EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new features this year: Voodoo Productions’ street theater will include roaming graffiti stilt walkers, contortionists and living master works of art. Salt Lake Acting Company will appear for the first time at the festival, offering a sample from its upcoming summer show, The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive. Urban Arts is offering its largest live graffiti mural installation, while a row of several other artists will be demonstrating their creative process in real time. For kids, as admission for those 12 and under will be free, there will be plenty of make-and-take art options in Frozen Spaces in the Art Yard. The City Library auditorium will be the home to the 22nd edition of the international Fear No Film program, with the strongest slate of narrative short films in the event’s history. Of course, dance, who wears the empress jewels in performing arts, will be represented by Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Echoing Spirit Dancers and, of course, the ever-popular 1520 Arts, at The Round. For tickets and more information, see the Utah Arts Festival website.
Photo Credit: Laura Gaddies
SISTER WIVES
The five blues musicians of Sister Wives, a Salt Lake City band, bring diverse backgrounds, since the group was established in 2003. Their performance portfolio includes festivals, clubs, live television, and private shows in Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Band member Mona Stevens answered several questions via email about the band’s background and musical focus.
TUR: Would like a brief account of how you (and/or your group or band) started, was formed and decided to set out on its performing and writing music platforms.
SW: Amy Bottler (drummer) had always wanted to play in an all-female rock band. She was asked to play drums for the band that plays at a local church where she met Jani Gamble, (bass player) and eventually saw Mona Stevens sing at an event for that church. That started the ball rolling in 2002. From the beginning we wanted to play music that was not typical of all-female bands at the time, rock and blues. That music spoke to us and we loved the energy.
TUR: What is your musical training and background coming in as a performer and as a group?
SW: We each have unique styles and backgrounds. Some were professionally trained and others had experience performing and training in Nashville. Others had were self taught and played most of their lives leading up to the SisterWives forming. One of our members actually had to change instruments to accommodate the needs of the band. (You have to have a bass player!)
TUR: Who do you consider as role models, inspirations and influences in your music and performing?
SW: Of course, Bonnie Raitt, however as we were writing and forming our song list we studied more blues masters and women in blues. We came across Susan Tedeschi, Sue Foley, Shemekia Copland and some of the greats like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Muddy Waters, and Joe Bonamassa to name a few. We also had a background of singing harmony, so we integrated our love of blues and rock with heavy doses of three part harmony.
TUR: If you were to encapsulate your musical base into a simple phrase or tag, what would it be?
SW: Do something interesting or don’t do anything at all: our motto.
TUR: What do you consider the most essential elements of writing or performing a song for yourself or your group that not only resonates with you (or your band and group) but also with the audiences who have been coming to your shows?
SW: EMOTION and CONNECTION! Along those lines, we feel that if the band is connected and loving what they are doing together, enjoying each other on stage, we are inviting the audience to join us there. We are dear friends off stage and that energy comes across on stage. We try to get the audience to join us in that energy and the give/take between us is something we cherish.