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INTERVIEW WITH MISS SUSAN TEDESCHI-TRUCKS:

Triple R Blues Radio had the opportunity to interview Susan Tedeschi - Trucks just before a live performance on june 19, 2009 in Haarlem , The Netherlands. Please find below a transcript of the interview.

Triple R:
First of all: Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to do this interview with us: Triple R Blues Radio and Bluesbreeker.nl

How is your family? Especially Charlie and Sophia? Is it hard to combine a life as an artist on the road and being a mother and a wife?

Susan Tedeschi:
Charlie and Sophia are doing great, thank you! Actually they are coming over next Monday. They will be spending time with Derek (Trucks), and will be joining me in Montreux. So we have the opportunity to spend some time together.

And yes sometimes it’s hard to combine things.

I am blessed to have a husband like Derek, he is my “Rock”. We are soul mates.

T.R.
The first time I saw you perform in Holland was at the Moulin Blues fest. In 1999, where there any performances in Holland before?

S.T.
Oh yeah, I have toured with Sean (Costello) in Europe in 1989. We did several shows that year, also in Holland.

T.R.
Then again Moulin Blues in 2006! And now we have 2009. What where the major changes of Mrs. Susan Tedeschi-Trucks in these 10 years?

S.T.
There have been a lot of changes, a lot of recordings. Of course being with Derek and becoming a mother is a major change! I guess I know better how to handle things on the road and in studio’s, knowing what I want to write and record.

 

T.R.
I understand you sang in a Gospel Choir while you were a little girl, is Gospel music still an inspiration to you?

S.T.
That’s a bit of a misunderstanding, I sang in a School Choir and sang with two people who were gospel singers. But Gospel music is always an inspiration.

 

T.R.
Do you consider yourself mainly a singer, a guitarist, a song-writer or a combination of those three?

S.T.
Now? I am really all of those: I write my own songs, of course with other artists.

T.R.
New Album “Back To The River”: outstanding new album! Collaboration with various artists/witers:
-         Tony Joe White: can you explain to us and the listeners of Triple R Blues Radio how this works??
E-mail? Phone? Somewhere back stage? And off to Nashville to write and record?
Recorded just the one song on the new album or more??? The Wah-Intro “Back To The River”?????
          
S.T.
Actually the record company asked me: “With who do you want to work with on your new album?” I said: well, it would be great to work with Bob Dylan or with Tony Joe White. Bobby was touring at that time so it was difficult to get together and write. So I asked if Tony (Joe White) could write with me. And this was SO COOL! Tony is the coolest person in the world. He lives near Nashville, where he bought an old hospital building and made a recording studio out of it. We were just jamming a little bit, and Tony came up with this guitar lick. I shouted: That’s IT !!!! that’s the lick I want to use for the song, and we made it the intro.
Tony asked me about my life, where I live etc. and he started writing, we wrote  the entire song in an afternoon!!

T.R.
How about working with Doyle Bramhall? Obviously there’s a connection: your husband Derek played with Doyle in Eric Clapton’s band.

S.T.
I knew Doyle before I met Derek, while I was working with Double Trouble on their album. He is a very talented and gifted guitar player. Maybe the best rhythm guitar player in the world! I thinks that’s why Eric Clapton invited him to tour with him.       
T.R.:
The song “Butterfly” is written by you and Derek, how hard or easy is it to write and make music with your husband?
S.T.
You know? You think it should be easy, because we live together and we have our own studio. But it’s hard to get the time to sit down and write together, there’s always something going on: either Derek is on tour with The Allman Brs. Band or his own band, or I am on tour with my band. Or somebody is at our house rehearsing and recording etc. Of course when we are both at home, we want to spent time with our kids.
It can also be hard, because we know each other too well (smiles!) but I am very happy that we wrote this song together, and we are both very proud of the result.

T.R.
On the album is a song: “There’s A Break In The Road” written by Allen Toussaint, in what way did the recording “It’s Raining” influence you to record a song from Mr. Toussaint?

 S.T.
I have always wanted to record with Allen Toussaint. He is an icon in the (blues) music world, just as the Neville brothers and so many other people from Louisiana. I decided to record “There’s A Break In The Road” as a tribute to all these wonderful musicians from the area. And of course because I am a big fan of everything Allen does!
T.R.
“700 Houses” is a heart breaking song… it’s obviously about the devastating effects of Hurricane “Katrina” but is it also a political statement?

 S.T.
No, not really. I was so emotional about what happened after the levees broke. All those poor people without their houses. And yes….. I think at that time the U.S. government had the obligation to help!!! More than they did. You know… we were fighting a war at the other side of the world, and there were no people (soldiers) available to help the victims of the flood??? I don’t understand that !!!

T.R.
I understand you also wrote with Warren Haynes? Can we expect a song on a new album?

S.T.
Oh Yeah! We wrote some great tracks, and they will be at a next album, believe me (smiles) !!!

T.R.
In the liner notes you thank President Barack Obama as an inspiration (even before he was President). In what way does he inspire you?
S.T.
Barack Obama is the man we need right know in the U.S. He cares about people and I think he is the only who can help us through the crisis.

 

T.R.

Coincidence???? Triple R had and has a special connection with two artists you have worked with:
-         Sean Costello: You recorded with Sean in the “Tone Cool Era”, was Sean an influence in your playing and writing? How do you remember him?

S.T.
Sean was a wonderful and very talented person. I remember him with a lot of love in my heart. It was great touring and recording with him, he was so gifted !! It’s a shame what happened to him, I feel for his family and friends and will never forget what we had!

T.R.

Shawn Pittman was in my home studio and recorded four songs. I understand that you recorded with him too??

S.T.
No, I have never recorded with Shawn, In used to date him (smiles), maybe there are some videos documented of some TV shows we did in Texas. But we never made an album or something like that.

T.R.

Soul Stew Revival:
Are there any plans to make an album with “Soul Stew Revival”, to be recorded in the studio at your home?
S.T.

Oh Yes, definitely! We cannot wait to record. We have a lot of plans for the future, hopefully we can start recording after our tours.