French Quarter Fest: Susan Cowsill

Today at the French Quarter Fest Susan Cowsill performed another amazing show. Paul Sanchez sat in for a couple songs. Mary LaSang played bass with the band and did one of her own songs.

Susan, as always, put on a great show. Her shows are always good and they are so much fun. She likes to talk to the audience and let them know what she's thinking and what was on her mind when she wrote some of the songs she's playing. This is her first show I've seen in awhile and she's brought a new mix of songs to the table. For the first time that I've seen she does an old Cowsills number. She drops in more than a few Continental Drifters songs and quite a few new ones from her upcoming album. The new songs sound great and I can't wait for the new album.

Everytime I see her live though I come away with one burning question. Why isn't this woman a star? She writes some of the best pop songs ever and her voice is as good or better than just about anyone on the radio today. I just can't understand why she is still struggling to put her music out and so much of what we hear on the radio is dreck.

French Quarter Fest: Mary LaSang

Mary LaSang played with Susan Cowsill today at the French Quarter Fest and did a song of her own. This girl has some talent.

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SIMPLY SIX: Mary LaSang

Mary is a singer/songwriter/bandmember/bass player from Louisiana. She was a member of Cowboy Mouth for awhile. She performs with Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show. She is a member of the new group The Kinky Tuscaderos. She says she likes being a member of a group and has put plans for her solo album on hold for the moment. Hopefully she'll reconsider that thought and continue work on her solo album. Go to her MySpace Page and check out how good she is as an artist in her own right.

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?

I'd say it was during the first and only performance of my first band, The Electric Bananas. I was 8 and thought I had I convinced 3 of my brothers to sing and dance to "The Locomotion". We rehearsed; we held bananas for mics. When I left to knock on my neighbors' doors to tell them of our upcoming performance, to which a few came, my brothers bailed out on me. I performed as a solo act, with the philosophy of "the show must go on" already burned into my young little psyche. I think I watched too many episode of The Banana Splits.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

I am a music fan first; that's what feeds my inspiration as a writer. I have great friends who turn me onto lots of new music in all genres. In my car right now, I have been listening to MIA, Santogold, Lupe' Fiasco, Blur, The Sugarcubes, Lucinda Williams, Keane, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The White Stripes, Beck - I could go on and on. I think the newest genre I've been turned on to is hip hop, and rap. Great rhythm is to be found there.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

I haven't had that one defining, career changing moment on record yet. I feel it's coming soon though.

As far as live, I'd have to say that I have 2: the first was when my Mom, who had Alzheimer's, came with my family to see me perform. It was hard for her to be away from her familiar surroundings, but my Dad (her caretaker) wanted to come to my performance. My Mom stood there and watched me perform, quietly, proudly, and content for the entire hour and a half. That moment told me so much about the power of music, an effect of me playing it, and how much I was loved.

The second moment came while I was performing at a festival, right before Velvet Revolver. I looked back offstage, and saw Duff McKagan watching us. He caught my eye to give me the thumbs up. Still amazes me.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

I'm not sure if life imitates art, or art imitates life. I think both to be true. I believe that music can and does change moments in the world, in small and large ways. I helped build a school in Tanzania by performing at a fundraiser with Susan Cowsill. That performance raised the money. I also played at a small, rural festival in Germany, where most of the people spoke no English - but I'll be damned if they didn't know every word to John Denver's "Country Road", which we got pressured into playing, when they spontaneously broke into the song as an encore. It warmed my heart, as I'm sure it does others. Moments like that help bring peace, even for just a minute. Makes life more tolerable and lovable.
Music changes the whole world. All art does.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Music downloading affected all of us. In our unsigned case, it also helps get our music out across the world. I hate that record companies took such a big hit, which in turn made bands take a huge hit. I'm hopeful, and appreciative about things like myspace, which has connected us with numerous gigs, and quite possibly to the funding of my upcoming cd (due to a blog I posted!). Technology has forced us to change - that's always hard. But it seems to be good for our purposes.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Chuck Taylors!