Author Archive for Zach Lewis

The Photo Interview series continues now with a quick interview and a few photos of the lovely and talented Amy Curnow. Amy is currently the lead singer for the Charming Gardeners, and was the leading lady of Shanghia 5. Charming Gardeners were recently signed with Idol Records, and Shanghia 5 won Best Jazz Band at the Dallas Observer Music Awards in 2007. Amy has multiple DOMA nominations for Best Female Vocalist. She also teaches at Zounds Sounds music school, and you may also recognize her as your friendly and colorful bartender at Lee Harvey’s. I am confident that no matter when or where you may have seen Amy, she is not someone who you will easily forget. Without further delay, I would like to introduce you to Amy Curnow.

Z: Name, Rank and Serial number?
Amy- Amy, Master Vocalist and Bartender (at your service!), 3 7 11 13.

Z-Do you have any recommendations for a fantastic place to enjoy brunch around town?
Amy- I love the All Good Café; that was the last place that I went for brunch and it was wonderful. You really can’t go wrong in Deep Ellum. Pepe and Mito’s, and Monica’s are great as well.

Z: Shanghai 5 had a great run that included a strong and loyal following, upscale venues, and local recognition. What are the chances of there being a reunion at some point in the future?
Amy- Oh no, I don’t think that will will ever happen. We tried to get a reunion together for Halloween last year, and that just wasn’t happening.

Z-Who are some of your favorite local female musicians?
Amy- Camille Cortinas, Cricket Taylor, Norah Jones, and Erykah Badu.

Z- I find I get my best vocal training and education when I have to turn the radio up loud enough that I can’t actually hear how badly I am singing to learn just how terrible I am. Rumor has it that your musical education is a little bit more extensive.
Amy- Well, I’ve been studying music since I came out of my momma! My formal education is Bachelor of Arts of Vocal Performance from Asbury College, and a Masters of Vocal Performance from the University of Kentucky. I started playing piano when I was five, and took music lessons my whole life. I was in every choir, band, musical theory class, you name it, since the time I could stand up.

Z- Growing up, who were your musical influences?
Amy- I used to listen to a lot of Christian stuff when I was really little. I listened to people like Amy Grant and Sandi Patti. My parents were also really into Jazz, which was really cool because I got to listen to people like Manhatan Transfer and bands with real singers and harmonies. Talking Heads, Violet Femmes, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, and Earth Wind and Fire were all early influences. By the 90’s I was listening to a lot of women singers like Sarah McLaughlin, Edie Brickell, Tori Amos, Natalie Merchant, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and a lot of the Jazz classics.

Z- In your opinion, what are the top three Beatles albums of all time?
Amy- Anything from Sgt. Pepper on. Revolver is one of my all time favorite albums. Abbbey Road is one of the best ever made. There are too many to even count. When I was 13 I started on this total Beatles craze. My entire room was covered in Beatles posters, and I collected anything Beatles I could find. The Beatles were also a huge influence for me musically.

Z-Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Amy- Hopefully I will find myself writing, touring, recording, traveling the world and making people happy with music.

Z- Any interesting or funny stories behind any of your tattoos?
Amy- I like humor. Life is short, so why be so serious all the time? As permanent as tattoos seem, in the grand scheme of things, everything is so temporary. My armpits are tattooed with P and U. I also have “potty” on the inside of my lip as another example of my humor. I also love the dichotomy between good and evil; I have good and evil tomatoes and good and evil horseshoes.

Z-What is your favorite movie of all time?
Amy- Oh God, lets see here. Maybe Raising Arizona? [laughs] I like the really silly ones. Movies like The Three Amigos, Being John Malkovich, and Raising Arizona. I like that crazy and funny movies.

Z-So there really is a “School of Rock” in Dallas?
Amy- Yea there is, and I’m proud to say I teach there! Zounds Sounds is actually the first school of rock that came to Dallas and was started by Marc Solomon and Mary Armstrong. They are vets of the music scene. It was actually started in their garage before they found the space. Now they have the most talented local musicians working there. People like Chris Holt, Trey Johnson, Wade Cofer, Mike Saunders, Chad Stockslager, to name a few. I work there four days a week, and have about 30 kids for voice lessons. I also help out with our band program.

Z- You seem like you are a very fit person. What do you do to keep yourself in such good shape?
Amy- I love personal fitness, but I am a health freak. First and foremost I think that 75% of health has to do with what you put into your body. I eat super healthy, and I have three dogs that I walk often. I love yoga! It saved my life,[laughs] and keeps me happy and balanced.

If you guys get the chance to catch one of Amy’s performances, I am sure you will end up with an experience to remember. Also keep an eye out for the Charming Gardeners EP; I may or may not be listening to an unreleased version of it right now, but I can tell you that I like what I hear. You can find more photos from the shoot on my flickr here.

For the sixth installment of the Photo Interview series, I hope you will enjoy learning a little bit about Becky Middleton. Becky is an exciting young singer/songwriter from Dallas, who released her most recent album No Trouble last summer. What you will find below is what you end up with when mixing an interview with a splash of wine, and a photo shoot.

Z- Name, Rank, and Serial Number?
Becky- Becky Middleton, Team Member, 4 8 15 16 23 42 .

Z- How old were you when you wrote your first song?

Becky-I was in 6th grade, so I guess that made me 11 years old.

Z Do you remember the song?
Becky- It was called “Why”….it was hilarious and will never be repeated. Ha! It was a good start for an 11 year old.

Z-One of the things I struggle with is trying to define someone’s sound or style. I think “folk” and “indie” are overused and most times don’t do justice or accurately describe any given music. How would you characterize your style and sound?

Becky-Well I’d only say that it is 1/3 folk. I would say it is a mix of Folk, Soul and Roots music.

Z- A lot of times there seems to be some disdain for “Pop” musicians from the Singer/Songwriter crowd. Are there any Pop performers you are willing to admit that you enjoy?
Becky- For sure! The thing about Pop is that like most things, there is good Pop and bad Pop, good Country and crappy Country. That holds true for any genre I suppose. Having said that, I do like me some Britney. Christina Aguilera is awesome. Who Else… Byonce, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson.

Z- Dallas has a few radio options that don’t follow the Billboard charts, or common radio playlists, and allow you to have a Gaga free listening experience. Among them, The Range has been around a while for non-Nashville/Pop country, and recently we added KXT public radio. Do you listen to either, and what are your thoughts about KXT?
Yes, I listen to both. I’ve listened to the Range for a while; I was a finalist in their songwriter contest a few years ago and they have always been very cool and kind to me. They have great alternative country; I love it. I do find myself listening to KXT a lot. The music they play is the music that is on my iPod/iTunes.

Z-Can you tell us a little bit about your first live performance?

I think my very first one was at Club Dada several years ago for the Dallas Music Fest in Deep Ellum. It was very cool. We had a packed room for the festival. It was very nerve racking, I had a slight panic attack outside for a moment before I went on, but as soon as I got on stage I was fine. It’s always like that for me, as soon as I get up on stage and start doing my thing I’m OK.

Z- Auto-Tune has gone from something used sparingly behind the scenes, to more overtly as a vocal effect, and now it seems it is almost impossible to listen to the radio and hear a song that doesn’t use it. What do you think about Auto-Tune, and is it here to stay?
Becky-I hate Auto-Tune! I think JZ is right! I think Auto-Tune is way over used, especially in the Top 40 style radio stations. As an obvious effect, I hope it is just a fad. Sadly a lot of things in major markets are over used, so it might be here for a while.

Z-Who are some of your favorite local bands/ musicians?

Becky-David Ramirez, Summer Ames, Salim Nourallah, Dovetail, Jack County, Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights, Johnny Lloyd Rollins, to name a few.

Z- Tell me about how you started Song Writers in the Round at Opening Bell, and how it has evolved.
Becky-It started 3 years ago. It was my drummers idea to start it, so I can’t really take the credit. I started hosting it just once or twice a month, and now it is on almost every Monday night to strong crowds each time. I am very proud of it, and have learned what works and what doesn’t. There really isn’t much to do on Monday evenings as far as live music goes, and being so early in the evening, it allows people to get out and enjoy the shows and the music.

If you guys get the chance to check see a “Song Writers in the Round” at Opening Bell, I highly recommend it. You will get the opportunity to hear Becky along with other talented acts from the Dallas area and around the country. You can see that schedule as well as her other performances and music on her Myspace. Besides, what else do you have to do on a Monday night?
For more pics from the shoot, click on any of the pics on zlew.net or visit Becky’s set on my flickr