Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Coleman.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am the founder and lead singer of Misty Blues.
I entered the music scene in the early 90’s as the lead singer of the folk/rock group Cole-Connection. It wasn’t until 1999 when I played a gospel singer in the Williamstown Theatre Festival production of A Raisin In The Sun that I was steered down the path of blues. The lead actor in the production, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, told me that he felt my voice was well suited to sing classic blues.
This sentiment was echoed by actor/singer, Mandy Patinkin, who sought me out after seeing the opening performance of the production. After actress Gwyneth Paltrow commented on my performance, I knew a musical shift was imminent. Guitarist Jason Webster and bassist Bill Patriquin from Cole-Connection were on board and thus began Misty Blues.
With a deficit of blues music in the Berkshires at the time, I felt a musical change would be well received. Misty Blues pays homage to the older blues made popular by the bold and brassy women of its time, while still paying respect to classic male artists of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. My band didn’t completely abandon our musical roots; we frequently perform classic rock and folk tunes infused with a healthy dose of the blues. Over the years, Misty Blues has produced several albums…
Electric Juke Joint features classic blues renditions, Roadhouse Revival is a danceable twist on traditional gospel music, Between The Stacks, is our first completely original album with Charles Neville on sax, With All Due Respect, pays homage to some of the earliest blues music ever written, Dark & Saucy our 2nd original project which is an interplay of sassy musings with more introspective renderings and Call & Response which is our latest original album and it speaks deeply about our passion for the genre.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Writing music that continually evolves and that resonates and has relevance today while using a vehicle that is the oldest American music art form.
The business end of being a musician. When I’m in the process of booking shows, I always tell clients that I perform for free … it’s the travel, contract negotiations, rehearsals, the loading in and out of equipment, the setup, the sound checks, the dealing with venue owners and the general management of musician schedules (aka cat wrangling) that dictates the fee.
Ultimately, my biggest challenge is that I haven’t figured out how to do music as a solely full-time endeavor. It is incredibly soul fulfilling, so I’m working hard towards my one hit wonder. 🙂
Please tell us about Misty Blues.
Misty Blues is a female-led band from Berkshire County Massachusetts playing traditional and original blues with a hint of funk, soul, jazz and gospel since 1999. The band has recorded and shared the stage with Charles Neville of the Neville Brothers and opened for contemporary blues artists like Tab Benoit, Albert Cummings and Michael Powers.
Misty Blues has toured New England extensively and performed in New York City, Harrisburg, Mishawaka, Knoxville, Birmingham, Memphis and New Orleans. The band has aired on SiriusXM Radio’s B.B. King’s Bluesville, Ole Harv’s Blues Revue and Oogie Richards’ Mighty Mouth Blues. The band’s original recordings have hit the airwaves throughout the U.S. and the UK.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have played an instrument with my band earlier. I also used my guitar to write music, but I never thought my playing rated against the musicianship of the rest of my bandmates, but I had pushed myself in the early 90’s, I ‘d be a pretty guitarist, I have recently fallen in love with playing my cigar box guitar, so I’m performing out with it now and its featured in our latest original album, Call & Response..
Contact Info:
- Address: 228 Main Street, 111 Williamstown, MA 01267
- Website: www.mistybluesband.com
- Email: mistybluesband@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.intagram.com/mistybluesband413
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/mistybluesband
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/mistybluesband
- Other: www.reverbnation.com/mistyblues
Image Credit:
Lee Everett, Roger Stephenson, Jane Feldman
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