Get To Know: AMY ANDREWS
Posted: September 18, 2012 Filed under: Books, Brilliant Folks I've Interviewed!, Feminism in Action, Humane Organizations, Music, Random Cool Things, Southern Musicians - Georgia, Veg Restaurants I love, Vegetarianism | Tags: Amy Andrews, bookstores, feminism, feminist, Feminist Bookstore Tour, kickstarter, The Grit Leave a comment »
Amy Andrews is a Baltimore-born, Decatur GA-transplanted, fierce feminist singer-songwriter. She is about to embark on a Feminist Bookstore Tour of North America to raise funds for the few indie feminist bookstores and community centers still in operation. She wants you to know about her many furry friends, and her encyclopedic knowledge of musicals, but MOSTLY about the Kickstarter campaign she just launched to get herself on the road to do good.
Name:
Amy Andrews
Occupation:
singer-songwriter
My companion animals (names and personality traits):
Lillian A. Cookie – “Lillian A. for ‘Angelic’ Cookie”
Freckles – “The Loveable Curmudgeon”
Hazel(le) – “The Maniac”
Lexi – “The Skittish Hedonist”
Louise – “The Big Ol’ Baby”
Magnolia – “The Misunderstood Misanthrope”
Ripley – “The Senior Stateswoman”
The movie that best represents me right now:
Tommy Boy – life on the road is just one adventure after another.
Obviously, my favorite musical of all time is:
As a kid I would sing “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” Mary Magdalene’s piece from JCS, “Aldonza” from Man of La Mancha, or “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard for auditions. Auditions for kid roles. Totally age inappropriate audition material, but it was what I felt most natural performing. I think I’ve always been a bit on the mature side. And intense.
And with that I say, favorite musical? Maybe a tie between RAGTIME, TITANIC, & GYPSY? I could also throw in The Last 5 Years, Songs for A New World, Jesus Christ Superstar, Mame, Chicago, Cabaret, Evita, …
Bucket list item that would surprise my friends:
I don’t think I have a bucket list item that would surprise anyone, and I can’t really think of anything that would.
I’m an introvert, but I’m a performer (I think that’s a lot more common than people imagine), so I suspect people would assume that I have a desire to do something wild or ostentatious, but… I would just love to travel the world, live in many places, experience different cultures, but… probably just spend a lot of time alone in beautiful, natural landscapes.
Well, I would also love to sing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy alongside Bette Midler, but I don’t think that would surprise anyone either. I grew up with a, well documented, desire to become Bette Midler.
Here’s another, and maybe I’ve never said it aloud: I would love to host SNL. (Gosh, I hope Lorne Michaels is reading this.)
My favorite road trip so far in my life:
The last one always seems the greatest, doesn’t it?
Well, nothing exotic here, but, I recently went on a drive just through north GA for the day – passing small-town churches, withering buildings, seemingly long-forgotten cemeteries. Stopping at roadside antique shops, leisurely taking in historical markers, dropping in a small diner tucked away just off the road, taking an impromptu hike through the woods. It was unexpected, and beautiful.
My biggest fan:
The aforementioned Lillian A. Cookie, and my mom, of course.
My most favorite veg food or restaurant:
The Grit, in Athens. I’m going there this weekend, and I intend to get some delicious nutritional yeast goodness, sweet potatoes, and strong coffee. Read the rest of this entry »
Get to Know: THE SKIPPERDEES
Posted: August 29, 2012 Filed under: Brilliant Folks I've Interviewed!, Music, Southern Musicians - Georgia, Southern Musicians - Tennessee, Veg Restaurants I love | Tags: Banksy, Captain Underpants, Catherine Backus, David Rawlings, Emily Backus, Fried Green Tomatoes, Gillian Welch, Grease, Howard Finster, ilovemountains.org, Jill Andrews, sleater-kinney, The Grit, The Skipperdees, The Spice Girls, The Tomato Head, Tig Notaro, To Kill a Mockingbird, Vincent Cassel, Wendell Berry Leave a comment »
The Skipperdees (twin sisters Emily and Catherine Backus) hail from Oak Ridge, TN, a town mentioned in the 1989 film Fat Man and Little Boy which featured Paul Newman with a mustache. They write sad songs but are happy people. They are Capricorns and vegetarians. Come say hey at theskipperdees.com. or find them in one of the seven Waffle House locations in their current home of Athens, GA. The ‘dees will be playing Eddie’s Attic > on Tuesday, September 4th at 8 pm.
Name
THE SKIPPERDEES - Catherine Backus and Emily Backus
Occupation
Students??? (Not really making a living doin’ the singin and strummin thing right now)
My companion animals (names and personality traits)
C: EMILY REFUSES TO LET CATS INTO OUR APARTMENT so we are petless.
E: Cats are vile, fickle creatures. I stand by my decision.
The movie that best represents me right now
C: I’m gonna go with Fried Green Tomatoes because I’ve really been trying to channel TOWANDA lately (also I will watch that film at any and all times you’
E: Mystic Pizza (I’m Kat, the frumpy dreamer) meets Drop Dead Gorgeous (I so badly want to be Allison Janney’s chain smoking Loretta)
Obviously, my favorite musical of all time is
C: Grease
E: THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Catty is clearly wrong.)
The book that defined my childhood
C : To Kill A Mockingbird
E: Captain Underpants Read the rest of this entry »
An Interview with Mount Moriah
Posted: October 10, 2011 Filed under: Bands Who Rock, Brilliant Folks I've Interviewed!, Country Music, Folk Music, Music Venues, New Music Excitement, Southern Musicians - North Carolina | Tags: Amy Ray, Arvada Center, Boba House, Bottletree, Cat's Cradle, humble tripe, indigo girls, Laughing Seed, midtown dickens, Mount Moriah, NJ, NPR, Rosetta's, Scottish Rite Theater in West Collingwood, The Grit, The Remedy, Toast 2 Comments »Mount Moriah is a North Carolina band in the thick of things. They are an alt-country/folk/bluegrass/rock band at serious work – touring and recording and opening for fantastic acts all over the country. Last week one of their recordings was named song of the week on NPR, garnering the band even more national exposure. Heather McEntire and Jenks Miller are the core duo of the group, and McEntire was kind enough to answer some of my uneducated questions about her band and favorite venues. She even indulged my gratuitous comment about her pooch, so I really appreciate that.
BB: Mount Moriah has really hit its stride this year, and you have totally snuck up on me. Tell me the
story of how and where y’all met?
MM: Jenks and I first met while I was living in this co-op style house that would throw basement shows and his band performed there. Soon after, we worked together at this record store in Chapel Hill, NC. We quickly became very close.
BB: You spent this summer on the road with the Indigo Girls and last fall with Amy Ray’s band too. I imagine most emerging musicians have that on their bucket list. What about those experiences was the most unexpected?
MM: We definitely feel grateful for those opportunities, and to now be friends with Amy and Emily. They are amazing people, and have taught us a lot. I think we all feel a sense of pride about the South, and really support each other. Looking back, I did find it surprising that they took a chance on our little band that didn’t have a label, or even a record out yet. Even our band membership was in flux. They really believed in us from the start, and I’ll always remember that. We would never have been able to play zoos and meet all kinds of animals, and play to such large audiences at those gorgeous theaters and amphitheaters on our own.
BB: What else is on your musical bucket list?
MM: I’d like to keep touring with folks who inspire me, mentors and strangers and musicians I admire. If I were to name them, the list would be very long. In general, Jenks and I would like to make a living making music in Mount Moriah. Keep making records, collaborating with others, touring the world, performing…not having to work as many odd jobs to keep everything together. I’d be pretty happy if we could swing all that and sustain it.
BB: On your website you have several really nice music videos by Hueism Pictures, and I’ve posted a couple of them here. I think they are great assets to your music and to your image. Each sets a different mood, but all with a dark tone. They all seem to be shot at night. Was that by choice or by chance?
MM: Wow, I never noticed that. There are some daylight scenes in “The Letting Go”; it’s a documentary-style video of us on tour last fall with the Indigo Girls. There are bits of me in my friend’s house where we have a screen printing setup together, and that happened during the day. “Lament” was shot at night on a parking deck in Durham NC. And “Old Gowns” was filmed in an abandoned tobacco factory in Durham during the day, but it was very dark in there. I loved working with Hueism so much that I now work part-time for them, organizing collaborations. Read the rest of this entry »
