Quick Q and A with Cris Williamson
 by Kathy S-B  ·  30 September 2011

Cris Williamson made history or perhaps I should say herstory when she helped to change the face of the music industry with the release of her legendary album, The Changer and the Changed. That record was one of the best-selling independent albums of all time.

The me&thee is delighted to welcome Cris back to its stage. For more information about Cris, visit her website.

Here’s an excellent retrospective video about Cris and her music: http://youtu.be/fxCrjY73lz8

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over three years since your last performance at the me&thee. You’ve released two different CDs since that time. Can you tell us all about Fringe and Gift Horse.

The music on these two CDs run in parallel, having to do, for the most part, with the West — its particular lingo, the tales that abound, traditional and new, of horses, and strong men and women, of storms, of cowboys and their hard lives. All this is such a rich history from which I can readily pull having been raised in Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota. The production is more minimalist, especially Gift Horse, and both of them I produced. I used a lot of the same musicians as well, so these are both able to resonate with one another as companion pieces. It was such a joy to spend this kind of time — writing, recording, discovering — the richness of the American West.

You have been an inspiration for so many women since you emerged as one of the founders of the “women’s music” movement in the 1970s. But even before that, you were writing and recording songs. What was your audience like then?

Beginning when I was 16, I sang to the people in my little town, singing in church, in high school chorus and ensembles, singing for funerals and weddings, and Lions Club luncheons. Then, in college, I sang in folk clubs in Boulder and Denver, and then to college-age rockers when I joined a rock-and-roll band. I sang then, and still do, to anyone who would listen. I made an album in New York in 1970–1971 which eventually landed on Ampex Records. In the studio at that same time were Carly Simon and Patti Smith. Women musicians were still a novelty then, so I felt lucky to have been sponsored so well, mentored beautifully by my friend and producer, Al Brown, and guided by my then manager, Peter Olwyler. These men, and Bill Emery in my high school years, were so respectful of me and my talents. I’ve been lucky that way.

Forming Olivia Records was considered a groundbreaking event in more ways than one. Have you ever spoken or heard from any mainstream recording execs who admitted that they totally missed the boat by not having the foresight to contract lesbian musicians to their labels?

No, not really. I’ve heard some reps be confounded by the sales of the music at our concerts, because they always sold their product through record stores, and never thought of selling the music at the shows. Admitting to the missing of the boat has never been anything I have personally witnessed.

There’s an analogy that compares your The Changer and the Changed to Michael Jackson’s Thriller in terms of the music industry — an album that sold far beyond the perceived size of the market. Did you ever in your wildest dreams ever think you’d reach so many listeners?

Perhaps in my wildest dreams, but honestly, no. I had no real idea of the need that was out there, especially as women were concerned. Necessity really is the Mother of Invention, and once Olivia tapped into that need, it was wildfire. I remain grateful to the bone that I have reached so many.

Do you listen to any new up and coming musicians who you believe have something to say and are doing so in a new and interesting way?

New voices for the 21st century? I listen to new voices when I encounter them. Word-of-mouth encourages me here and there to pay attention to bands, soloists, instruments and so on, but on my own, I don’t seek this out. It rather seeks me out, and I love that process. I have so much going on in my own life and my own composer’s mind, that I am fairly careful not to put too much new information in there so that whatever is gestating can do so without undue influence. However, I remain open to hearing the new. It’s always interesting to see what’s new and what continues to repeat itself over and over, still needing to be expressed.

Quick Q and A with Brian Gundersdorf (We’re About 9)
 by Kathy S-B  ·  30 September 2011

A whole lot of words come to mind when I think about We’re About 9. Creative. Humorous. Intelligent. Quirky. Harmonious. First-rate. Their lyrics are as memorable as their lyrics. One reviewer called it “short format fiction, long format harmony.” Whatever you call it, it’s fun and it’s fantastic. Learn more about We’re About 9 on their website. Here’s a video that shows how much fun We’re About 9 is in concert.

You are known for your witty lyrics. Are you all just genuinely witty or do you have to work at it? ;-)

Ha! I mean, thank you. Well, how can I answer that? The truth is that there’s a witty person in me. I can’t always find him, but I’m always looking. When he shows up, I drop everything and write. That’s the secret. I always tell people that the song is like a cat. If you’re always chasing it, you’ll never catch it. But eventually, when you’re not trying so hard, it’ll come climb on your lap. Whether you’re a songwriter or not depends on what you do at that moment. That’s a sweeping statement, of course. Some people can outrun cats, and some people can decide when they’re going to write songs. Once I have the seed of a song, I work hard to make the most of it. During an eight hour drive this past weekend, I spent at least six hours refining twenty seconds worth of lyrics.

Is there any one song that you’ve written that you’re especially proud of?

I’m always the most proud of whichever one I wrote the most recently. But, after nine years of playing it, the song I get the most positive feedback on is “If You See William.” It’s the story of a guy that grew up in love with the arts, but took a different direction in his adult life and fell in love with the art of corporate ladder climbing. I think of this narrator as alternate-universe Gundersdorf.

WA9 has won numerous awards and has played at several prestigious festivals and venues. Any highlights thus far?

So many. Honestly, we’re the luckiest people ever. We had a list of things we wanted to do when we started, and we’ve done it all. We got to open for Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer. We’ve played the main stage at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival four times (this was, and still is, THE dream gig for us). We once drove eight hours to play one song at the Club Passim open mic — now we get to play our own feature shows there regularly. First Acoustics, The Birchmere, The Panzer House, Cat in the Cream, Four Corners Folk Festival, Mountain Stage New Song Festival — I mean, there have just been so many venues and audiences that have blown our minds. I can’t wait for Me&Thee to join that list. I enjoy the perfect sound and warm atmosphere at Me&Thee so much. And we’re completely honored to get to open for the legendary Cris Williamson. I have a very good feeling about this show!

We’re About 9. Explain the name.

When we do our Tibetan throat singing we’re able to create nine different overtones. Just kidding. We don’t do that, although we are deeply focused on harmony singing. And I wish I could sing more parts than I can. So maybe the name is really about our hopes and dreams. The real answer to this question is on our website which your readers can find at www.wereabout9.com.

Quick Q and A with Joziah Longo and Tink Lloyd
 by Kathy S-B  ·  24 September 2011

Describe Slambovia to those who are unfamiliar with the whole concept.

Slambovian was a term/expletive we began to use while making our first album to describe something unexplainably wondrous and transcendent. It became the root of the band’s name and our own virtual nation to build with our fans. We used to just be a band from Slambovia, but with the last album we gave ourselves a promotion and are now ‘The Grand Slambovians,’ a more official title.

You have many diehard fans who come to see you just about anywhere you play. Is there any similarity to Deadheads? Do your fans keep detailed set lists and trade concert CDs?

TINK: When we first started playing we heard a lot of fans say they liked the tribal/community vibe we had. Some were former Deadheads, so I think we filled a void for them. Some compete for how many shows they’ve been to... some fans even started a radio show called ‘Strictly Slambovian’ on WBCR in Great Barrington, Mass. which airs once a month featuring bootlegs of recent shows and interviews with the band.

Is there one song that you do that would be the best song to introduce someone to your music?

TINK: It seems that each album has a signature song that people resonate with. The song that still is the most requested is ‘Talkin’ To The Buddha’. It’s at once intimate, yet vast. The song was written right after 9/11 in response to the unsatisfying answers from some of the religious leaders who were asked “Why did God let this happen?” We’re all still reeling from that. Being from New York we had friends directly affected. This song addresses the age old question man has about how much control man has of events on the earth plane. . . .

Many of your songs contain a really mystical quality. Do you think this ghostly and often spiritual element is what attracts so many people to your music?

TINK: As we become more knowledgeable about science, we become more knowledgeable about the unseen world. This makes for more refined questions, and better answers. Our music is often inspired by the questions/challenges that we face as individuals but also as a human family. Understanding the invisible world helps to comprehend this visible world and deal with it in a more spherical way. I think a percentage of our audience is interested in those things, and for others the music is a big attraction.

If you could plan your own festival and invite any musicians, living or dead, to play with you on stage, who would that be? Name as many as you’d like!

TINK: We are planning to have our first Slambovian Summer Festival in 2012, it’s a dream we’ve had for years. We have a UK location and promoter, still looking for a US location. Our Grand Slambovian (Extraterrestrial Hillbilly Pirate) Halloween Ball is really a mini-festival which we plan to grow into a full day, or two-day festival next year. The Halloween show has elements of who and what we would have at our festival. We have aerialists, street performers, and for the first time this year we’ve invited another band, The Wiyos, to join in the fun.

JOZIAH: I’ll chime in on this one! Most of the musicians we’d like to play with have been known to show up while we’re playing. Keith Moon and Jon Bonham often make appearances at Tony’s station and no doubt Jimi or Duane have been sitting in with Sharkey on many occasions. Nico or Sandy Denny and other feminine spirit types grace Tink’s corner and I’m happily haunted by quite a number of them (I see ghosts!) that have gone to the other side while writing and performing. I don’t listen to enough music by artists that that still reside on the earth plane to be able to say who we’d invite to our own festival, but there is a crop of new music happening these days that is piquing my interest.

How did the idea of the Grand Slambovian (Extraterrestrial Hillbilly Pirate) Halloween Ball come about? What can someone expect at one of these balls?

Halloween was our first official gig in Sleepy Hollow, NY — so it seemed appropriate that we celebrate our anniversary as a band in a fantastic way given our history! Once a year we get to play dress up and create fantasy bands to be in. Joziah has quite an imagination — each year we add to the theme and expand — which is why the name is soooo long!!!

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