Aug 8, 2008

Singing the blues, having a Ball

Marcia feeds soul with 'Peace, Love & BBQ'

By Paul Freeman / Entertainment Writer

Award-winning pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball brings her groove-churning boogie and blues, as well as powerful ballads, to the Little Fox Theatre Saturday night. The audience will delight in tunes from her latest album, "Peace, Love & BBQ."

It's a new Alligator Records release. Of the blues-loving label, Ball says, "It's been a great home for me. They've really looked after me, promoted me, given me a lot of attention, as they do with all of their artists."

She wrote eight of the 12 tunes on the album. "It was a fun record to do with my band, my friends, guest artists who came in. It was one of those that seemed to be easier to make - no angst involved."

Ball has referred to the record as "funky. ... Southern Gothic." Her music is easy to enjoy, but a bit harder to define.

"However you want to describe, it's a niche kind of music. You could call it blues, soul, rhythm & blues. You could call it roots music or Americana, but it would still be niche.

"It's hard to market. Everything's hard to market except pop and hip-hop. So I just play some of everything I like and let people figure it out," she chuckled.

Ball's kind of music isn't trendy; it has timeless appeal. "People always want to hear good songwriter music, soulful music, heartfelt country music, real blues, fun rhythm & blues and dance music," she said. "It's never been easier to explore. There's never been more music available than there is right now."

Ball was raised in Louisiana, surrounded by family that was always listening to and playing music. "It was just a family thing," she said. "My grandmother and aunt played piano. It was just something we did at the house. We entertained each other.

For Ball, music was a communal experience. "The part of the country where I grew up was on the state line. All the people from Texas would come over on the weekends to drink and dance, because you could drink younger and easier and everything else on the Louisiana side," she said. "We had all the clubs. We had a lot of bands playing soul music, Cajun music. My whole family would go hear the music. Having that kind of background is a big hand up."

But Ball wasn't thinking in terms of a music career. "At that time, it wasn't as common or accepted a path. It was exactly what your parents hoped you didn't do. Now parents are getting their kids lessons, finding performing opportunities, there are camps. I think that's good."

Feeling that her husky, earthy voice didn't match the soprano warbling she heard on pop hits, Ball didn't sing until college. In her dorm, she met a girl who needed somebody to sing harmony. From there, performing became a passion.

"I dropped out. It was 1967 or '68. The hippie thing was happening. The world was in the process of changing. And I was excited about it," Ball said. "It was time to see what the world offered."

She joined a psychedelic rock band. "We were singing the Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix songs we were hearing on the radio."

Soon Ball and her first husband headed for San Francisco by car. "We knew we wanted to go liberal. We stopped in Austin to visit friends. We've been stopped and visiting now for 35 years," she laughed. "Austin was familiar in a way that was comfortable, yet it was exotic in a way that was exciting."

That Texas town had become a haven for artists. "It had beautiful lakes and creeks. It still had a Southern sensibility, a Texas sensibility about it," she said. "It was close enough to Baton Rouge for me. I could go home and eat. I was about 20 and that thought was comforting."

She played in various bands and gradually developed her own distinctive style and a strong solo career.

Performing live continues to give Ball tremendous satisfaction. "I've been entertained thoroughly and by the best. I've danced to Clifton Chenier and seen Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, all the New Orleans greats. I grew up where all that music was happening.

"All I'm trying to do is carry that legacy forward and entertain people in the exciting and fun way that I was entertained."