Theresa Andersson

Friday the 13th has traditionally not been good for me but the weekend is almost here and a little good music is in order. I am always eager to promote artists who have New Orleans influences. Although Theresa Andersson is from Sweden originally, she arrived in New Orleans at 18 and claims it as her adopted hometown. She was playing at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, VA last Saturday but as one son was leaving to go back to college from his spring break and another due to arrive, plus I was nursing the flu, I didn’t get to see her performance. However, here’s a great video of her work. The last song on this track has the most New Orleans influence, I think. To her credit she’s jammed with Marva Wright and The Radiators.

There are other ones to listen on YouTube, that were recorded in her kitchen.  She’s a one woman band. She’s pretty talented to multitask her music the way she does, all the while belting out some bluesy, soulful lyrics, playing multiple instruments and not missing a beat. I felt like I was back home for a moment. Although I don’t get the Allen Toussaint influence she claims as much as I hear a bit of rumba beat with Bjork/ Joplin combined with the odd ukulele (really the violin here) playing, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (Somewhere over the Rainbow) in her song Birds Fly Away.  Well done. New Orleans is all about combining unusual ingredients together to get the best tasting gumbo and if you can dance and drink while doing it and invite your friends, then it’s gonna be good.

Here’s another video worth mentioning for it’s mesmerizing affect both auditorily and visually by School of Seven Bells’ Half Asleep via Lost at E Minor Blog. I find it interesting that the video is shot in dizzying, time-lapse, high speed but works with the woozy, slow and dream-like tempo of the song. I like this dichotomy. Now that my 16 year old is back in town for two weeks and he’s a music aficionado, we’re hoping we can listen to some great performances together.