Perpetual Change — Beth Isbell

Beth Isbell

The last couple of months, I’ve been mentioning that Beth Isbell has a new project coming out. For those of you not familiar with Beth, she was first introduced to TGForum readers in our companion Transvocalizers column with a two part interview posted in October and November of 2009.

Ms. Isbell has a very interesting background, to say the least. She was a successful civil rights attorney in Oklahoma, but after transitioning, she couldn’t find another job in the legal field. Since she had been playing music for a long time, starting in high school, but laid it down for a time. After all the struggles brought on after transitioning, she decided to go to music college to sharpen her skills as a player, performer, and songwriter. Beth has recently received her bachelor’s degree in music performance and music business.

The new project that’s been mentioned is called We Are The Gods. Produced by Trent Bell, it features her current band mates Justin Hays, guitar; Blaise Thompson, guitar; Cody Fowler, bass; and Nick Ley, drums. Known as BeThisBell Band, the music is described by Beth as “…psychedelic grunge punk…think Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, David Bowie twerking The Strokes and The Liars…” Previous albums that Beth Isbell has released are The Good Woman Waltz (2005), The Best Of The Dead Prophets (2010), and This Is The Blues (EP, 2011).

The new project is available through Beth’s website as both a download and CD copy. For now, Beth has been gracious enough to submit to another interview and she has a lot to say about the new album, her band, playing music, and what it’s like to be a transgender person living in Oklahoma.

TGForum: I know that all the guys on the new project are also involved with other bands. How were you able to assemble this group of musicians?

Beth Isbell: Nick, Cody, Justin, Blaise and I all met through the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma, the music college we’ve all been attending here in Oklahoma City. And for the most part, all the songs on this new album were written while I was attending ACM. Justin, Cody and I have been playing gigs with various drummers for the past two years, and when Justin moved to Missouri last fall, Cody and I brought in Blaise, and Nick, who teaches at ACM, agreed to play drums on the album.

Booking is made a little more complicated by the fact that Nick tours as the drummer for popular indie rock band Colourmusic, which is signed to the Memphis Industries label, and Cody tours as the bassist for Horse Thief, another popular psychedelic folk band signed to Bella Union Records. Blaise and Justin are the same way. But they love the songs I come up with and we connect musically. We all love playing and writing together, ane there’s magic that seems to happen when all of us get in the same room, or in the recording studio. This new album is evidence of that explosiveness.

TGF: You describe the music on this project as “…psychedelic grunge punk with protopunk, indie, art rock and blues rock influences from OKC…” That’s quite a menu of ingredients. Is it an accurate description for someone who has yet to hear the music?

BI: I think our sound as starting with protopunk influences, like early Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground, and Iggy Pop, and hardcore punk influences like The Sex Pistols or The Misfits, then adding an early grunge Pixies influence, the amp and guitar tones of ‘90s grunge bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, or even Nirvana; modern indie influences like The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys and Colourmusic. Also, acoustic based psychedelic folk bands like Grizzly Bear, Horse Thief, or Wilco, and mixing that with all my heavy blues and blues rock influences, e.g. Clapton, Page, Hendrix, SRV, Santana. Taking all those musical ingredients, stirring them together in a big musical pot, and seeing what comes out. It’s an interesting recipe, and we’ll see if it works. As with any experiment, the proof is in the pudding.

TGF: Is there a meaning behind the title We Are The Gods?

BI: Yes, of course. I try to write songs that make people think … about themselves, about why they do things, and even about issues. Not every song, mind you, but in a lot of my writing. “We are the gods” describes the situation of how wonderful life would be if we all saw each other, all of us, as fellow gods, that we are all worthy of equal respect and dignity. The song itself can also be interpreted as a love song between two young lovers, or even as between a band and it’s audience. Perhaps it’s a response or more complete version of statements like that of JayZ and others saying I am a god. This just tells the whole story. We all are, and we all should act that way, and treat each other that way. It’s not a radical way of thinking, but it is.

TGF: Is the material on the new project entirely written by you, or do you have co-writers?

BI: I am the primary songwriter for the group and on this project, but everybody playing on the project contributes some to the writing and their performance, even our engineer and producer. This is a collaborative effort and everybody playing on the album has an ownership interest.

TGF: How would you say the new project differs from your previous releases, The Good Woman Waltz, The Best Of The Dead Prophets, and This Is The Blues?

BI: The Good Woman Waltz is a country, Americana, red-dirt music CD. Songs I wrote sitting around campfire circles swapping songs with friends and trying my best to contribute. The title cut on that record went #1 country in the Texas Top 40 for original Texas music in 2006. It features some of Nashville’s finest pickers and my first experience with a real Nashville studio.

The Best Of The Dead Prophets is a collection of the best psychedelic blues rock recording of my former Dallas based band The Dead Prophets. We had quite the underground cult following, and still do from what I hear.

This Is The Blues is just a short two-song blues EP of me covering a few of my favorite B.B. King songs with a great studio blues band. My version of The Thrill Is Gone was picked #1 in a listener poll on one of the nation’s largest underground blues radio Internet shows. Cool.

But the new album is none of that. There are some similarities with the psychedelic and blues-rock edge of The Dead Prophets. But really, this is a completely new and evolved, much harder in place and much more radio and tour polished, contemporary sound. The new album is a combination of classic rock with modern indie rock, meeting at the intersections of punk and the blues, and dancing in a playground of contemporary indie hypnotic rhythmic psychedelia.

TGF: You have a ton of YouTube videos out there of you playing solo. How often do you still play solo as opposed to playing with a band?

[youtube]aVP63QPb44o[/youtube]

BI: I love playing with the band, but I love playing solo or due shows, too. Mainly, I just love playing and song writing. That’s what I do. I’ve been going on open mics lately and trying out new songs. It’s a good way to gauge audience feedback for new material and to see new directions the band should take a particular song, or whether it’s a good fit with the material and sound of the band. I’ve got a couple of solo shows scheduled at the Oklahoma State Fair. Last time I played there, they threw me out for offensive lyrics! We’ll see what happens.

TGF: Are the guys on the current album line-up going to function as your full-time band now?

BI: That’s the plan, although it’s really just Cody, Blaise, and I, and whoever we find to drum for us. We love playing with Nick, but Colourmusic keeps him busy and he has a full time teaching job at ACM.

Justin was an original member of the band and played on most of the song on the new album. But when he moved back home to Missouri, we had to bring Blaise in. Blaise and Justin are so similar in the way they play, but Blaise also adds his own cool flavor and some very danceable and hypnotic delay drenched lead guitar rhythms. Cody and Nick are just monsters of the bottom groove. I’m luck to work with each of them.

TGF: I take it you personally are very influenced by blues and straight ahead rock. I’m always curious as to what an artist’s influences were while growing up. Also, what do you listen to now?

BI: I love the blues! When you hear that blues-rock Santana-esque lead guitar tone kick in on the new record against Blaise and Justin’s contemporary indie vibe, that’s me. That what I add, in addition to the core of the song writing lyrics and arrangements. Well, and the lead vocals. And I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock and blues rock. I still play that kind of straight ahead blues bar music at local blues jams and festivals pretty often. It’s one of my passions.

I listen to a lot of blues and blues rock. I also have been listening to a lot of modern bands, and I’ve been pleased to see a lot of indie rock band now including more clues and lead guitar work in their new material. The Black Keys are a good example. I don’t think we sound like them, more like Arctic Monkeys in my mind, but I still love that style of music.

TGF: What has the audience response been to the new material?

BI: We’re getting a lot of very nice feedback … but I tend to be cautious about such things. The cool thing is that we’re getting that kind of feedback from people who we know really don’t even ordinarily like this style of music. So it’s across the board, and that’s been fun. We think people are going to dig this new sound, but it’s really up to them to decide. All we know is the first song is a punch in the face and then the album never lets go until the ride is over. It’s a ride through psychosis and out the other side.

TGF: Being a transgender person, what has the response been to you personally? Or for that matter, does the issue even come up at all any more?

BI: I’d like to report that Oklahoma is becoming more open minded and accepting of LGBTs, but I can’t. There are some great people here, some very open minded progressives and intellectuals, and weirdly enough this place really is quite a mecca for pro-quality unsigned musical talent, despite the severe lack of good playing venues. Before my surgery, I was kicked out of and banned from a few local bars for using the wrong restroom. After surgery, that has not happened and as time has gone on, I have received wider acceptance among blues fans, music fans, and even bikers in the biker bars, some of whom are very protective of me. But I still get discriminated against in looking for jobs, or gigs, or even people willing to perform in a band or at a show with me. It’s frustrating, but I choose to look beyond it, hang with the folks that do dig me and my music, and just try not to get hung up on all the negative energy.

I’m certainly considering moving onto the other side of a friendlier border, but my beautiful twins and friends are here, so it’s a hard choice, with pros and cons on both sides of it. I do what I can with my posts, my writing, my music, and my advocacy work to open minds, but it’s never easy.

TGF: If you had one thing to say to the transgender community as a whole, what would it be?

BI: Stand up for yourself and everyone else in our LGBT community. Let’s quit the in-fighting and be united. All of us are entitled to equal treatment from our local and national governments.

We are all entitled to the dignity of equal citizenship. My right are not less valuable than yours. Your’s are not more valuable than mine. Be vocal about injustice. We are winning. I’ve been very encouraged that college age and younger kids don’t understand or tolerate unequal treatment. They just don’t think that way. Race, heritage, color, and LGBT status are just not factors in their decision making. It is up to us to keep educating about love and enlightenment. I think the future of LGBT rights is bright, but we are currently in the middle of the biggest political battle, and even across state lines, of our lives, and now is the time not to celebrate or lose focus on our historic struggle, but instead to push harder towards true freedom and equality.

I transitioned publically in a very Red state, because I wanted to keep writing and playing music. Because that’s who I am. And to me, nothing matters more than being who you truly are.

TGF: What would you offer by way of advice to younger musicians, trans or not, who are just starting out?

BI: A few years ago, my answers to this question would be quite different, but a lot of experience, a lot of failure, some growing success and formal music college schooling later, my answer is this: RHYTHM IS EVERYTHING, AND LEARN THE MAJOR SCALE. I learned minor blues and pentatonic guitar scales first, and it took years for me to figure out the holes it caused in my playing and start to connect them. Everything in western music comes out of the major scale. All the major and minor modes, all major and minor pentatonic, all of the common minor scales, even your diminished and augmented scales, all are jsut variations on the notes of the major scale, or slight alterations of the major scale. So start there, learn it in every position, from every note within it to every other note. And, if you want people to like your music, you have to make them dance or feel something, or both. So make your rhythms tribal, hypnotic, cultural, in ways that make the crowd move, shake, and dance without their minds even knowing why. Music is cultural and spiritual. Embrace the spiritual in your music. Treat your music and all good music with respect for the craft and for those who have pioneered before you. Be patient, but disciplined. Remember when starting out, it’s better to play 5-10 songs very well than to play 50 badly. So focus your energies on the music you love, give it all your love, and you might get love back.

TGF: Any final words in closing?

BI: If folks want to listen or preview the new album, or purchase the new album, please go to my website. And in addition to going to the website, joining our mailing list, take some time to Google new music, time to check out the bands Colourmusic, Horse Thief, and Drainbows. Nick, Cody, Blaise, Justin and I will appreciate it. You might find some new music that you really love. Peace out! Thanks, everybody.

In addition to Beth Isbell’s website, you can also follow Beth on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Music is also available through iTunes, with one of her even older EPs, The Awakening, available on amazon.com Beth can be contacted via email.

ALSO THIS MONTH

David de Alba

David de Alba has announced an upcoming performance at Las Vegas’ The Onyx Theatre, on Sunday, November 24th, 2 p.m. This particular show is entitled Dorothy…The Later Years, A Tribute To Judy Garland. For more information call 702-732-7225; also visit David’s website.

Georgie Jessup

Georgie Jessup will be performing as well as hosting a show by Chelsea McBee and The Random Assortment, on Saturday, September 28th, 8 p.m. at Edith May’s Paradise, 7711 Apple Ave., Jessup, MD. For more information, please check out Edith May’s Paradise on Face book.

NEW MUSIC

Trouble by Natalia Kills

Natalia Kills newest release, Trouble, is the follow-up to her 2011 debut Perfectionist, which helped to put her on the international charts as well as in most dance clubs throughout the world. With this new project, Natalia gets a lot more personal, especially by exploring a lot of her past, and in particular her childhood.

The interesting thing about this album, though, is that even though Natalia (real name Natalia Cappuccini), had a sort of riches-to-rags sort of childhood, she uses that negativity to elevate her spirit through her music. This ethos is definitely found throughout Trouble, but it’s also interspersed with moments of fun sounding songs that belie what’s going on inside.

Of course there is the obligatory dance material, such as Television (a hybrid of dance and modern rock); Stop Me; Saturday Night; Controversy (very dark sounding, spoken word but not rap, with the great line “…drink the kool-aid, don’t drink the kool-aid”); Rabbit Hole and Watching You.

What’s kind of surprising is the use of a retro-rock feel on two of Trouble’s better songs: Boys Don’t Cry (more melodic than most of the other material, with good guitar work); and Outta Time (this time more of a light rock feel, but again with good guitar work.)

A couple things I wasn’t expecting were tunes like Problem (real in-your-face techno rock, but barely close to dance material); Devils Don’t Fly (piano dominated, laid back and somewhat somber, and perhaps her best vocal on the project); and Marlboro Lights (another keyboard dominated tune, just keys and voice, which is good because you really get to hear what Natalia sounds like without much going on behind her.)

The album’s closing track is the title cut Trouble. Granted, it’s geared for the dance club and radio markets, but the way it’s structured makes the tune an anthem, which even allows for some audience participation under the right circumstances.

Trouble

Produced by Jeff Bhasker, who played either guitar and keyboards on every track, and co-wrote practically every tune with Natalia. You’ll have to check out the CD insert album credits for more production credits and musician credits.

All in all, a very well delivered second outing from Natalia Kills. This one definitely won’t suffer from what the music business calls “the sophomore slump.”

Tags: Beth Isbell, Colourmusic, David de Alba, Drainbows, featured, Horse Thief, music, Musician, Natalia Kills

Category: Music