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John: Susan Cowsill is our guest and she sings of New Orleans. I understand you lived and still live in New Orleans.
Susan: Lived and still live in New Orleans, yes
John: That song was written by your brother?
Susan: No. That one - oh we put them in a row - we've tricked you over there.
John: OK who wrote that one?
Susan: That one I wrote. That was a song that was written about two years ago. You know, Katrina was four years ago now.
John: Oh no it's been that long?
Susan: It's been that long. Isn't that unbelievable? We all say that. Yeah four years in August and so at one point, you know, my husband, Russ and I, who's the drummer, my drummer and co-writer/partner. We got to a point where we were just not so sure we could hang with it. You know it's like being on.. doctor on call 24/7, cuz you are just mending this city, every day and every night. And we contemplated moving for a brief moment, to Pennsylvania. We were going to make Amish furniture and home school the children and plant things. And just making that choice to leave. By the time it came, our lease was up and everything we .. we..we were never going to leave. But I had written this song as kind of a 'Dear John' letter to New Orleans.
John: Before you decided not to leave?
Susan: Correct. And then I...
John: Prophetic
Susan: Then I didn't finish it till later. And then I had to decide, you know in the story, does the girl leave the town or does she stay. And, you know, we stayed.
John: A good song.
Russ: We found another way.
Susan: We found another way to stay home and
John: And your story is very, very resonant to many stories that I've heard from people with Katrina and the decisions to stay.
Susan: Absolutely. That's why we decided to play that one. We know there's a lot of our city folk living here in your city.
John: And where are you going to be performing tonight.
Susan: We're going to be at the Saxon Club tonight.
John: That's a good place.
Susan: Yeah
John: At what time?
Susan: Oh I'd say nine.
John: Nineish
Susan: Nine is good.
John: All right and we have a lot of songs that you're going to sing for us. I see another Texas city, well another city song, that last one of course was "New Orleans" "Galveston" is next.
Susan: Yeah "Galveston" is next.
John: I love this song.
Susan: Oh me too!!
John: Jimmy Webb
Susan: Huge fan. Love him.
John: I love him too.
Susan: Yeah I was on The Mike Douglas Show with him once when I was little.
John: Oh wow. Lucky you.
Susan: Him and Richard Harris. I could have just died that day.
John: Oh gosh
Susan: Just could have taken me out. It was a dream come true. Did you hear that album that Richard Harris did with Jimmy Webb?
John: No!
Susan: Oh my gosh! I'll hook you up with it. OK
Song: Galveston
Susan: John's sleeping.
John: No, I was just in a space listening to your song. It's wonderful.
Susan: Thank you
John: And I heard it in a way I've never heard that song.
Susan: Yea! That's ... it's kind of, I think when you cover stuff something, for me anyway, if I'm going to put it on a record, to do ... there's almost no point to recording it again unless you're going to do something that you feel with it. You know, I mean live is one thing, it's fun to, you know ....
John: And copying the artist is one thing.
Susan: It is, yeah ..
John: There's a different interpretation.
Susan: I'm glad you liked it.
John: I loved it. Jimmy Webb's "Galveston." I'd like to say Susan Cowsill is our guest. She is the youngest member of the Cowsill family, a folkie group in the 60's.
Susan: That's good.
John: And you were probably 2 years old.
Susan: Thank you, John, that's right. Let's keep that like that.
John: Anyway, we are happy to have her here. She's playing at the Saxon Club tonight. Live music on KUT is made possible in part by Lexus of Austin offering new and pre-owned Lexus automobiles. Lexus
Susan: Are they offering them for free?
John: Hang on Lexus, the passionate pursuit of perfection. Lexus of Austin. And next it looks like ...
Susan: "River of Love"?
John: Well that's not what's on the list.
Susan: We did that. It's April Fools Day.
John: OK so whatever you're going to do, I want to hear it. And it's called "River of Love"
Susan: Actually it's a song written by my brother Barry Cowsill, who quite unfortunately we lost in the Katrina flood. He passed away. He didn't make it out of the city. And so we play this ...
John: You're kidding!!
Susan: I'm not.
John: You're brother died in Katrina?
Susan: Yeah.
John: Oh my gosh!
Susan: Yes he did. Well, you know, he didn't get on the bus. Hummm so anyway, he's incredibly missed and he was an amazing song writer, in his own right and this song is called "River of Love" and also on the up and coming record, as is Galveston, just like that. So, I'll have to get you a copy. All right guys ______
Song: River of Love
(Susan adds verse at end: Well I've memorized it, recognized it. We critized you but we eulogized you. I loved you more than you'll ever know. Man, I hated to see you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
Susan: And there was that
John: Well you certainly up'd the energy level here today. Susan Cowsill and her band. And what a great band. Introduce the band for us.
Susan: I would love to. Jimmy Robinson on lead electric guitar over here on my left. And to my right is Pete Winkler on bass and vocals, and Russ Broussard on the drums and fratois and
John: Fratois?
Susan: Fratois
John: What's fratois?
Susan: It's that rub-board that ..
John: Oh the washboard.
Susan: Yeah, washboard. It's the smancy name for washboard. It's French.
John: Ah mais oui
Susan: mais oui
John: (mumbles in French) Susan Cowsill and her wonderful band. That song by your brother, but you add a verse at the end.
Susan: Yes I added my goodbye verse.
John: It's wonderful. I just loved it. You're a good rock 'n roll band
Susan: Thank you
John: Yea team! Saxon Pub tonight and nineish and this is KUT Austin. Well, shhoooo you just got me goin'
Susan: Well listen, are you a Beatles fan?
John: Are you kidding?
Susan: Well I just wanted to let you know, and your listening audience that one of the other things we'll be doing tonight, amongst our original music, is a little series we do in New Orleans. It's called Covered In Vinyl, where we ...
John: I heard about that.
Susan: Yeah we do it once a month, mostly the first Saturday of ever month. We've done it for about the last four years, actually.
Russ: Five
Susan: Five, holy moly. And we have brought Covered In Vinyl to Austin and this evening we will be performing Revolver
John: And you do different albums all the time.
Susan: Uh huh. Once a month. Like every ____
John: A different one?
Susan: Yes
John: Boy that's a lark.
Susan: Like ... we're insane.
John: You are the ultimate cover band.
Susan: Yeah, well you know, it's a weird thing that kind of came up as a way to - in town ... You know when you play in your own city every month, we know our own music, we're a small music community. And it's kind of a way to get people out who maybe haven't heard your music, who are - let's say a Fleetwood Mac fan or a David Bowie fan or Aerosmith.
John: So you do covers of those things and mix in your own stuff.
Susan: Correct, we'll do it right so we get a bunch of kids out who are into Hendrix...
John: So tonight you're going to start out with original stuff and then you're going to ....
Susan: Revoooooolver So, we thought if we had maybe one more song to do, we'd do ...
John: I think you should do it.
Susan: OK So, here or there. This will be a - like I said - when we do these we're not a tribute band - we're OK so they're not always going to be exactly like the way it goes cuz that makes it more interesting. So, wish me lucky because it's early. OK ready? Yeah, we'll have our fifth member tonight. We gave him the day off. All right, ready Jim?
Song: There
John: I love it. I love it. Susan Cowsill and her band. They are playing here in KUT Studio 1A today live for you and they will be at the Saxon Pub tonight and the whole band.
Susan: The whole thing, full band, full vocals.
John: Who's the missing band member?
Susan: His name is Caleb Guillotte. He was actually in a band called Dead Eyed Dick. I don't know if you remember them.
John: And he's another guitar or ...
Susan: Another guitar player, keyboards and vocals, cuz, we provide. No, he's Pete's other harmony. He can't do without him. It wouldn't be Beatle right.
John: So it's going to be super tonight.
Susan: Yes
John: at the Saxon Club and 9 o'clockish. And Covered In Vinyl is another CD you've got.
Susan: Yes, we do have a - it's Volume 1. It's kind of song from all the different vinyls. Yes, and we're working on a Covered in Vinyl 2 right now.
John: Multi compilation. Every band you can think of
Susan: Unbelievable Jimmy Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac and anything in-between that - that you can imagine.
John: All right. Susan Cowsill, you're terrific. The band is terrific and
Susan: Thanks John
John: it's been fuuun. I've enjoyed it thoroughly.
Susan: I appreciate it.
John: And so our engineer Cliff Hargrove and you know what we're going to play next? I just found this out. Matt Riley told me that this band has been called the Mexican Beatles, I think. It's The Crayolas and we're going to hear one from The Crayolas next.
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