No band -- but on my "Damsel In Distress" album, I had wonderful musicians join me: Jenny Bienemann, Sue Demel,* Deb Lader,* harmonies; Bob Long, piano; Michael Miles, banjo; Kathryn Lake, violin; Tony Dale, percussion; Al Ehrich, bass; Steve Joyner, guitar. Bruce Roper* engineered.
*Sue, Deb, and Bruce together make up the fabulous Sons of the Never Wrong.
At my CD release (Schubas, 2006), Sue, Jenny, Deb, Steve, Kathryn, and Al joined me, along with Jessica Fogle (keyboard) and Rick Vitek (percussion).
How lucky can a girl get?!
Influences
ABSOLUTE FAVORITE: Bruce Springsteen, esp. early Springsteen. His power as a poet, his passion as a songwriter and performer, have never been equaled, in my book.
*Springsteen, Rickie Lee Jones, and Tom Waits each create worlds populated with their own characters and vulnerabilities and truths, and for this I could not live without them. Patty Griffin does something similar, I think.
*Melanie, whose "Gather Me" album is still one of my top ten: she's strong and vulnerable and honest and funny and serious. *Christine Lavin -- she is an amazing performer, a wonderful songwriter, and a generous person -- I admire her greatly.
*Townes Van Zandt. Bob Dylan, of course. Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Joan Baez. Leonard Cohen; Nick Drake. Elton John (esp. early). Dan Fogelberg. Neil Young. CSNY. Simon & Garfunkel.
NEWER INFLUENCES: These are people whose music I admire, and who have taken the time to encourage me in one way or another, which makes me feel, again, very fortunate:
*Andrew Calhoun, whose songwriting classes were VERY inspiring: his poetry and songs are gifts. Sons of the Never Wrong. Nancy Walker (formerly of Sons). Chuck Cheesman. Noah Zazharin. Jeanne T. Arrigo, Steve Joyner, Dale Petersohn, Terry MacNamara, Cat Catalani. James Curley. Jenny Bienemann, who is a musical pioneer with her new work with the looper... All of these people are out there, sharing their gifts and their kindness and making the world a better place... Rachel Ries. Justin Roth. I know I'm forgetting people... Everyone who encourages me and gives me good advice.
Greenpeace Birdie, 1985-2002, who was the smartest bird I've ever known -- his influence is in almost every song I've written... and so it goes.
Sounds Like
... maybe a little Rickie Lee, Melanie, Christine Lavin... a combination of attributes, I think. If I were a rocker, I'd hope to be compared to Amy Rigby: intelligent lyrics, funny, vulnerable but with attitude.
Sue Fink is a somewhat quirky singer/songwriter who has been compared to Christine Lavin (in fact, she has a bit part on Christine's "Folk Zinger" CD). Richard Milne of 93.1 WXRT selected her song, "Saga of Pearl (It's Not You)," as one of his Top Songs of the Year (2006) for his "Local Anesthetic" show (http://93xrt.com/pages/185104.php). Sue has also received airplay on Rich Warren's "Midnight Special" show on WFMT, and other stations as well. Sue mostly performs in coffee houses around the Chicago area, such as the wonderful Uncommon Ground, and is starting to branch out a bit. Her "Damsel In Distress" CD was released at Schubas in 2006. You can hear Sue discuss her songwriting process and play several songs live on the Chicago Songwriters Podcast, at http://www.chicagosongwriterpodcast.podomatic.com/
Listen to MORE tunes, or purchase Sue's CDs by clicking on the pictures below:
Hello Sue! Thanks a lot. Yes Windy City Rails was written after a week spent in Chicago. we must have missed you while we were there haha. Hope to see you tonight. THakns for the comment. -Joshua
Thanks for stopping by, Sue- lovely to hear from you! And thanks for the kind words, as always! So jealous that you and Irma can meet up regularly! I've started doing a radio show on www.celticmusicradio.net so if you send me your album when it's ready, I could play it on the Sunday Session!! Catchya soon. Cx
I really appreciated your comments, both on the night of the show and in your MySpace message. It was a thrill to perform at Davenport's and really a confidence builder to have such a great turn out, and to have people say such lovely things about the show. One always hopes to be inspiring, and those of us who aren't songwriters have the important responsibility of interpreting other people's work in a way that honors them and the material. It is very gratifying to know that you felt I accomplished that.
Thanks for the compliment! I have been in love with her for more than 15 years, lol! Her voice is amazing. If you search her name, you'll find great music and videos showcasing her voice.
