Deborah Coleman's musical career has been building momentum ever since the release of her first recording effort "Takin' A Stand" back in 1994. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised by a family rich in musical roots (her father played piano, her sister played keyboards, and her two brothers both played the guitar), Coleman began playing the guitar herself at the age of eight and is still at it today. Her transition and discovery of the blues is a somewhat common road; inspired by the guitar talents of Jimi Hendrix, Coleman soon traced the roots of her favorite bands like Led Zeppelin and Cream back to their influences: the masters of the blues. Enter the inspirations of the greats like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and you the door was opened to the musical path that Coleman was to follow. But Deborah Coleman's music dives much deeper than your everyday, average crossover blues artist. Her creative song writing, crafty guitar playing, and soulful vocals continue to gain her national recognition, while building a strong audience following as a result of delivering gritty, impressive live performances. Even a quick listen to Coleman's diverse music and it's evident that her passion, soul, and raw energy are what drives the "Deborah Coleman sound". Coleman has just recently been putting the finishing touches on a brand new live album, entitled "Soul Be It", which is set to be released this month. SOUND WAVES MAGAZINE caught up with Deborah Coleman just prior to kicking off her month long "Front Porch Blues Tour".
SOUND WAVES: I know you're just about ready to release a new live album. How did that project go?
DEBORAH COLEMAN: Well, yesterday (October 15th) was the official release date. We recorded the album in Chico, California at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. We recorded everything in one night. Myself and Edward Chmelewski (from Blind Pig Records) produced the record and Steve Savage engineering it. And again, everything was pretty much done very quickly. We wanted it to be that way. In capturing the band's live performance, we basically wanted it to be what it was going to be.
SW: The Sierra Nevada Brewery sounds live a great place for a live show. How did you choose that venue to record?
The owner of the brewery is a musician himself. When he built the place, he wanted to have a concert hall for bands to play. We really liked the place. And the fans have been wanting a live record for a long time. I figured it was time to give 'em one. Music for a living full-time?
DC: Yes, I do. My father was in the military, so we moved around a lot while I was growing up. I guess you could say that I had been groomed for this experience for quite some time now.
SW: Could you tell me a little bit about how you feel that you've developed as an artist from your first recordings like "Takin' A Stand" and "I Can't Lose" back almost eight years ago to now?
DC: I think that there's definitely been growth. I strive to go with the flow as an artist. And I always want to do a little bit better each time out. Every subsequent album is usually based on my experiences at the time.
SW: How about songwriting? Do you have to work hard at it or are you a natural songwriter?
DC: Oh, songwriting does come naturally to me. I like all genres of music. My main goal, really, is to develop my own style; to develop a Deborah Coleman sound. I probably write about 70% of my material. We do some covers.
SW: How do you go about deciding on what material to cover?
DC: I have to really connect with what the artist is saying. That's the only way I can really decide on covering someone else's song.
SW: Tell me about the upcoming tour. What can we expect to see?
DC: Well, I'll be touring as part of the Front Porch Blues Tour. It will be with Charlie Musslewhite, Elvin Bishop, Corey Harris, and Henry Butler. The tour kicks off on October 24th in Houston and finishes on November 24th in Maine.
SW: Will you be performing separately or together?
DC: Actually, we be playing separately and together. We'll each perform individually but will also be doing some material together. We'll be using Elvin Bishop's band.
SW: We'll be looking forward to seeing your show on November 22nd at Mohegan Sun. After the tour, what's down the road in the future?
DC: Well, we have a studio album already planned for next year. I probably already have about 8 tracks written for that. So we plan to get back to the studio and then hopefully back on the road after that.
SW: Good luck with the new CD and your upcoming tour. I'm looking forward to catching the show next month.
DC: Thank you. We're looking forward to it.
DEBORAH COLEMAN - Discography
· Takin' A Stand - June 1995
· I Can't Lose - February 1997
· Where Blue Begins - September 1998
· Soft Place to Fall - March 2000
· Livin' on Love - May 2001
· Soul Be It (Live) - October 2002