"There is so much honesty in Blues & Soul. It’s about sharing the things that sit deep in your soul. It’s unfiltered."

Gracie Curran: Proof that the soulful sound is alive

Listed as the #12 Best Boston Band among local royalty like the Dropkick Murphy's and Ronnie Earl, and added to the list of the Top 30 Roots/Soul Acts along with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Alabama Shakes, and to the Top 30 Vocalists with the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones and more by Alternate Root Magazine, Gracie Curran & The High Falutin' Band have made quite an impression on the music scene.

Its only been shore three years since Curran, the 28 year old vocal powerhouse joined forces with Bassist Geoff Murfitt and Guitarist Tommy Carroll, the band has already earned respect among fans and musicians alike, sharing the stage with such lumanaries as Shemekia Copeland, Nick Moss, Roomful of Blues, Sugar Blue, Sax Gordon, Mike Welch, Tom Holland and regularly appearing with guitar prodigy Lydia Warren.

Drummer Derek Bergman took over drumming duties for the High Falutin' Band and they began to write and record their first album wokring with veteran producer Richard Rosenblatt, Roomful of Blues Horn Players Mark Earley & Doug Woolverton, and key player Bruce Bears.

In 2012, Gracie & company won the Boston Blues Challenge and embarked on their second East Coast Tour, playing to packed houses in NYC, Philly, Washington DC, and highlighted by an appearance at the 2013 International Blues Challenge on Beale Street in Memphis, TN and it was there in Memphis that the band offically released their debut album "Proof of Love". 

Interview by Michael Limnios

How do you describe your sound and progress, what characterize High Falutin' Band’s philosophy?

We have a lot of different influences- and I think you can hear it in our sound. We started out as a blues band but have really embraced soul, funk, jazz, rock and gospel elements. More than anything we are trying to express a feeling with our music rather than achieve a sound. We just want to make you feel something.

What do you learn about yourself from the Blues and Soul music what does the blues mean to you?

There is so much honesty in Blues & Soul. It’s about sharing the things that sit deep in your soul. It’s unfiltered. It’s as honest as you can be with yourself and that's a very powerful thing.  I think it’s because of that honesty, that this kind of music is very healing and therapeutic.

The best advice I got came in my first year of playing out live. It was to "turn around and face the audience". Photos by Kathleen Marucci

What experiences in your life make you a GOOD MUSICIAN and SONGWRITER?

I think honesty is the most important part of being a good musician and songwriter. It almost seems like the more personal a song or piece of music is, the more people identify with it. 

In terms of experiences, it just living life fully in the moment. Making decisions with your heart and truly surrendering to feeling. Following my heart has taken me all over the world, has allowed me to love and to know the hurt of letting go.

It inspires all the music that I write. 

Which is the most interesting period in your life? Which was the best and worst moment of your career?

There was a moment at our CD Release Party. We were playing, the crowd dancing, cheering and singing our words back to us. The most jovial loving vibe was encapsulating the room, like time stopped. I finally took a moment and exhaled, and smiled mid song. The album was done, we were fresh off the heals of a successful tour, we made it. All the work, all the sacrifices, the financial stress and emotion reliving the songs that made up this album, it was all suddenly and finally worth it. That was the best moment. Someone actually caught that exact moment in a picture.

Overall, this year has been bittersweet. On top of writing, recording, touring, and the joy of accomplishing all we have this year musically, the band has gone through a lot personally- with health issues and life issues that would seemingly make music wane in its importance in the grand scheme of things. Those were some of the worst. But I think that's its strengthened us as a family- and the music side of things helped us get through the very real life side of things. After this year we are better musicians, better friends, and better able to handle whatever the coming years have in store for us.

"We are truly blessed here in Boston! We have some of the most amazing blues musicians right here at home." Photo By Nate Dow, CD Release Party at Lunar Notes

Why did you think that the Blues and Soul music continues to generate such a devoted following?

I can listen to all kinds of music- but then I turn on Ray Charles, or hear the first vocal line of Sugar on the Floor by Etta, or the first guitar riff in Gravity, and it just gets me- it makes me weak in the knees.  I just connect to it. The way Blues & Soul feels like its physically squeezing your soul- you can't help but want more. To be consumed by feeling, again. To be lost in it.

The fans are amazingly loyal and supportive. It’s like there is an understanding, an unspoken agreement- musicians give part of themselves away in their music, in the honesty and vulnerability of it, and the fans take care of that. They identify with it and connect to it, and return the favor with their support and encouragement.

After shows, fans will approach me and tell me their story- what they've been through. It’s the ultimate reciprocation of trust. The loneliness that someone could experience in going through a trying situation, is immediately gone when you can hear a song and realize someone else has been through that very same thing.

There's closeness in that relationship.

Do you remember anything funny from the recording and show time with The High Falutin' Band?

We recorded our album with Richard Rosenblatt- he's worked with Susan Tedeschi and just about every amazing blues musician you can think of. He has a great studio and we were joined at our sessions by his dog, a west highland terrier, named Dexter. He was our assistant engineer, if you will.  During recording, in an airtight recording studio, Dexter would pass gas. I didn't want to draw attention to it (that would be rude?!) but it was hard not to note the odor wafting throughout the room. I spent a lot of time in those sessions praying that no one else in the room thought it was me. I could have pointed out it was the dog, but my father used to use that line and no one ever believed him.

The unpredictability of a live show also lends itself to some comprising situations.

A couple years back we did a festival, and about 5 minutes prior to the show the zipper on my dress broke. A couple of our very faithful High falutin' fans grabbed some duct tape, taped me up and sent me on my way. The whole show was a was riding of the possibility of a very serious wardrobe malfunction that thankfully never happened! Never a dull moment!

"My hope for the future of music, and specifically this genre, is that it continues to grow and prosper; that with each generation, there is an appreciation for the history of the blues, and roots music and that they embrace it."

What’s the best jam you ever played in? What are some of the most memorable gigs you've had?

We have been lucky enough to jam with some pretty amazing musicians, but one of the best jams I have ever been a part of was in Memphis, TN this past February during the International Blues Challenge. Brandon Santini and His Band are friends of ours, and the house band at the infamous Blues Hall on Beale Street. Brandon and our bass player Paul were in a band together for a time, and it was through Brandon that Paul and I met. Brandon was kind enough to invite us up to play with his band, including the awe inspiring Jeff Jensen on guitar.

I feel like every live show should feel like that.

Between the vibe of the legendary Blues Hall, the amazing musicians we were sharing the stage with, and the awesome crowd, it was just a remarkable experience that I will never forget.  We got to recreate that magical night just last week as Brandon and His Band, on tour, played one of our favorite venues here in Boston. 

We really are lucky that we are part of such a great community of musicians in the blues that support each other so wholeheartedly.

It's through those jams, playing with other musicians, that we are able to learn and grow and gain inspiration. I'm very grateful for those experiences.

Which memory from Shemekia Copeland, Roomful of Blues, Sugar Blue, Mike Welch, and Tom Holland makes you smile?

All of them! I have some great memories..

Opening for Shemekia was a special night for us. It was the first time we had opened for a big act.  For me personally, as a singer, to open for a singer that has had such a profound affect on me, was very validating. She was so encouraging and very sweet!

The guys from Roomful have been great to us. We were honored to have Doug Woolverton (trumpet) and Mark Earley (bari, sax) join us on our album. Mark wrote the arrangements for Proof of Love and the first time I had heard them on our song "Take You With Me", I cried. Mark and Doug perfectly captured the emotion and feel of our music. They're brilliant. I will forever be grateful that they agreed to work with rookies like us! Phil Pemberton, their lead singer, has been really great to me and has taken on a sort of big brotherly role. If I have questions, want to hear good music, or a dirty joke, I can go to Phil. Having someone to give me advice- that has been there and done that is invaluable.  We played a show with them back in May and it was a lot of fun.

Monster Mike Welch has been a tremendous source of inspiration for our guitarist Tommy. He really admires and loves Mike's feel and has a tremendous amount of respect for him. They met while Tom was at Berklee and have played together a bit. Having Mike Welch around, to play with and learn from is really special. We're really excited to play some upcoming festivals with him and Sugar Ray and the Bluetones!

Tom Holland is my "blues god father".  I met Tom during my first trip to Chicago. Aside from being James Cotton's right hand (left handed) man, he also fronts his own band the Shuffle Kings and invited me to sit in with them. We have been good friends ever since and always have a blast when we hang out. He's another one that I can always go to with questions and for guidance; and I love hearing his stories of the great Chicago Blues musicians, and he's played with EVERYONE! He's very supportive and is kind enough to invite us out to shows when him and Cotton are passing through town. It's like getting to see how it's done. He's giving me a front row education... it doesn't get better than that.

Which meetings have been the most important experiences for you? What is the best advice ever given you?

The best advice I got came in my first year of playing out live.

It was to "turn around and face the audience".

I still have trouble with that one though; I just love watching the band play...

Overall, meeting with Sharon Jones was pretty significant; it made big impression on me. The first time I had seen Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings was at the House of Blues in Boston. I had managed to sneak back stage to get a picture and meet Sharon. I caught her after she was getting off the stage. She was soaked in sweat and had left NOTHING out there.

The show was an experience, the band perfectly tight and grooving, and Sharon, conducting them, playing the band like an instrument. There is an honesty and conviction in her performances that's like nothing I've ever seen. She gets off stage, is toweling down, and stops to say hello, gives me a big hug, and before the woman can even get a drink of water; offers to take a picture with me, and another when she thinks the first isn't good enough. I thanked her and quickly left, floating on cloud nine, and went back to my seat. A few minutes later I see Sharon appear in the crowd, still smiling, still with that infectious energy. She stood there for what seemed like hours, taking pictures, hugging every last fan that came out to see her. It was remarkable.

From her live show, to her music, to her fans, Sharon Jones gives every last drop of her energy and love and being, to everything she does, and everyone she meets. That had such a profound affect on me. I realized that night, that I have to give this, my music, my dreams, my relationships, everything I have to even be worthy of the opportunity. Unless I do it with same passion that Sharon does, I don't deserve to step foot on a stage.  That was a turning point for me...

What do you miss most nowadays from the music of past? Do you believe in the existence of real Soul Blues nowadays?

I would hear my parents listening to Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin or Carly Simon- the first CDs they gave me were The Beatles and Rod Stewart, and we would sing Dusty Springfield and Peggy Lee songs or church music. It was much different from the music most of my friends were listening to in school, stuff like Britney Spears and N'Sync. Popular music lacked an authenticity for me. I had to work to seek out good music, and often it was going back and discovering the music that influenced bands like The Beatles. That's how I found out about and fell in love with the blues and soul. Growing up in the age of the internet- I was always able to find music that really moved me. It was the best of both worlds. I could hit a record store and thumb through old doo-wop records, or I could download Billie Holiday songs or youtube Big Mama Thornton. I had to seek it out.

Older music does tend to have a "vibe-i-ness" to it. A warmth, a tangibility that can't be reproduced with things like auto tune or digital editing. But there is certainly still real Blues & Soul out there today and really great artists that create and attain that vibe. Sharon Jones is proof. Shemekia Copeland is proof. Lydia Warren is proof. It might not be found necessarily going through crates of vinyl... maybe clicks on Youtube or Pandora, or via Facebook or blogging sites, but its out there! (and then I usually find it on vinyl too!) Looking for it is the best part of the journey.

I especially love getting mix Cd's from friends of music I haven't heard yet!

"The way Blues & Soul feels like its physically squeezing your soul- you can't help but want more. To be consumed by feeling, again. To be lost in it."

What are your hopes and fears for the future of music?

My hope for the future of music, and specifically this genre, is that it continues to grow and prosper; that with each generation, there is an appreciation for the history of the blues, and roots music and that they embrace it. My fear is that the next generation won't know the greatness of Sister Rosetta Tharpe or Albert King or those who were the foundation for pretty much everything.

Make an account of the case of the blues in Boston. What are the differences from the other local scenes?

We are truly blessed here in Boston! We have some of the most amazing blues musicians right here at home. The idea that we can go out on a random Tuesday night and see or play with Ronnie Earl, Toni Lynn Washington, Peter Parcek, Mike Welch or Sax Gordon is pretty awesome..

Being local to world class players like Bruce Bears, who has plays keys for Duke Robillard and Toni Lynn Washington among others, and the guys from Roomful- to be in a position to see them play, sit in with them and eventually be in a position to get to work with them on the album is something I am truly grateful for. 

Let’s take a trip with a time machine, so where and why would you really wanna go for a whole day..?

I was born in 1984, the same year Big Mama Thornton died. Sometimes I feel like I've missed so much. I would love to go back in time and see Etta, or Billie, or Janis, or Miss Willie Mae live in their prime. I have such a connection to these women- their voices helped me find my voice, my place in the world. As much as you can get from a recording or video, there is whole added element involved in a live performance. An energy that transfers from a musician to an audience member. If I could go back in time, I'd want to be in the audience to see those ladies sing. I can only imagine how magical it must have been.

Gracie Curran - official website