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Say the name Susan Cowsill, and the way that people identify with the singer-songwriter depends on when they began listening to music.
By her own admission, Cowsill was "born into a band." That would be the Cowsills, the singing family that inspired the TV series "The Partridge Family," and enjoyed a string of hits beginning in the late '60s. Susan joined the Cowsills at the ripe old age of 7, and basically never looked back.
Since then, she has performed with everyone from the Dwight Twilley Band to the Continental Drifters, and has provided guest vocals on albums by the likes of Hootie & the Blowfish, Nanci Griffith, Giant Sand and Red Kross.
But there is one thing that, at least up until now, Cowsill has not done. Although she has released her share of singles over the years, Cowsill has never recorded a proper solo album. That all changed in September when Cowsill's solo debut "Just Believe It" was released on the Blue Rose record label in Europe. According to Rob Savoy, the former Cowboy Mouth bassist who now plays in Cowsill's band, there are several American labels looking seriously at the album, and the band fully expects to see the American release of "Just Believe It" by early next year.
Savoy joins guitarist Chris Knotts and drummer Russ Broussard (who also happens to be married to Cowsill) on the solo effort, which holds true to the Americana roots sound that made the Continental Drifters so popular.
Featuring guest appearances by the likes of Lucinda Williams and Adam Duritz, "Just Believe It" marks the sound of an artist who has had something to say for quite a while, but has only recently felt the inclination to do so in a solo setting. Preview spoke with Cowsill by phone as she and her band made their way down the East Coast toward Charleston earlier this week.
Cowsill and her band perform tonight at Vintage on Market Street, downtown.
Preview: You have been singing professionally since the late '60s, and yet "Just Believe It" is your first true solo album. What took you so long?
Cowsill: (laughs) I'm a great procrastinator. I don't know, I don't think I was ready to make it. Honestly, I was born into a band, so that's a way of life that is comfortable and familiar. Besides, I didn't really even start writing or playing guitar until about 13 years ago. So I wasn't ready, but the Drifter years were really good for that -- learning to play and learning to write. I think this is just the way it was supposed to be.
Preview: Well, listening to the Continental Drifters, one got the feeling that the music being made was a group effort.
Cowsill: Yeah. I mean, we would all come in with our couple of songs, and we would all play on each other's. When you have a big band like that, there are usually people who are ready, willing and able to step up and do things. I just liked cruising. I'd cook and try to do my part, so it was a whole different experience.
Preview: Well, one certainly couldn't accuse you of resting on your laurels. You have a family, and you have stayed busy all these years singing with a wide range of artists.
Cowsill: I've always been musical. I never didn't play music. I just think that this is kind of my little musical journey. It has brought me here, and I'm thrilled with it. I plan on making more (solo albums), but I always knew when I made my solo debut record, that I really wanted it to be like Carole King's "Tapestry" or Karla Bonoff's first record. While I would never dream of comparing myself to them, I have the satisfaction of it. I made the record I wanted to make. So that's pretty cool.
Preview: Talk a little about the recording process. Rob tells me that you recorded the album in a studio that stood on the edge of a river.
Cowsill: Yes, the Vermillion River. We recorded at a beautiful little compound that we stumbled across years ago. I know there are other great places to record, but I find it hard to think of going there.
Preview: Was it different or more of a challenge now that this was your project?
Cowsill: It was kind of like deciding to have a baby, because once you have a child, you're in. It's a huge responsibility. The constant is that this is your responsibility to make this happen. Russ, Rob and Chris, we all did it together, but my name is on it. But in the end it was fun, because we got in (the studio) and realized that we could do this.
Preview: Do you have a particular favorite track from the new CD? Was there one song that came easier than the others?
Cowsill: On a favorite level, I think that "Nanny's Song" is a big favorite. That is a very personal song. "I Know You Know" came in a full-blown production, all the drum parts, all the guitar parts. The whole song just showed up, which never happens to me. In fact, I had slated an evening to write, which is never a good idea for me, because it's channeling. I can't even pretend that I do it on purpose.
Preview: How did Lucinda Williams and Adam Duritz become part of the project?
Cowsill: They're friends of mine. I paired my list down to two people who really fit the songs that I had. (Lucinda) is a wonderful girl, a sweetheart. Little Adam Duritz I've been knowing for at least nine years. He showed up at a Continental Drifters show at Jazzfest (and annual New Orleans music festival) one time. We used to close out the BellSouth Stage every year. One year it was pouring down rain, and just before we went on a deluge occurred. The audience had been packed before it started raining, but now there were probably seven people now standing out there with garbage bags over their heads. Adam was one of them.
Preview: The band recently took a little jaunt to Europe. How did that go?
Cowsill: Oh my god, we had the most beer, uh, fun, uh (laughs). We all have such a great time together. We've all been friends for years. The hilarity is pretty much endless, and there was plenty of Hefe Weissen. But seriously, we were just trying to get out there to let people know our record is out. We're going back in February for an elongated tour. It's a good thing and a bad thing, because we have to leave our kids.
Preview: You're still looking for an American label, and Rob Savoy told us that you were going to be doing a show in New York.
Cowsill: Yeah, in November. We're going to be doing a couple of them, and I know, as I know how everything works its perfect self out, that we'll find the right place.
Preview: Lastly, I just have to know; do the Psycho Sisters, the duo you put together with fellow Continental Drifter and former Bangle Vicki Peterson, still exist?
Cowsill: Oh, forever in our hearts, minds and souls. They're a virtual band, but they have actually played and recorded. Vicki got Bangle busy, and then she married my brother.
Preview: Really?
Cowsill: Oh yeah, she's my sister now. She married my brother, John. They've been knowing each other for about 25 years (laughs). But the Psychos will not leave the planet without a Psycho Sisters record. I dare say it will happen in the next couple of years. So the Psychos live.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: An evening with Susan Cowsill and her band
WHERE: Vintage Wine Bar, 14 Market St.
WHEN: Tonight, 9:30 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $7 at the door.
INFO: 577-0090
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