"It was great!! I had no idea that we had sold it out; it was great," said an elated Dana Fuchs about her recent appearance at Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ.
Fuch's is a multi-talented siren who's credits include acting on both stage and screen, voice-over work and five CD's under her belt. Make no mistake however, Dana's powerful sexually edgy vocals are her bread and butter.
Born a Jersey girl, Fuchs moved to Florida at a very young age where as an adolescent she joined a church choir and by the age of sixteen was fronting her first band at a local motel chain. Eventually coming north at the inexperienced age of nineteen; Dana was determined to make it on her own as she pummeled the pavement and streets of New York City hitting blues clubs and soaking up music and musicians like a sponge. The hard work paid off for her when by chance she met guitarist Jon Diamond; a seasoned player who had toured with another golden throat-ed vocalist by the name of Joan Osborne. Their connection was instant and they formed the "Dana Fuchs Band" and soon found themselves opening for the likes of John Popper and blues greats James Cotton and Taj Mahal.
"Honestly?" She asked when questioned on how or why she seemed to gravitate towards the blues genre; a label that she is quick to deny. "No. I may be soulful and bluesy but I am mostly just straight forward rock 'n' roll. I mean, I'm a white woman and you can only go so far in the blues. I've never been on "Tobacco Road" or been forced to work a cotton field so I never experienced that part of what the blues is all about. So no, I don't consider myself a true blues artist; I'm a rock 'n' roller."
To understand this incredible talent, one must understand where she draws her inspiration and determination from; today she sites Janis Joplin as both but it wasn't always the case. "Ya' know, honestly," she began with a hint of wonder in her voice. "I grew up the youngest of six kids and my parents were always playing music. I was always home or in the car but no matter where we went my parents always had music playing," she explained as she began to elaborate a bit. "My mom and dad listened mostly to classic rock and yet somehow Janis was not ever played in my house; oh she is now," she said with a laugh. "I was never really into Janis as much as I am now. People turned me on to her and when I had to learn a lot of her material in such a short time period; I learned much about her and who she was."
Fuchs received an industry break due to her hard work and diligence but she was also somewhat discovered by a member of one of her audiences at a performance in New York City. When relaying the story she couldn't help but laugh a little as she recounted the chain of events which has affected her career to this day. "It was at one of my New York City shows and there happened to be some guys from MTV there. They liked my voice and asked me to do voice over work for MTV. That became my day gig and then I'd gig in the clubs at night and from that I began to get recommendations for more work which led to other doors opening."
Those "Other doors" included acting; something Dana was not looking for. "I'm not an actress," she stated with conviction. "No, no I am not an actress; acting gigs found me. Musician friends heard about this play being done and I was recommended by them for a part. Next thing I know, I'm auditioning with a very short section of "Piece Of My Heart" and I got the part. The play was "Love, Janis" and it was about Joplin. There were two women in the play; me and one other. She had the majority of the speaking roles, I had a few lines to learn but I did all of the singing. I learned nineteen songs and a fifty-two page script in eight days for that play; so yeah I became familiar with Janis Joplin real quick! It was a great experience and I became a Janis fan after that; I learned much about her and what drove her and it is really a shame that we lost her as early as we did."
Playing a "Rock Star" on stage four nights a week had its advantages and Dana took full advantage of another fortunate break when film director Julie Taymor witnessed her Joplin portrayal and cast her in the role of "Sadie" in the Beatles movie "Across The Universe." The soundtrack went platinum and enlisted an entire new regimen of "Dana Heads" who were craving more of her vocals.
Fuchs was more than willing to oblige and she once again took advantage of an opportunity and took her band on the road. A relentless "Road Warrior" she tours the majority of each year mostly in Europe as she finds the audiences and venues more receptive. "My band has always been pretty consistent. It is always me and my guitarist Jon Diamond and I use the same bass player for all of my U.S. tours. My drummer is from Italy but he is now here so I use him consistently too. The only change is when we go to Europe; I have a bass player from over there that I use. The European crowds are different than ours here in the States. Here in the States the clubs, owners, managers and promoters are all kind of following the old model; there are a lot of little clubs and it's hard to make money here. In Europe they love the blues, soul and rock and there are many of those clubs to play there. I think the U.S is coming around though and hopefully things will continue to turn for the better."
Currently on a West Coast tour with shows this week in Oregon, Washington, and California followed by several East Coast dates at the beginning of April before leaving for Europe; Fuchs has plans for more touring and another possible recording towards the year's end. "It always seems that I make my records at the end of the year. I'm not sure yet, I'm trying to pinpoint my direction. I can tell you this; I am writing now so we will see what happens."
Fuchs always has an eye to the future, with lofty aspirations and the determination to reach them. One of her hopes is to be spending more time at home in the U.S. "The future, well, hopefully I'll be able to do more dates here. I would love to play in my own country more, I want to focus on playing in the States. I am also going to focus on raising the bar, doing the best that I can and keep turning out a great product."
To discover more about Dana Fuchs, please visit her web site at www.danafuchs.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
All shows 21+
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Country" Ron Crites
Fri. 8 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro
Wed. 7:30 p.m. Robert Bruce
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Thurs. 9 p.m. Matt & Rachel "CD Preview Show"
Sat. 9 p.m. Moot Davis
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Fri. 7 p.m. levelhead,Spur, Dutch Boys, Brock Landers, Bigger Than Bears. All ages, $10
Sat. 4 p.m. Prosper Or Perish, Burial Mound, Dark Waters End, An Aborted Memory, Proletariat, Another Vendetta, Reborn Divided. All ages, $10
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Orrin Evans Jazz Birthday Bash. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dog & Bull Brew House810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Twin Ghost
Fri. (4 p.m.) Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Coco Butter Band
Sat. (11 a.m.) "Saturday Brunch Jam" feat. Jazz 180 (9 p.m.) Jack McTamney
Sun. (11 a.m.) "Sunday Brunch" feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Pop Fiction Trio
Mon. 8 p.m. Nick & Greg
Tues. 8 p.m. A Thousand Days Band
Wed. 8 p.m. Heather Heather
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Freddie's Restaurant & Tavern
12 Railroad Avenue
(609) 882-9845
Fri. 9 p.m. Paul Plumeri & Jerry Monk
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main Street. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8 p.m. Hello I Must Be Going (Phil Collins Tribute). Doors at 6 p.m.. $15
Sat. 8 p.m. Chris Smither / Rusty Belle. Doors at 6 p.m., $35 (advance)
Sun. 2 p.m. Paul Mitchell Fashion Show
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Tues. 8 p.m. 92.5 WXTU Ticket Run
Wed. 8 p.m. 92.5 WXTU Ticket Run
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. F2 & The Anchovy Brothers
Sat. 10 p.m. The Dawgs
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. John & Peter's Comedy Night
Fri. 9 p.m. Sounds of Urchin w/ Thundr Villain
Sat. (3 p.m.) Strange Brew Crew (9 p.m.) Bluebalz
Sun. (3 p.m.) Jamie Salvatore (9 p.m.) Michael Robert
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Tim
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café
37 West Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Blues In Disguise
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9 p.m. Deep Release
Randy Now's Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Check web site for upcoming events
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Paul Desisto
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet. $10 (8:30 p.m.) The Reminis
Sat. (2 p.m.) "St. Patrick's Day Parade After Party" w/ Radio Fiction (9 p.m.) "The I'm So 90's" Dance Party w/ DJ Ty Boogie. $20 (advance)
All Shows 21+
Tavern On The Lake101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. Far Cry
Sat. 9 p.m. Country Night w/ City Hicks
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket
216 4th St. Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Sat. 9 p.m. Alright Alright
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Fri. 10 p.m. Rainbow Fresh
Sat. 10 p.m. Twisted Charm
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Heads Up / DJ Rockn Ron
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Avenue Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Sat, 8 p.m. John Ford Band. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $17 (advance)
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Bill Shannon
Sat. "Parade Day" feat. (12 p.m.) Eugene O'Neal & Joey Krame (2 p.m.) Seamus Kelleher(6 p.m.) Tommy Glover (9 p.m.) Some Assembly Required
All shows 21+
Trenton Buzz702 Pine St. Trenton
(609) 392-6000
Thurs. 8 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Hek Cat
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Tues. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. You Do You. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Brotherhood Of Thieves. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Challenge Accepted
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
