable record albums and musical equipment thingies are there right next to Susan B. Anthony's desk," she said.

Brandt said the Deadly Nightshade was always and deliberately a band without a leader so the idea of a reunion came about organically.

"I'd been ready for a reunion since roughly a week after the band broke up," she said. "But Helen was into doing her own musical thing for many years. And Anne was into doing nothing musical for many years."

She is looking forward to the reunion and beyond.

"What I'm mostly excited about is seeing whether this feels like a start, rather than just a reunion," she said. I'm not into nostalgia. The Deadly Nightshade broke ground when we were young. Now we're old, and that's more ground that hasn't been broken in so many ways it boggles the mind. It's a dirty job but, darn, someone's got to do it."

The Deadly Nightshade play the Iron Horse on Sunday, May 24th at 7PM. Tickets are available here.

"With Mary Kay (Letourneau) , I did give her a break. You can't always control who you fall in love with." Jill Sobule talks to Caty Simon- Part II

Jill Sobule appears at the Iron Horse this Saturday night at 7PM. This is part two of Caty Simon's exclusive interview with Jill. Part one, along with a bio, is in the post below this one.

Caty: You write a lot about world events--the war in the Balkans, the Holocaust, the French Resistance, among others--but always from a more personal viewpoint. Why do you sometimes write love stories in these settings?

Jill: I like my love and sex with a cinematic surrounding? Somehow more exciting and dangerous than 2009 in Suburban Denver. I am from Denver, by the way.

Caty: You criticized psychiatric drugs in your song "Happy Town" before such criticism began to appear in the mainstream, back when anti-depressants and their ilk seemed like they were a gift from god according to most people. Can you talk a little about your own use of psych drugs and your viewpoint on them in general?

Jill: Boy, I think drugs, especially for kids, are so over-prescribed. Yet, I still believe, in moments, better living through chemistry.

Caty: You often write about your frustration with the record industry and its effect on your own career--in "Freshman" you talk about still living like a college student--"I bet you didn't know/I don't make much for this show". In "Bitter", you write about how you struggle not to let jealousy take over when you see other musical artists achieve more financial success than you have. In this latest record,on "Nothing To Prove", you sing, "I'm here at a meeting/Trying to impress someone at a dying record company/But I got nothing to prove..../Here I am in Los Angeles.../And everyone's in the industry, and I hate when they use that word/And when they say they're in the industry, I say, 'Oh, are you in steel?' " You've worked for two major record labels that dumped you and two indie labels that went bankrupt beneath you. Could you talk a little about what it's like to be a critically acclaimed but not big selling artist? And could you tell us a little more about the problems you've had with the record industry? Now that the internet allows artists to market their music directly to listeners themselves, how do you think that will change things for you? Do you plan to finance future records the way you financed this one?

Jill: My last two flights have been long miserable ones in the middle seat in the back of the plane. I was thinking of next time to pre-sale my record for "your sky miles or upgrades". But seriously, whether or not I do the same thing for the next project, I will do something to include fan participation.

Caty: "I'm not gonna eat today...and I'm not gonna eat tomorrow...cuz I'm gonna be a supermodel..." went the ironic affirmation in your single Supermodel. (Watch video.)You also wrote a story-song called Lucy at the Gym about watching a woman whose exercise routine has obviously become obsessive and unhealthy. Reading Jim Neill's intro (cribbed from All-Music Guide -Jim), I just learned about your own struggle with anorexia, and I think I'm not alone among many of your listeners in not knowing that this is an issue that you've actually dealt with yourself. Given how personal many of your other lyrics are, why is it that you haven't written about your own story with eating disorders? Is it because you wanted to avoid becoming the cliche of the confessional woman songwriter with eating issues?

Jill: Yes, I don't like being blatantly confessional about certain things. Who wants to be "ex-eating disorder singer-songwriter Jill Sobule"? I would rather tell a story about someone who is me and a thousand others. Plus, it can make it more interesting, you can play with it, if it is not just autobiographical.

Caty: My teenage friends and I used to love your mock serious pity song about a "little guy" with "such a little mind" and "little heart" who disproportionately fit in "*such* a big body", as well as a lot of your other ex tell-off ditties. You manage to give your exes whatfor without falling into any tired Alanis Morissette mode b/c of your consistently sweet voiced delivery. Have any of your exes complained about your acerbic depictions of them?

Jill: Ha, an ex, who is now one of my best friends hates Little Guy. Jokes that it is my worst song ever. Of course we know why.

Caty: Has moving from New York City to California changed your songwriting sensibilities? (Besides giving you new things to poke fun at, of course...)

Jill: Not sure it's California as opposed to experience and age.

Caty: Besides "I Google You", written by Neil Gaiman and sung by Amanda Palmer (find it on Youtube, it's hilarious!) you may have written the first song about looking up exes from the past on the internet with "Wendell Lee". How'd you come up with those lyrics? The universality of them was incredible and hilarious: "Went on Classmates and I found you/Do I pay extra for your address and phone?/No, I leave it alone...."

Jill: I spend way to much time mindlessly googling and YouTubing this and that. At least I got a song out of it.

Caty: Wikipedia calls you one of the more "empathetic satirists" in the business--do you agree with that assessment? When you wrote that song about Mary Kay (Letourneau) , the teacher who slept with her student, did part of you feel some sympathy for her?

Jill: I like that. Even after all the barbs to "Little Guy" I bring it back to me -that maybe it had something to do with my hurt as opposed to him being a total dick. With Mary Kay, I did give her a break. You can't always control who you fall in love with. Plus, I related to the taboo aspect of it: having crushes and falling for girlfriends in high school.

Caty: A bunch of people who knew I was doing this interview wanted me to ask you about the Future of the Record Industry. So, um, what do you think of the Future of the Record Industry?

Jill: It will find it's way. They really fucked themselves up though, didn't they? And how do you put the cap back in the bottle. They are going to either to have to make great deals with artists where they share the profits, or they have to give up some nice advance money, which they don't have.

Caty: Finally, you know this question is obligatory--so, what's next for Jill Sobule? I hear you've got plans for a live record--but as for studio records, can you give us a hint as to what new ideas for songs you have?

Jill: I would love to do a live record next. Or a covers record.

Cheers, Jill

Tickets are still available for this Saturday's show here.

Exclusive interview with Jill Sobule by Caty Simon. Jill appears this Saturday at the Iron Horse at 7PM.

"It's great that a song like that can piss off "Focus on the Family," and still be on the radio."

Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule rose to fame on the strength of her 1995 hit single "I Kissed a Girl," a tongue in cheek nod to the media's fascination with "lesbian chic." Born in Denver, CO in 1961, Sobule grew enamored of rock music at a young age, but did not seriously consider a career as a performer until she spent her junior year of college abroad in Spain. Upon her return to the U.S., she dropped out of school to devote her full energies to music, but her work found little success as she battled with depression and anorexia. In 1990, Sobule finally made her debut with Things Here Are Different, which the songwriter recorded with producer Todd Rundgren, (who recently played the Iron Horse, a testament to that particular stage's hallowed history.) The album vanished from sight upon its release, however, and she was dropped by her label, MCA. Disheartened, Sobule moved to Los Angeles and took a job as an assistant to a wedding photographer. Sobule's fortunes turned when her lawyer played her demo tape for an Atlantic Records executive, who was so impressed by the contrast her winsome, folk-flavored pop offered in comparison to the then-current chart dominance of grunge that he quickly signed her to a contract. After the 1995 release of Jill Sobule and the subsequent popularity of "I Kissed a Girl," she scored another hit with the satirical "Supermodel," which was featured prominently in Amy Heckerling's comedy smash Clueless. The LP Happy Town followed in 1997, impressing critics with a new level of depth and maturity; unfortunately, it didn't match Sobule's level of commercial success, and Atlantic dropped her from its roster. (Jerks!) She took some time off from her solo recording career to regroup, and joined Lloyd Cole's new backing band The Negatives (also featuring our friend and my old house-mate Dave Derby, former Dambuilder, current Gramercy Arm) as a guitarist in 1999. After landing a new recording contract with Beyond, Sobule returned in 2000 with a new album, Pink Pearl. In the years that followed, she dabbled in off-Broadway musicals, made an appearance on NBC's West Wing, composed songs for a Nickelodeon series called Unfabulous, and played a busking musician in the indie film Mind the Gap, a movie that featured songs included on 2004's "Underdog Victorious."

I asked my friend Caty Simon to do an interview with Jill, who plays the Iron Horse this Saturday, May 9th at 8PM. Caty had responded enthusiastically when we announced the show and I thought that pairing these two creative women for a conversation would be worthwhile. I was right.

Caty: You're very open about depression and decompensating in your lyrics. You don't shy away from talking about staying in bed all day, or being the crazy girlfriend that smashes her boyfriend's windshield. But you don't glamorize it in any goth or grunge way, either. Could you comment on that?

Jill: I guess for me somehow mixing an angst lyric or story with bombastic or similar feeling music seems too much. In fact sometimes I like to play with the exact opposite. It can sometimes end up being more uncomfortable and wrong (in a good way). Plus, I think, I do have, no matter how grim something seems, that light at the end of the tunnel thing. And, sometimes, I will throw in a "joke". That's how, in my real life, I have dealt with...stuff.

Caty: Do you think you get pigeonholed at all as a "joke" songwriter? What can you say about the use of humor in your songs, and how it affects how you're perceived?

Jill: One time I was playing a show at a college and I saw the banner for me that said, "Jill Sobule -Stand -up Comedian." I was upset at first , then ended up doing the most depressive angry set ever. Although I did do one joke -one very blue joke. But yes, I have had to deal with that. I remember Warren Zevon telling me "I Kissed a Girl" was my "Werewolves in London."

Caty: Every album of yours contains such an eclectic use of musical styles, it's hard to tell what your influences are. In fact, in "Heroes", you denounce most of the influences you do mention. Can you tell me about the musicians, writers, and artists that inspire you?

Jill: Your right. I love music and I have such a wide range of taste -if you saw my iTunes collection... Boy, lyrically, I probably was influenced by those iconic writers that told stories and sometimes...used humor. I'm thinking Randy Newman, John Prine, and even Joni sometimes ("watching your hairline recede my vain darling.") But, musically, I wasn't so much a folky. I grew up being obsessed with Bowie.

Caty: Can you tell me about what it's like to be mostly known for one song--1996's "I Kissed A Girl"? Do you ever get resentful about being roped into the "lesbian chic" trend of those years?

Jill: It was sometimes irritating to be "the kissed a girl girl". Or rather, that that was, sometimes, the only thing that people knew about me. However, I am proud of it. It was the first, I think, blatant "queer" song to make the top 40. Of course now Katy Perry has taken the title and made it her own. More power to her, however I will say, hers' is more of a "girls gone wild" thing. The intent of "the Classic" (someone referred to my song as that) was hopefully more to empower and explore one's sexuality as more than just a fun thing to turn on your boyfriend. That said, I still think, it's great that a song like that can piss off Focus on the Family, and still be on the radio.

Caty: On a related note--since this is Northampton-- can you talk about your relationship with the queer community? You've written a bunch of songs about the problems queer youth face: "Underachiever", on your third album about the correspondence you had with a closeted lesbian high school student who wrote to you for help, and how her experience reminded you of your own high school days with your crush on your history teacher. There's "Underdog Victorious", too, about an ostracized gay kid who dreams of his future success, and the song "Under the Disco Ball" is about a gay boy who grows up in a Christian household. After "I Kissed A Girl", you were featured in a number of lesbian magazines. But what's your reception in the lesbian community been like since? Has the lesbian community continued to embrace you, or do you feel that they're unwilling to accept you as bisexual woman who mostly dates men? I remember reading an interview with you once where the interviewer asked if you ever considered playing the pronoun game in order to make your songs universally appealing to people of all sexual orientations, and you said you didn't want to do that, b/c that would be just like what you did in your first album, in which you chronicled your relationship with a woman, but you were too scared to be out and used "you" instead of "she" and "her."

Jill: When "I Kissed a Girl" came out (1995), it was a tough call on talking about my sexuality. I wanted to talk about all the songs, but all anyone wanted to talk about was "so, what are you?". I didn't want to be an exclusive queer artist-only to play the "womyn festivals". At the same time, the idea of the song was to celebrate the joy of that first same-sex kiss and I did not want to underplay that. Since then, I have developed a diverse fan-base with a good sized gay following.
And, I did play that...Womyn's festival. The community is very important to me. I am part of the family.

Caty: You seem to love to tell stories in your songs. It's not that you don't also write confessional music, but your fascination with other people's lives is clear from your lyrics. I'm thinking particularly of "Karen by Night", a quirky song about a shoe store manager who leads a double life as a motorcycling dominatrix. Many of your songs are a fun musical equivalent of people watching. What started your fascination with chronicling other people's lives in your songs?

Jill: I think it started by reading - "Harriet the Spy"? If I wasn't going to be rock star growing up, I wanted to be a detective. But it's not just voyeurism. I think I relate to each of the characters I write about. In some way, I am(or we all wish we could be) "Karen By Night."
We all keep secrets. We also wish we could, "let the freak flag fly" sometimes.

Caty: So I have to ask how you got the brilliant, original idea to fund your latest album solely through audience anticipation-- you put up a website asking fans to contribute, and a ten-dollar donation bought a digital download of the album; a hundred-dollar donation brought a hard copy of the CD, a “Junior Executive Producer” T-shirt, and a mention in the liner notes; a five-hundred-dollar donation earned mention in a song. There was even a ten-thousand-dollar level that would let a fan sing on the record. It was a wildly successful scheme. How'd you come up with this?

Jill: It was something I have thought about for a long time. The idea of going into another A&R office, hoping they'll give me another record deal, sounded just awful. I would have payed for the new record all by myself, but was completely broke. I didn't want the fans just to...give me money, so I came up with different levels of "gifts and services" for their donations. It turned out more successful than I had ever thought. I'm glad, actually, I didn't have the money to do it
myself. It has increased the communication and appreciation between myself and the ones who matter the most these days -the fan.

To be continued.....

The Fab Faux brings the music of The Beatles to Northampton this Friday, May 8th at the Calvin Theatre

For starters, forget every notion you may have ever had about tribute bands. The Fab Faux don't weary goofy wigs, they don't get decked out in phony Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and they don't talk between songs with bogus British accents. But they just might be the most authentic live interpreters of the music of the Beatles on the planet. Well, perhaps other than Paul McCartney when he takes his own band on the road. The Fab Faux will be playing the Calvin Theatre in Northampton on Friday night in a show billed as "From the Cavern to the Rooftop." Led by bassist-singer Will Lee, best known for his work in the band on "The Late Show with David Letterman," and singer-guitarist-keyboardist Jimmy Vivino, a longtime member of Conan O'Brien's band, the Fab Faux formed in 1998 and have been drawing raves along with jaw-dropping looks of amazement from audiences ever since. (Read the rest of Kevin O'Hare's preview here.)

Vietnam, Montreal, Oklahoma, shivers, shakes, and goose-bumps await you as three female fronted bands play this Tuesday May 12th 7PM at the Iron Horse

It’s a summer soundtrack for chasing butterflies and sipping sweet tea on the front porch. On We Brave Bee Stings and All, Vietnamese singer/songwriter Thao Nguyen's second album (and first for the Kill Rock Stars label,) the young wide-eyed and mischievous singer's delightful voice draws you in. With a hint of vulnerability she recalls Sinead O'Connor at bedtime, employing the cottonmouth phrasing of Beth Orton, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), and Jolie Holland. She’s buoyant, even giddy at times, yet she endows her lyrics with a curious juxtaposition of gripping personal detail and saucy humor. Bee Stings has been expertly produced by Tucker Martine, a long-standing collaborator of Laura Veirs. Veirs actually introduced the two, as well as hooking Nguyen up with her label after getting an unsolicited recording in the mail. Nguyen describes her music like this: "Tangles of guitar, knots of singing, threads of beat and thump make a rope fit for hauling the heavy machinery of your day."

Even in today's eclectic modern-music landscape, there's no indication that the ukulele is going to take over as the preferred instrument of rockers worldwide. Yet the four-stringed Hawaiian vessel of joy stands front and center in the realm of the Montreal-based trio Sister Suvi. As plucked by Merrill Garbus, it's clear this is not your grandmother's uke. Sister Suvi’s tapestry of voices is perfect and practiced, the stuff of Akron/Family and Deerhoof, of doo-wop and locomotive; the way we'd all whoop barreling down the tracks. They create a sparse sound that lives somewhere between Sean Paul and free jazz. Compact and percussive, with moments of intoxicating volume, Suvi can seem light and gay on the surface, but their humor is a thin veil for more macabre themes.

Songs In the Night, 22-year-old Oklahoma-based songwriter Samantha Crain’s full-length debut with her band the Midnight Shivers, is produced by Danny Kadar (Grizzly Bear, My Morning Jacket, The Avett Brothers) and follows up to 2008’s The Confiscation EP. Abrasive, jangly indie rock and smooth, whispery folk meet as Crain's distinct voice presents each song with an unfeigned fervor as it rises and falls over the panorama painted by the Midnight Shivers and their roots-infused, fertile arrangements. She paints mystical, poetic slipstreams of words onto a canvas of haunting echo-chamber lap steel, earthy acoustic guitars and loose-change tambourine, delivering her graceful songs with a gorgeous, quivering voice. In a genre often pinned to formulaic sounds and themes, Samantha Crain is re-stitching the seams of Americana to fit her singular artistic vision.