Bass Player Debbie Seymour of Sister Funk
Bass Player Debbie Seymour of Sister Funk who began her career as a guitarist in rock and metal bands in England chats about Sister Funk and her rock roots.
Sister Funk swept the awards at the 2005 Hartford Advocates Grand Band Slam Awards by taking home Best Pop Band, Best Funk Band, Best Guitarist (Vange Durst), Best Bass player (Debbie Seymour), Best Drummer (Amy Blaze) and Best Horn Player (Kristina Jean).
Debbie Seymour Interview
TCZ: Although you're roots and influences lean heavily toward rock and metal as evident in your early bands like Lick That and Afterbirth this isn't the first time you have strayed from the rock genre. You formed Neon an electro-pop band in 1998. Did that experience influence your decision to join Sister Funk? .
Debbie: Actually Neon was heavily influenced by the rock genre as the two main songwriters, myself and Johanna Holmstedt (ex-Ice Age) were both from metal backgrounds. We were both into the very melodic side of metal though, and we loved the early 80s synth and keyboard influence so we just fused that sound together. I'm very into digital music as long as the songs are strong and well written. Often digital music is accused of being soulless but I think that's just when there is a lack of songwriting. When there's a great song digital music can be so powerful.
I always loved pop and grew up listening to Yazoo, A-ha and The Eurythmics so once I discovered heavy metal and rock I just loved the combination. My decision to join Sister Funk was based purely on the songs and the level of musicianship, which was phenomenal. From a singer's point of view, as long as there's a strong melody and vocal line it doesn't really matter what the genre is. Once I saw them play live I was determined to be a part of that band. They're an incredible bunch of women..
TCZ: Tell us how you ended up joining Sister Funk.. What was your audition like... how did you hear of them...?
Debbie: Well this is a funny tale! I had put up an ad in Guitar Center as a Heavy Metal singer/guitarist looking for a metal band. I got a call from Amy the drummer one day asking if I happened to play bass. Funny enough I had previously played bass for Sin City Drifters (and had ended up playing with them by accident too). So I told her I did have a bass but just hadn't played in a while and to send me a CD of Sister Funk stuff.
I listened to it and learned all the songs and turned up at one of their shows and jammed 3 songs with them. It was like someone had turned the light on and we all knew right there that I was in. Apparently they had auditioned a lot of bass players before I came along, and couldn't seem to find someone that fitted, so here comes that fraudulent bass player again and takes all the prizes (laughing). Just to prove to them how much I wanted to be in the band, I learned 62 songs in 3 weeks.
TCZ: Have you composed any music for Sister Funk?
Debbie: We have just come to the end of the crazy summer touring schedule and have started to write the new material for the next album, so we're working on writing our individual parts to collaborate on each song. I am working on writing some of my own songs too, which I've always done. Whether or not they become Sister Funk songs remains to be seen.
TCZ: You've been touring heavily with Sister Funk this past year, any stories you would like to share in regard to that?
Debbie: Oh my ....tons! One of my favorite memories was going to Palm Springs, California to play the Dinah Shore Women's Event. We were treated like queens and had our own tour bus complete with bar and buffet on board. California is my most favorite place so it's always special for me to play there. We always have fun on the road and some of my favorite times are spent in the bus with the band. Being in a tour bus with 5 crazy women is not for the faint hearted!
There are incredible highs, like when we play in front of screaming fans on big stages and everything is perfect, and we also have incredible lows, like traveling through bad weather in the middle of the night with no sleep, hungry, cold and miserable, and someone has forgotten to check us into the hotel so we're stranded! Some of the highlights of the year include playing New York City twice to a fantastic reception, playing the Women's Voices festival in Canada (those women rock!) and getting to meet a bunch of very cool people all over the country. I'm one lucky chick.
TCZ: Do you have any plans to return to your rock roots or do you feel you have found your home within Sister Funk?
Debbie: I love Sister Funk, and right now it's my main project and focus. My first love will always be rock but because we have so many styles in Sister Funk (not just funk) I am satisfied with the musical diversity. I do have a secret dream of doing an all-female rock/metal band someday...something in the vein of The Runaways, Vixen, Pat Benatar, Lita Ford and Heart. Just a little fantasy of mine. I've been in a lot of girl bands and I guess I just love playing with other women.
TCZ: Tell us what influenced you the most in pursuing a music career.
Debbie: Music was always my passion. My earliest memory was of playing a tennis racket like a guitar to Beatles songs. I just loved that energy. It was all I ever wanted to be so it's not like there was a conscious decision to do music, it was more like if I don't do music I might as well die kind of thing. I remember reading the story about The Beatles in Hamburg, playing 5 hour shows every night, dressed from head to toe in black leather and cowboy boots and playing rock 'n' roll with this passion they had, and that was my dream. I just wanted to get in a van and start touring. To this day that's my favorite thing.
TCZ: Emigrating to the US in 2003 for you was quite a journey filled with a lot of obstacles. Can you tell us a little about what happened and why?
Debbie: I was lucky enough to be able to come over with a work-related green card which is something not everyone can do. Even despite the fact that it took me 3 years to get here and then I ended up on the wrong side of the country because that's where I was placed. It's a great testament to perseverance though, so if anyone was dreaming about coming to America then at least I proved to them that's it's possible. In fact fulfilling your dreams is possible as long as you apply yourself and are determined. Here I am, a nice middle class girl from London, playing in a successful touring all-female band all over America. It's sounds crazy but it's what i wanted and if you want something badly enough then you'll make it happen.
TCZ: How are the fans different here in the U.S. compared to the fans in England?
Debbie: Wow...they're totally different. Audiences in London are very reserved because they've seen it all before and it takes a lot to impress them. Here in the States people are so friendly and very welcoming, and they love the fact that women are playing great music. We always seem to get an amazing reception wherever we go, and I've never signed so many autographs in my life! What I love about playing America is that it's so vast and there are so many places to play. Live music in England is dying out because of the advent of DJs and clubs and so there are very few live music venues left. People in the US are still very appreciative of live music and that makes it a joy to play here.
TCZ: You recently won the 2005 Hartford Advocates Grand Band Slam award for best bass player and commented you feel like such a fraud. Why is that?
Debbie: I only said that really because I found it so amazing that I won an award for Best Bass Player when for most of my career I was a singer and guitar player, so to have won an award for another instrument altogether was really a great achievement and I'm still in disbelief. From the first moment I picked up a bass people were telling me that I was a natural bass player, and I really do feel like I have an affinity for the instrument. I guess this proves it.
TCZ: Anything we haven't hit on that you would like to share? Stories? Upcoming events?
Debbie: The biggest upcoming event will be our trip to Nashville in September. It's the center of the music business so it's very important for us. I've never been there so I'm really looking forward to it. We have a few things in the pipeline but we're keeping stuff under our hats for a while. We just want to concentrate on new material the next few months.