Two-time Grammy-nominated singer and saxophonist Mindi Abair has dazzled audiences for decades with her blend of blues, soul, rock and jazz. Her command over her instrument combined with her dynamic performance chops have led to numerous radio hits, Billboard chart-topping albums and collaborations with legendary musicians like Joe Perry, Trombone Shorty, Booker T. Jones and Gregg Allman among others.
Abair released her debut album in 1999 and has since gone on to tour with some of the biggest bands in the world. Her latest LP – The EastWest Sessions, released last year — saw the multi-talented artist taking on gender inequality with the female empowerment track “Pretty Good For A Girl” (feat. Joe Bonamassa), a tune which later led to the creation of her website www.prettygoodforagirl.net.
We learned more about the inspiration behind “Pretty Good For A Girl” in our recent chat with Abair, in which she also discusses everything from musical influences to music festivals. See the full Q&A below.
Laurie Fanelli: I love the music and the message behind your song, “Pretty Good for a Girl.” Why did you want to turn this phrase into a term of empowerment?
Mindi Abair: We all write songs about what we know about. I see women every day breaking the glass ceiling and doing amazing things. It inspires me. Chloe Kim snowboarded her way to a gold medal. There are women scientists, attorneys, teachers, mothers and even musicians changing the world daily. I love it! But every once in a while a woman does something incredible and someone says “hey, that’s pretty good for a girl!” They mean well, but it’s a little disappointing that we’re not past that. So I wanted to write my story… for women and men. I wrote it with my guitarist Randy Jacobs and when we brought it to the band it turned from a back-handed compliment into a battle cry and a motivator. It wasn’t, “oh, that’s pretty good for a girl.” It became, “that’s right, I’m pretty good for a girl!”
I realized how much it inspires me to see women changing the world and achieving. I believe it starts with us lifting each other up and celebrating each other. I built the website (www.prettygoodforagirl.net) and decided to have it be a place where women are celebrated. I wanted to make it an inspiring place to be.
LF: Who are some women who first inspired you to become a musician?
MA: My father plays saxophone and keyboards and played soul and rock. My grandmother was an opera singer. My grandmother was the first person I remember sitting with at the piano, singing and making music. We had fun. Music was fun. Music was all around me with my father and grandmother. I grew up in the MTV era, and I was glued to the tv watching videos. There were so many amazing artists and performers. I wanted to sing and strut the stage like Tina Turner. I couldn’t sing like her but I could sing like her on the sax. I watched Nancy Wilson from Heart kick her leg up mid-guitar-solo and I wanted to be that! I thought Blondie and Chrissie Hynde were tough and cool. I didn’t see many women playing instruments. But I saw a lot of strong cool women as artists who led bands and they affected me greatly.
LF: What was it like working with Joe Bonamassa?
MA: I had met Joe a few times at concerts and events. We had never made music together but I was friends with a lot of the guys in his band over the years. When we started making this record, I had no guests planned for it. We had written so much music and it was a band effort, and we really didn’t need anyone else to fill in any blanks in my mind. Kevin Shirley produced the record and nonchalantly said he thought Joe Bonamassa would be incredible on this CD. I thought so too… we just had to find the right song. And “Pretty Good For A Girl” definitely seemed to be the right song. The guys in the band agreed, and a few days later Joe strolled into the studio, geeked out with Randy Jacobs about guitars for a while, and recorded the whole song with us. He was great… so much fun… so cool… so humble… and he just brought it to the next level. It was amazing to solo back-to-back with him. I mean… he’s such an inspiring guy to play off of! He brought our little four minute song to over seven minutes. It became an epic adventure of a song!
LF: What other legendary musicians would you love to collaborate with?
MA: I’ve been really lucky to be able to collaborate with a lot of my heroes. I toured with Aerosmith, Duran Duran, The Backstreet Boys, Teena Marie. I was the luckiest person alive to play with Bruce Springsteen for a night. I’ve also recorded with Gregg Allman, Trombone Shorty, Smokey Robinson, Booker T. Jones, Joe Perry, Keb’ Mo’, Adam Sandler, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and many others. I still have people I’d love to make music with… Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart would be on my wishlist. I’m a huge Rolling Stones fan too! I’d love to write, perform or tour with them. Bonnie Raitt is always high on my list too. Extreme woman power there.
LF: I love how you combine elements of jazz and rock into your music. What do you enjoy about those genres?
MA: I play what’s in my heart. I grew up listening to my dad’s band, which was soul. Then he started putting together rock bands and I’d sit in their practice rooms for hours and watch and listen. I didn’t really know what jazz was until I went to college. I knew I wanted to play but I didn’t think of genre. The first college I went to was all traditional jazz based and I didn’t feel it fit me. I wanted to play everything… rock, soul, blues, r&b, jazz. I transferred to Berklee College of Music in Boston and my world opened up. I would sit in on jazz jam sessions and I took classes in harmony and theory. I played and sang in rock bands. I was in funk and fusion ensembles. I tried it all. I started my own band and began writing music. All of the music I’d listened to growing up influenced my writing… everything from Heart to Earth Wind and Fire to Aerosmith and Springsteen. I’m not your father’s jazz musician for sure. I like to rock ’n’ roll and have fun on stage.
LF: I had the pleasure of seeing you live at Summerfest last year and you blew me away! Do you have a preference between playing large festivals or more intimate clubs?
MA: I love playing large festivals. I feel like we’re a festival band. We’re high energy and bigger than life live. The energy of a large audience is immense and we always have a great time playing Summerfest and festivals of that size.
Having said that, I love playing small clubs and theaters. It’s a completely different energy. It’s intimate. We play a few different songs, can look into people’s eyes and really connect in a different way. I have fans who follow us and say to me how different the experience is in different venues. They love the changes and the variations of how we perform in different places.
LF: It looks like you have a pretty busy touring schedule. What continues to draw you to the road?
MA: I love the road. I love being on stage. Those few hours on stage every night make all the travel and lack of sleep worthwhile. I love the guys in my band. They inspire me nightly… and we’re great friends.
LF: Is there anything else you’d like to share with Eponymous Review readers?
MA: I’m so proud of the record we made together as a band. The EastWest Sessions is absolutely the best record I’ve ever made as an artist. It was an epic five days in the studio with Kevin Shirley and the band recording every note together. It’s sheer abandon that we captured. We took each song and let everyone’s personality and strengths shine brightly. Listen, turn it up, and I hope you come to a show soon. We’re adding tour dates like crazy right now.
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See Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers’ current tour dates below and keep up with her on Facebook, Twitter and at her website www.mindiabair.com.
Mindi Abair & The Boneshakers 2018 Tour Dates
Apr. 06 – Indian Wells, CA – The Indian Wells Music Festival
May 13 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Dave Koz & Friends at Sea
May 20 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Dave Koz & Friends at Sea
May 31 – Memphis, TN – Levitt Shell at Overton Park
June 02 – Valparaiso, IN – Memorial Opera House
June 05 – Gas City, IN – Gas City Concerts in the Park
June 09 – Harrisburg, PA – Dauphin County Music & Wine Festival
June 10 – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Seawalk Pavillion
June 11 – Boca Raton, FL – The Funky Biscuit
June 16 – Las Vegas, NV – Jazz In The Park Clark County Amphitheatre
June 22 – Rochester, NY – Harro East Theatre and Ballroom
June 23 – Tuscarora, NY – Academy Corners Blues
July 05 – Chicago, IL – City Winery Chicago
July 06 – Minneapolis, MN – Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
July 07 – Thunder Bay, Canada – Thunder Bay Blues Festival
Aug. 12 – Wheeling, WV – The 18th Annual Heritage Music Bluesfest
Aug. 13 – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
Aug. 20 – Carson City, NV – Sand Harbor State Park
Sept. 08 – Oxnard, CA – The Oxnard Jazz Festival
Sept. 22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond
Oct. 12 – Rehoboth Beach, DE – Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival
Oct. 19 – Norfolk, VA – Hilton Norfolk The Main
Oct. 20 – Vidalia, GA – Vidalia Amphitheater
Oct. 28 – San Diego, CA – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
Nov. 04 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – Life Luxe Jazz
(Photos courtesy of Mindi Abair)