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One cold afternoon last week, Susan Cowsill stood in a Southside kitchen, trying not to overcook a batch of pumpkin seeds. She kept one eye on the clock, not to be late picking up her stepson at school.
If her name rings a bell, you may be a fan of the Continental Drifters, the New Orleans-based roots-rock band she played in for a decade, until 2002. More likely, though, if you're near middle age and female, you know her as the kid sister in the Cowsills, the musical family that scored a string of 1960s hits (including "The Rain, The Park and Other Things") and inspired TV's "The Partridge Family."
"Now that was bizarre," she said. "I mean, our own family was surreal enough."
Susan sat down at the table and picked up her knitting, "my Katrina release valve," she explained. She and husband Russ Broussard lost most of their possessions to the hurricane. Their rental house is no longer habitable. After sending her daughter to stay with relatives in California and Broussard's son to Birmingham to be with extended family here, the couple mostly have lived on the road promoting Susan's first solo release, "Just Make Believe."
Between shows, they camp out in friends' homes in Nashville, Indianapolis and Birmingham. Susan will play a gig here Dec. 2 at Moonlight Music Cafe.
At 46, she still resembles the gap-toothed little girl who sang on "Indian Lake" and "Hair" with brothers Bill, Bob, Richard, Paul, Barry and John. Sadly, 51-year-old Barry, who has led a nomad's life of substance abuse, disappeared in New Orleans after the hurricane. He survived the storm, then telephoned Susan, who was on the road, begging the family to come back for him. When they got there, he was gone.
"Barry could be out there and not even know where he is," she said. "We're hoping someone will spot him and call us."
The Cowsills all have continued making music, with Susan and John (now with the Beach Boys touring band) finding the greatest success. "All my brothers are incredible musicians and artists, but they were marketed into a zone that had nothing to do with music. They were embarrassed by it. I wasn't.
"The only thing that bothered me was when we played state fairs, and we'd want to go on rides between shows, and girls would follow us everywhere."
Their abusive, alcoholic father lost the Cowsills' musical fortune to bad business deals, Susan said. She doesn't miss the trappings of wealth, "though I'd like to have the means to help the planet, specifically to become instrumental in stopping child abuse. ...
"I honestly don't have a problem with how things turned out. When the Cowsills were happening, we had a home in Brentwood, I had two bikes, everybody had cars, and it really was a great ride."
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