The O-town Scene

February 17, 2011

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

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my own place, Deanna’s, in 1992. Music People Jazz vocalist Deanna Kirk I was 23, and I left school even though I didn’t have much left to complete. I just felt like it wasn’t really do- ing anything for me, that I wanted the real world experi- ence. And that’s exactly what I got: the club was in a small, gritty neighborhood, and it required a lot of responsi- bility and work in terms of both cutting my teeth as a performer and dealing with a diverse range of people. I learned a lot, and I took those experiences with me throughout my career. OS: Five years later, Deanna’s burned down. It seems like that would have to have been a traumatic experience for you. Was your music an outlet for you during the period of time that followed the loss of that space? DK: Well, to be honest, we could’ve rebuilt the place after the fire, but I had just had a falling out with my business partner, so we decided it was time to move on. It wasn’t crushing, but yes, music and live performance have always been a positive outlet for me. The club left me with fond memories, and look- ing back now, I can see myself in that situation again. I’d love to open another one, and have spent time thinking about it, but I just don’t have the money right now. OS: After releasing an album titled “Beauty- way” in 2002, you took a lot of time off. What caused the hiatus, and how is your personal and musical environment different now than it was when you were younger? Contributed Jazz vocalist Deanna Kirk will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, at 960 Main St. in Margaretville. The show is presented by The Open Eye Theater as part of a fundraising event. The evening will include wine, snacks and desserts. Seating is limited, and tickets are $30 each or $50 for a pair. For info: (845) 586 -1660 or openeye@catskill.net. OTOWN SCENE: You had an interesting start to your musi- cal career: owning your own jazz club in the East Village at a very young age. What effect did this situation have on your development as an artist? DEANNA KIRK: At that time, after originally being trained as a classical pianist, I was going to the New School to study jazz. After performing at Bradley’s jazz club downtown, some British producers took an interest in me and bought me DK: I became a mom. I have a son, who is now 7, and, as a single mom, my first responsi- bility is to him. Whether it’s music or family, you do what’s important to you, right? And now, the fact that I don’t have a whole lot of money to work with affects both of us. But music and family are all connected for me, and music is my means of supporting myself, so I’ve never stopped singing. I’m more confident now in some ways, less in others. At least now I’m settled _ back in my 20s, running the club nonstop, I don’t think I ever was. OS: Then, as a performer and a mother, is money always on your mind? DK: No. I don’t have a personality that is aggressive enough to focus that heavily on money, enough for it to dominate my life. I just don’t spend the kind of energy on self-promotion and marketing that most performers do. I have an abstract relationship with money. You can tell them, the people who come to see my show in Margaretville, that they can give me as much money as they want so I can open my new club (laughing). Maybe money isn’t always on my mind, but I think I’d like to be rich … it would nice. OS: You work independently now, but you were once signed to the Blackbird Recording Company, a subsidiary of Atlantic. What do you miss about being associated with a major label? Are there any benefits to being independent? DK: Yeah, it was back in the mid-’90s that I recorded a couple of albums for Blackbird. Why talk about the past? Let’s just acknowledge it and move on … the music has to speak for itself, right? But looking back, I didn’t realize how good I had it there. I wish I still had the resources of a major label _ I can’t pro- vide those things for myself. Sure, there’s the benefit of having a little more creative freedom, but I’ll always be grateful for the things the label gave me. The public tends to vilify the big executives that run major la- bels, but there’s nothing wrong with people who have money. Maybe I’ll have money again someday … OS: Considering that, and your career as a whole, do you think you did it right? DK: I don’t know if I really did this all in the best way I could have. I didn’t reach the kind of success I wanted and could foresee when I was younger. But I’m starting again. You have to be clear about what you want to do, and I’m trying again. I’m keeping that in mind. OS: Do you consider this your comeback? DK: I’m always making a comeback. As long as I still have the urge to create, I can make a comeback. But I’m not ag- gressive enough. It’s not a part of my personality. I don’t promote myself well. So this is, like, my eighth comeback. I released a compilation CD called “Stay” (in December 2009) through Pledge Music, in hopes of both raising money for myself and sending it out to TV and film producers for potential use in soundtracks. I succeeded in raising the money, but not in getting the tracks on air. Now, I’m going to be releasing a new CD within a month or so called “Lost in Languid Love Songs.” It’s going to be an album of mainly jazz standards, and I’ve got a great quartet backing me up. Having a record deal would be nice now, but I’ve done it totally independently. OS: Given your responsibilities and financial situation, how often do you perform now? What does your future as a performer hold? DK: I generally perform about four times a month. I live upstate now, so I’m not in New York City as much as I used to be, but I’d like to start performing regularly soon. I might start doing regular performances at Queen Vic’s, a British pub in the East Village. I’ll call it “Deanna’s Clumsy Cabaret.” It’ll be fun. _ Sam Spokony Feb. 17, 2011 O-Town Scene 11

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