Reagon carving her own career niche.Byline: LEWIS TAYLOR The Register-Guard IN CHINA, THE NAME "Toshi" means "beginning of a new era," which is partly why Toshi Reagon Toshi Reagon (born in Atlanta in 1964) is an American folk/blues musician. She is the daughter of Sweet Honey in the Rock co-founder Bernice Johnson Reagon, with whom she has sometimes collaborated on musical projects. titled her new album after herself - even though, she says, it's less about her than any of her previous releases. "I think I let go of a lot of the control," Reagon said, speaking by phone from her home in Brooklyn, N.Y. "What I did, really, is I kind of limited myself to being just the singer and the guitar player." Reagon will bring her earthy voice and rockin' guitar to the Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley (pronounced [wɪˈlæ.mɪt], with the accent on the second syllable) is the region in northwest Oregon in the United States that surrounds the Willamette River as it proceeds northward from its Folk Festival A Folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. Regional Denmark
"I love playing outside," Reagon said, anticipating her appearance in Eugene. "Actually, I don't really care where I play, I just care that it sounds good and that the people are having a good time." Reagon - known for entrancing large crowds with her powerful stage presence and her signature mix of funk, urban blues and folk - is the daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon (born October 4, 1942) is a singer, composer, scholar, and social activist, who founded the a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1973. , a founder of the gospel ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble that has been producing music for more than 30 years. Although the members of the group have changed over time, their music has consistently combined contemporary rhythms and narratives with a . Although she grew up surrounded by gospel and folk, she also discovered her own bands. Her music owes more to rock and pop than to the spirituals her mother was singing. To this day, she lists KISS as one of her greatest influences. "What is there not to like about KISS?" Reagon said. `I just loved everything about them. ... They committed to an idea, they executed it, they knew it was a commercial project, they weren't ever like, `Our music is great,' it was just, `Shout it out loud,' `I wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? rock and roll all night' ... just `party party party.' ' What Reagon did get from her mother was a strong will to carve out to make or get by cutting, or as if by cutting; to cut out. - Shak. See also: Carve a career for herself without waiting to be discovered. "Watching Sweet Honey, I learned that basically, if you are willing to do something for a long time, then people will have to notice that you exist eventually," Reagon said. "You can survive and make a living off of it, you can plow your own road and not wait for somebody else to make you exist." Reagon's disciplined approach to marketing herself, which she likens to being a small business owner, earned her recognition almost as soon as she started playing professionally. After releasing an album for a small folk label in 1990, she landed a deal with Elektra Records Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, which today operates under Atlantic Records Group. History Beginnings Elektra was formed in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickholt, who both invested $300. that fizzled before she could release an album. She says the record company simply had a different recipe than she did. "That was over 10 years ago," Reagon said. "I think my recipe now is that I really try to be true to myself and really try to enjoy the participation of others in what I'm doing." Rather than trying to play all the instruments and handle every aspect of her album, Reagon placed her faith in her band and in her producer Craig Street Craig Street, born in Oakland, California, is a noted record producer. Craig moved with his family to Los Angeles at the age of 11, but returned to the Bay Area for his high school years. He began playing guitar at age 14, playing in a number of Berkeley bands. (Cassandra Wilson, k.d. lang). "He created a great house for me to work in," Reagon said. "I was able to be who I am and do what I do. Somebody who wrote about it said that he basically just focused what I did so that it came out clearer. I think that's a good description." Reagon's polished new CD is packed with soulful folk, retro funk, soaring rock and melodic blues. Keyboardist Mark Batson plays on several tracks, and Marc Anthony Thompson (aka Chocolate Genius) joins Reagon for a pair of songs including a laid-back cover of the Cars' "Just What I Needed." Chris Bruce plays guitar on the album, and other members of Reagon's band, Big Lovely, round out the lineup: Robert Burke on drums, Fred Cash on bass, Catherine Russell on mandolin mandolin (măn'dəlĭn`, măn`dəlĭn'), musical instrument of the lute family, with a half-pear-shaped body, a fretted neck, and a variable number of strings, plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum. and vocals, and Judith Casselberry on vocals. As long as Reagon can remain open to those outside influences, she sees herself continuing to venture into new musical territory and continuing to draw more and more eclectic audiences. Although she has cause to be disheartened dis·heart·en tr.v. dis·heart·ened, dis·heart·en·ing, dis·heart·ens To shake or destroy the courage or resolution of; dispirit. See Synonyms at discourage. about the state of the music industry, she says she also has plenty of reasons to be optimistic. "My mother taught me that the only failure that I could have in the music business would be if I didn't do my art," Reagon said. "I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. why musicians and artists think they should have a separate place to moan and groan. ... I think life, the task of living and working a job, is hard for everybody." Entertainment reporter Lewis Taylor can be reached by phone at 338-2512 and by e-mail at ltaylor@guardnet.com. WILLAMETTE VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL WHAT: 32nd annual festival of folk and world music WHEN: Noon to 10 p.m. today, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday WHERE: East lawn and elsewhere in the Erb Memorial Union, 1222 E. 13th Ave. TICKETS: $1 to $10 on a sliding scale ALSO: KLCC KLCC Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Malaysia) will broadcast at 89.7 FM starting at noon today ALSO: To hear music from Toshi Reagon, call GuardLine at 485-2000 and select category 9942 CAPTION(S): Toshi Reagon is known for her signature mix of funk, urban blues and folk. Main Stage headliner |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion