Nena Anderson, Beyond Comparison

I’m thrilled that you agreed to this interview, I have followed you for a while and I am unashamedly a fan and as curious about you as all your fans and soon to be fans, so with that caveat let’s get started.

You have been on this music train for quite a while – tell us a little of your journey.

I’ve been singing since I was a little girl, but started to find my voice when I was in our 6th grade class musical. In high school I didn’t sing much, but I was the school DJ, spinning records for events and pep rallies so I got my musical fix there. In college (UCLA) I sang in a band in Hollywood that played classic rock covers. We rehearsed a lot, but never had a show. After singing in various bands and experimenting with house music, I started singing blues. I was surrounded by incredible talents very early on: Billy Watson, Nathan James, Robin Henkel, and others…people that encouraged me and helped me hone my craft as a blues singer. For the first time as a vocalist I really found my niche…it was very natural! Shortly after I started a jump blues band called Lucky Scandal & The Many Shades of Sin, later changing the name to 47combo. The band had wonderful players that were in essence like mentors to me (Eric Lieberman, Jonny Viau, Sue Palmer). We had a great run of 5 years or so, playing everywhere from the Derby to The Casbah and Belly Up. I learned so much from that experience, booking and managing a band as well as working on my vocal style. By the time the “swing craze” had wore itself out, so had I… I was working a full-time creative job while singing 5-6 nights a week…so I took a few years off to regroup and decide what my next evolution would be. A few years later it became jazz. Gilbert Castellanos encouraged me to sing at Onyx room jam sessions and I did for a while until I put together a band and started singing standards at local venues and parties. I love jazz…it always keeps me on my toes, listening and stretching my abilities.

Jazz people called me a ‘blues singer’ and blues people called me a ‘jazz singer.’ I always thought I was both…and neither. For many years it was strange to me to be singing jazz & blues & americana…my father used to play that stuff on the radio kpbs when I was a growing up, and I hated it back then. I was a new wave kid, going to punk and ska and rock shows! And now I really love all of that music, and I think that it all has a place in my influence, whether in music or attitude!

So I’ve been mostly singing jazz for the last 10 years. I decided to learn to play guitar around 4-1/2 years ago because I wanted to be able to communicate my original songs to my players in a better way. I’ve written songs since the very beginning, but I was always either afraid/self-conscious about them, or felt they were improperly translated by the musicians I tried to teach them to. By learning guitar I was able to play the song as I heard it in my head. One of these songs, “Say You’ll Be Mine,” was recorded and appeared on several compilations in Europe and Asia. Getting that first royalty check gave me the courage to write more and take my songwriting more seriously. I’ve never considered myself a songwriter. It still seems kind of strange…

From that point on I started writing songs for my record “Beyond The Lights.” Most of the jazzier tunes got dropped in favor of a more modern sound. I still play many of them live, but they didn’t fit the vibe of the record. For the last year or so I played most of these songs in 4 different bands and styles (The Neverout – rock, Nena Anderson + The Mules – solo band, my jazz trio and Brawley – country/honky-tonk). It helped me to shape the songs how I thought they would sound best and best represent me, as well as pull elements from each style. I figured if the songs could hold up to the different genres, everything was good! And they did…earning me SDMA nominations for best jazz, best country and best new artist in 2010 for those projects.

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear you sing is your lovely vocal stylings, I went right to Google and pulled up names and voices I had heard in my childhood – Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Ethel Waters, Rosemary Clooney all such amazing voices and talents. Your voice is in that good company and your blusey original songs give a big nod to those that came before you. Was that a decision you made when you started your career?

In the beginning, it wasn’t a decision…it just WAS. When I found out how much I loved blues and jazz and how natural it was for me to sing it, I studied, and I dug deep. I had never heard Billie Holiday or any jazz or blues really up until that time. I love Big Maybelle, Lil Green, Big Mama Thornton, Dinah Washington, Anita O’day, Peggy Lee, King Cole Trio, Lightning Hopkins, Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline, Etta James, Sam Cooke…the list is endless. As I studied and sang, it always was in my mind to imitate only to learn…and to always work to keep my own voice and style, while honoring the real emotion of those great vocalists. As for my originals, I think all of those influences are so ingrained in me that the songs just come out that way.

Now having said that – you give nods to country greats as well. What is the appeal to you?

Country music is blues too, sad music that makes you feel good, and many of the country and blues/jazz vocals covered the same material…making it their own. I always try to do the same. I spent quite a few years swing dancing years ago, and got really into two-step and honky-tonk in particular. Same as blues, when I really started to discover country music, I dug deep into the old stuff. When it really comes down to it, it’s not so much the genre that grabs me, it’s the songwriting and delivery. That stuff is genuine and not ‘produced’ in modern terms.

You also do pop tunes. Why work in all these genres?

Exploration. Fun! Sometimes I just want to play loud! I believe if my songs hold up to different genres, then the songwriting is solid. Some of my favorite influences are artists such as Dave Alvin, John Doe, Lucinda Williams, Johnny Cash and The Paladins … Americana / Roots artists that can play country, blues, folk, rock…and blend those in their original music.

Let’s talk about songwriting. You are a wonderful storyteller and I’m impressed in how assessable and deceptively uncomplicated your lyrics are – there is a wonderful clarity, and getting beautifully to the point in most all your songs. Well done that. What makes a good song for you as a songwriter?

Wow! Thank you!! I usually think my songs are too simple…that people won’t get it. I always wanted to write beautiful storytelling songs like Willie Nelson or Neil Young or Leonard Cohen. I realized early on that is not my style. A good song for me is short and to the point. 2-4 minutes, nothing extraneous in regards to instrumentation or lyrics. Something that you feel in your gut…whether you hate it or love it…it should make you FEEL something.

What inspires you to write?

Many things. Love and life. Relationships of all sorts. A good song. Interactions between people and their stories. A good line. Poetry. I love to see live music…it inspires me always to listen, watch, learn. I try to see live music as often as I can!

I have been asking this question lately and I am often surprised by the answers. Do you have any rituals you do before sitting down to write?

Not really. Sometimes it revolves around which guitar I chose to write with. Or, depending on my mood, sometimes I’ll pour myself a glass of bourbon to sip while I work.

How about before you go on stage?

No rituals before a show either. I don’t like too many people backstage. I need my mental space before a show and I like privacy.

You want to turn hipsters into two steppers. I’m sure I got that wrong – how close was I?

Ha! Converting hipsters to honky-tonkers.

You work all the time and in so many different musical expressions. One band – ‘Brawley’. Second band – ‘Neverout’. Third band – ‘Nena Anderson and the Mules’ – Fourth- Duos and now a solo CD ‘Beyond the Lights’ coming out soon. Would you give us an overview of each group, and introduce everyone to all the players?

Brawley – California Honky-Tonk — standards & originals

members: Me: rhythm guitar/vocals, Adrian Demain (Lee Rocker, Billy Bacon): guitar/vocals, Jim Austin (Smith’s Ranch Boys): upright bass, David Berzansky (Hacienda Brothers): pedal steel. Our drummer, John Kuhlken, passed on earlier this year.

The Neverout – Indie Rock — originals
members : Me: rhythm guitar/vocals, O (Olive Lawn, Fluf, Reeve Oliver): bass, Mike Butler (The Boxmasters, Billy Bob Thornton): guitar, William Driskill (Buckfast Superbee): drums

Nena Anderson + The Mules (solo band) — this is the band on the “Beyond The Lights” cd, with a couple of guest players

members: Me: rhythm guitar/vocals, Mike Butler: guitar, Patrick McClory (Alex Woodard Band): bass, Brian ‘Nucci’ Cantrell (Jack Tempchin): drums, and me

Duo / Trio — Jazz & Americana — standards & originals

members: ”duo” with Adrian Demain: guitar, me: rhythm guitar/vocals . “trio” with the addition of Rob Thorson: upright bass

Solo — on rare occasions I play solo, just me and guitar

The new CD ‘Beyond The Lights’ is your first full-length album, tell us a little about getting that project and getting it going.

I’ve been performing live for all these years and never made an album. I suppose the time just wasn’t right. So a few years ago I quit my day job to pursue music full-time for the first time in my life. Essentially…I had no excuse not to make this record! It all fell into place when I met Mike Butler. Finally, I had found the producer I was looking for…someone with high level professional industry experience, amazing chops, and who totally understood what I do, without wanting to change it. Everything he brought to the project made it better while keeping in my vision. I partially funded the project with a pre-sale of cds on Kickstarter.com.

What is wonderful is to look at the evolution of a song and how an artist interprets it. One of your most popular songs ‘I fall In Love To Fast’ is on a vid on YouTube, with you singing solo with a guitar, then fans will hear it produced on the new CD with a wonderful country feel. Tell us about writing this song and its evolution.

The feel of this song came from playing with Brawley. I had been playing lot of slow country shuffle-y songs and that worked so well with this tune. I had written the hook/chorus lyric for this song nearly 6 months before I wrote the song, and the version I sing with Brawley is twice as long as the “Beyond The Lights” version. It tells more of the story originally, but edited it to what was important for the album version. I don’t like long songs.

What for you is the best thing about what you do?

The best thing is being able to reach someone emotionally. I often have people tell me that they love my sad songs…because they make them feel better…that someone feels something they’ve experienced. When someone tells me a song made them cry, it’s beautiful…it moved them.

‘Daggers’ slide guitared 1-4-5 right into my country heart. Great piece – love the banjo on the way out. This cut defiantly has an old time, clean drum, feel. How did the arrangement come about?

“Daggers” was a blues song…it’s been played every which way…2-beat, vamp, shuffle, swing. In recording it with The Mules, I wanted to give it a sound that was definitively not a traditional or ‘bar band’ blues feel…wanted it dark and swampy. Already the minor to major changes gave it a little different vibe. All the rest was created by my producer/guitarist, Mike Butler. He played the banjo, guitar and lap steel on the song.

‘Sink or Swim’ great hook great tune. Tell us about the writing of this song.

I wrote this song quickly. I didn’t play it out for a long time because I had intended on changing some of the lyrics in the chorus. After revising it a few times, in the end, it sounded best just the way I initially wrote it.

‘Roses and Kisses’ a little rock, a little honky-tonk, and a lot-o-fun. Clean perfect vocal and wonderful musicianship – probably my favorite, here you wrote a sad song that makes you feel good listening to it. Tell us something of the decision to arrange this song the way you did.

My demo of this song is stark – single strums that ring out and the vocal. It sounded like it was recorded in the 1930′s. Messing around with it in the studio, we let the drummer, Brian run with it, Mike’s direction being: “let’s give it a Ray Charles vibe.” It’s such a simple song, it works well fast, slow, jazzy or upbeat, and this version of it is my favorite.

“It’s so bitter sweet to be by your side
I want you to stay and I want you to go
You keep telling me that you’re just a ghost
But we all are, honey, don’t you know
It’s a long goodbye”

‘Long Goodbye’ is a lovely homage to another dancing cheek-to-cheek time. Great lyrics. How did this song come to be?

This song was crafted. It was the first song that I wrote that didn’t just write itself. I pieced together several songs I was working on over several months.
It was based on my own experiences and those of friends…the sadness of a relationship changing and sometimes how we extend the ‘goodbye’ or ending of relationships.

‘Promises’ A bit of ‘Crazy Horse’ styled country rock with Nena nailing a cool vocal. Love this song.

Nice reference. I love that this song is difficult for people to classify. It expresses a sentiment that I think many of us have felt…losing part of yourself or changing how you act when trying to salvage a relationship.

‘Give me one more night
Give me one more kiss
Give me one last time to remember this
Give me one turn around
Tomorrow I will be leaving this town’

‘One More’ time to get up and dance – Nena play this one more time and then again and again. This one is my favorite on the CD, one that deserves to be a national country hit, and make you a STAR. You did everything right on this one. Nena tell us about this song and what you intended in the writing and recording of this one.

It was initially intended as a ‘throwaway” song for Brawley. A song that was upbeat and fun…something for the dancers. It was inspired by my good friend and Brawley bassist Jim Austin (although I don’t think he knows that!) because he loves to dance and play songs to get dancers moving. As the song evolved (we also played in The Neverout – it took on a more Social Distortion kind of sound) I wanted to blend the country and rock elements for my album. And David Berzansky is an amazing pedal steel player that just rocks this song!

For me, this song will forever be dedicated to our drummer, John Kuhlken, who passed away earlier this summer. It was his favorite of the songs I wrote for Brawley and I still tear up when I sing “give me one more chance to hear that sound” … I think all of us in the band wish we had one more chance to hear him drumming with us.

A wonderful homage.

‘Over You’ a slow danceable heartbreakin’ lament to fall in love to. The old rock style B3 licks are terrific. I can feel that you love singing this one. The lyrics have a modern bent, while the music is giving homage to the kind I danced to in the early 60s – how about giving us a little workshop on this song?

This song was written late one night, after several glasses of whiskey. A little drunk, very sad, and dealing with a difficult heartbreak. It was originally titled “Driving and Crying.” I must have reworked this song 3 or 4 times before I got the arrangement right. Mike Feldman “took it to church” as we like to say with the organ pads.

‘Hush’ A lovely sad lullaby, an angelic vocal , and old style county riffs on the low strings. What made you write this song?

This song was written for a cd compilation project that will be released in October 2011. I was given a letter and asked to write a song about it…the mother of an infant that had lost her husband in the line of duty. I had never written a song based on something given to me before. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. One day, after a month or more of working on it, Alex Woodard (who gave me the letter and co-wrote/arranged the song) said to me “Roses & Kisses is a perfect song…write it like that. Go home and do it now!” So I did…I scrapped what I had before and wrote “Hush” in a matter of minutes. My take on the letter was as a mother soothing her infant with a lullaby…part apology, part love letter, part reassurance.

Your cover of Helen Thompson’s ‘Going Down To Big Mary’s’ a live jazzy/ blues number really shining a modern rocking light and nodding lovingly to another time. A movie rolled in my head – 1953, inner city outskirts, moonless dark, old cars, cool local dive, low lights, smoke, bad whiskey, Rosemary Cloony on the jukebox. Songwriting gold this one. Loved it. Tell us about this fantastic song.

This is a cover of a cover! And NOT ON THE ALBUM. This was a secret, live bonus track that only comes with download on my site. Recorded live at the Belly Up. This was always one of my favorite songs played by The Paladins…still is.

‘Beyond The Lights.’ Picking this as the title for the CD was spot on. Nena, here I think you are at your best, singing root blues and R&B. This one rocks me. I have a hard time figuring out what I like best – you as a country Diva, or you melting an audience with blues and R&B. Where does your heart lie? Where do you see yourself as an artist?

I see myself continuing to blur the lines. This is American music…blues, jazz, rock, country.

You do it all well, indeed. You’re having a CD release party soon. tell us where and when.

Belly Up, Sept 14th my set is 9pm. tickets are $8 advance / $10 door, doors open at 7:30pm. Two other great bands playing: Old Tiger warms it up at 8pm and Dead Feather Moon will close out the evening at 10pm

Is there anything else going on that we should know?

Solo acoustic showcase for The San Diego Music Thing 9:50pm at Claire De Lune. Big show coming up at The Museum of Making Music Oct 7.

Is there anything you want your fans, and future fans to know about Nena Anderson that they don’t now know.

I just released my first music video for “I Fall In Love Too Fast.” You can watch it on vimeo or youtube. More music videos are in the works for “Daggers,” “Sink or Swim” “Roses & Kisses” and “One More” and…I’m available for house concerts!

I had the best time listening to your CD. Nena, this CD will surly make you a bigger star than you already are. You are an artist to be reckoned with. I feel privileged to have had this time with you. Dave and I wish you the very, very, best.

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