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There are a lot of exceptionally talented musicians in our neck of the woods who aren't exactly household names. Unfortunately, Suzanne Paris falls in such a category. After years in the business, she's finally getting around to releasing her first CD, Pink Lipstick. I talked to Suzanne about her star-powered CD, the county's acoustic scene and, most importantly, just who the heck she is. Chris Jay: Who are you? Suzanne Paris: (Laughs) Who am I? Well, I'm a singer-songwriter, guitar player from Colorado. I'm out in California now and I just made my first CD after a lot of performing and supporting roles. CJ: How'd you come out to Cali? SP: I was singing back up with Dave Mason for the last three years and Dave lives in Ojai, so it just kind of worked out. CJ: Tell me about the album? SP: My husband, Dave Holster, who wrote songs for John Denver and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - he wrote four of the songs on the album and the rest I wrote. A couple of the songs Dave Mason was going to record but he decided to shelve the project, so I took them for my record. It's a simple homemade album. We did it all by ourselves. David engineered. My good friend Christine Elis Perrior played bass. She was the bass player for Martha Davis and The Motels. Jim Christie helped out, and I've had long time friendships with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter from Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers and he plays all over the record. CJ: That's a pretty impressive roster of players for an indie release. How did you get Jeff Baxter to play on the record? SP: I met Jeff 14 years ago at a session. I was singing backup and Jeff was playing pedal-steel. We actually went out for a while-boyfriend and girlfriend. We've been friends for a long time. He's used me in the past for session work. CJ: How would you describe the songs for someone who has never heard of you? SP: The music is real simple, easy listening with a little blues and pop. It's a cross between Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan. CJ: You used to be a staple at the old Voltaire's thriving acoustic scene. What do you think of the county's current music scene since Voltaire shut down? SP: I really miss Voltaire. I used to play there all the time. Now my favorite place is Zoey's. I like the atmosphere. For me it's really a magical place. I always feel good when I'm playing in that courtyard. I think the scene is definitely missing something though. Especially since Jimmy Adams left. He was such a great soul and such a big part of the acoustic scene. CJ: As a female performer, do you think your gender is an advantage or a disadvantage in the music industry? SP: Advantage. People seem to be more open with songs coming from a woman. I've never felt any sort of a barrier 'cause I've always worked and gotten along with guys. I guess I never felt that weird vibe. I'm definitely not a feminist. I've always been a fan of the male race. (Laughs) CJ: Anything you'd like to add? SP: There's actually a story about one of the songs on the record, "Bells," that I think is pretty interesting. It's about John Denver's death. I was at his second wife's house when the call came. I actually answered the phone. CJ: No kidding. What was that like? SP: It was intense. Just bizarre. I had a feeling that day that I needed to be there. I'm from Colorado and my husband wrote songs for John, so in my life there's always been a deep connection there. A couple of weeks later, I was at Dave Mason's house and I picked up the guitar to see if anything would come out. Suddenly the wind chimes just started going and ringing like bells. The words and the music just came right out. I've played it recently and people who had no idea what it was about were really moved by it. by Chris Jay |
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