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Evie Sands
The Rockzillaworld Interview
By Marianne Ebertowski
 "He took
a duck in the face..." Cayce, the protagonist in William
Gibson's recent novel Pattern Recognition, keeps repeating
to herself as a mantra whenever she feels panic coming up. As
a teenager a friend of her father's, an airline pilot, had told
her this story about a colleague who had impacted a duck at 250
knots, landed the plane safely and continued to fly with glass
splinters permanently lodged in his eyes. At 9/11 Cayce witnesses
the impact of the first plane, a "micro-event" announcing
"that the world itself had at that very instant taken a
duck in the face." Yessir! Had I known this story when
I met singer/songwriter Evie Sands in 1999, it would have immediately
sprung to mind because Sands has "taken a duck in the face"
more then once in her life. Blessed with a staggering R&B
voice even at the tender age of twelve, great looks and an even
greater charisma, she seemed to be set out for stardom. But then
the ducks came flying and she took them in the face, one by one.
And every time, she bounced back. The story of Evie Sands is
the story of a young girl that gets cheated out of fame and fortune
by unscrupulous record industry people and by sheer bad luck.
It is also the story of a woman who never gave up and tried
to keep flying with all those splinters in her soul. With the
album Women In Prison, a piece of sultry, swampy brilliance
featuring a duet with Lucinda Williams, Evie Sands made her comeback
in 1999 after more than twenty years. Unfortunately, in spite
of general critical acclaim, sales were disappointing. But Sands
has taken this duck in the face like the trooper she is. She
is still out there in LA writing and singing and after all those
years her voice is as great as ever and so is her smile.
ME: You entered a recording studio for the first time when
you were about 12 years old. That's not an everyday childhood.
Tell me how you got there. How and where did you grow up and
how did you develop your taste for music?"
ES: I was born in New York City. In Brooklyn. My mom was
a singer, and she sang to me while she was pregnant. She told
my dad, "This baby will come out singing," and she
was right. I remember singing for my neighbors at two, and I'd
always sing myself to sleep every night. I listened to the radio
a lot, and my mom and I would have daily songfests. There was
always music in our house. My dad and brother loved it, too.
My parents introduced me to all kinds of music, traditional
standards like Gershwin and Cole Porter, singers like Frank Sinatra,
Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams
and Sarah Vaughn, and musicians like Errol Garner, Art Tatum,
Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington. My older brother introduced
me to rock 'n' roll and all the stuff my parents weren't that
interested in. I found R 'n' B and blues on my own, searching
around the radio. I always knew I'd be a singer. With that, came
my desire to be a musician. I used to watch players intently
to see what they did and how they did it. Guitar was my first
instrument. Once I could play a little and begin to express my
musical ideas, I knew I wanted to be a writer. It was entering
a local talent contest that led to meeting someone and then someone
else - and eventually, there I was in a recording studio.
ME: Your first record was "Take Me For A Little While,"
produced by Chip Taylor. Do you remember meeting Chip?
ES: "Take Me" was produced by Chip and Al Gorgoni.
I met Chip briefly at 1650 Broadway in New York which was, like
the legendary Brill Building, one of the main music office buildings
at the time. Chip was very friendly, but I had no idea we'd be
working together in the near future. We were really introduced
a short time later by legendary guitarist Al Gorgoni. Al and
Chip were friends, often worked together, and were sometime writing
partners.
ME: "Take Me For A Little While" was a pretty adult
song for a little girl. Just what were you thinking?
ES: In the beginning, I really didn't think so much about
the lyrics and what they meant. It was all pretty innocent. I
remember seeing an interview with Paul McCartney a few years
ago where he was asked about Ringo singing "Boys."
He explained pretty much the same thing, that gender wasn't that
important and things were sort of innocent. If they liked the
song and it was fun to sing - that's all that mattered. I liked
"Take Me For A Little While," and that was enough for
me. I remember learning lots of pop standards when I was very
young like "Body and Soul" and "Come Rain Or Come
Shine." As a 7-10 year old, I had no idea what those lyrics
really meant, but I loved singing them."
ME: Do you remember what happened to the record and your reaction
at the time? After all, you were very young. Did you realize
how badly you were cheated?
ES: I remember waiting for the record to be released and being
very excited. About a week before the release, Chip called and
told me to look at Billboard (the main music trades magazine).
He said there was a full-page ad for a song with the same title
as my record. When I looked at Billboard and actually saw the
ad, it was very upsetting. The ad said, "Destined to be
#1, "Take Me For A Little While" by Jackie Ross on
Chess Records." Little did I know that it was not just a
song with the same title, but in fact the same song. It had been
stolen by an unscrupulous promoter in Chicago, who had gotten
one of our test pressings. He thought it was great and sounded
like a hit. He was aware I was a new, unknown artist, so he
took it over to a Jackie Ross session. Jackie Ross was coming
off a #1 song and looking to record a follow-up hit. The sleazy
promoter played my record, and Jackie Ross and everyone there
loved it. They stopped the session and instead decided to record
"Take Me," doing their best to copy everything as closely
as possible. It was recorded, pressed and out on the street in
just 24-48 hours, beating our release by one week and just in
time to make Billboard's ad deadline. It's not easy to write
and produce hit records at will, and then have all the business
things in place needed to promote it. So, to come up with something
good, only to have it stolen in a sneaky, backhanded way, creating
a "cover" war for radio with me being some kind of
pawn in the middle was very frustrating and very upsetting to
say the least.
ME: Your next single was "I Can't Let Go." It flopped
in the post-"TakeMe" chaos and the Hollies ran away
with all the glory and the money. Big disappointment #2. You're
still this young kid. How much of that can you take? Did you
start doubting the whole business and did you get the necessary
support and encouragement at home?
ES: Naturally, it was all very disheartening. Although I
knew from everything I was told, read, and heard about that the
business was difficult and not for the faint of heart and spirit,
it was very depressing ... but I just kept going. Fortunately,
I was always blessed
with lots of support and encouragement from my family. My mom,
dad and brother were great. I guess overall there's a part of
me that was - and still is - a believer in all things being possible.
So, though there were times when things came close to destroying
my spirit, thankfully I have somehow, always bounced back."
ME: In 1967 you record another sure #1, "Angel of The
Morning," a Chip Taylor composition. Only this time your
record company (Cameo) goes bust and Merilee Rush gets the #1
hit. Still a happy kid or does it dawn on you that there might
be something wrong with this world?
ES: It was beyond depressing. At least if I had written the song,
I would've had something to show for it. I was tired of making
records people in the industry waited to hear so they could steal
or find their next hit. It was nice to know that various well-known
artists and producers liked my work, a compliment of sorts, but
that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
ME: You sell half a million copies of "Any Way That You
Want Me" in 1969 in the States, in the mid-'70s you have
a couple of top 30 hits, then you give up, at an age when most
people are just starting to get into the music business. What
caused that decision? Just frustration about the music industry
or was there more to it?
ES: I never completely just gave up. Music has always been
in my blood. It's who I am forever. I kind of shifted my main
focus from recording to songwriting, though I would have preferred
to keep them equal. The recording options available came with
a price: be what "they" wanted me to be instead of
allowing me to be the artist I really was. That kind of fake,
phony thing never felt right, so I couldn't do it.
ME: You move from NYC to LA where you start working as a songwriter.
Artists like Barbra Streisand, Dusty Springfield and Gladys Knight
sing your songs. Why songwriting instead of making a clean break
with the whole industry? What did it do to you that other people
sang your songs when it should have been you? Did you at that
moment give up your childhood dream forever and, if so, what
kept you going?
ES: As I mentioned before, I could never just give up music.
That would be like dying. At the time, things were frustrating
for me artist-wise on the recording end. Expressing myself through
songwriting and production was something I could do, even if
I wasn't recording my own albums. I loved writing songs, being
a musician, and producing. Hearing amazing artists like Gladys,
Dusty, and Barbra sing my songs is always a
thrill and exciting. And recently, artists like Beck and Beth
Orton.
ME: Dusty Springfield once called you "her favorite singer."
Did you know Dusty and what sort of person was she?
ES: I knew Dusty, though not very well. I was a huge Dusty
fan and later was honored to find out she was a fan of mine.
We met up eventually, and had a couple of mutual friends. Dusty
graciously agreed to sing backing vocals on "Lady of The
Night," a song on my RCA album Suspended Animation.
That was a great thrill for me. Being in the studio and hearing
Dusty sing was amazing. She couldn't have been nicer to work
with. A year or so later Dusty recorded one of my songs, "You
Can Do It," on her album, Living Without Your Love.
That was another thrill for me. Hearing Dusty sing something
I wrote was the best. Like everyone, I was terribly saddened
to hear about her illness, and was ever hopeful about a positive
outcome. I was in touch those last months and I know it was something
she appreciated. I'm so glad she was around to see herself inducted
into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, and to receive her award
from the Queen.
ME: In 1996 you meet Chip Taylor again in a club in LA. Tell
me something about that encounter. Had you been staying in touch
with him all those years?
ES: Not really. We hadn't seen each other for years. We talked
on the phone a couple of times, but even that had been quite
a few years back. A friend told me he was in town and would be
playing at a local club that night. I walked in and there he
was. Chip invited me up to sing with him and later we spent some
time catching up. The whole night was very, very special.
ME: Out of this encounter came your comeback album, Women
in Prison, released on Chip's Trainwreck Records in 1999.
Was it hard to convince you to go back into a recording studio
after more than 20 years and what sort of experience was it?
ES: It wasn't hard at all! The whole experience was great.
Recording an album is always such an incredible, creative process
from start to finish. It was a joy to reconnect with Al Gorgoni
again, too. I enjoyed writing with Al and Chip. Meeting and working
with talented co-producer Tommy Spurlock and Lucinda Williams
was also a treat.
ME: You accompanied Chip and his guitar player John Platania
on their European tour to promote your album. I think it was
the first time you were in Europe. What sort of experience was
it for you? What is your fondest memory of Europe?
ES: Yes, it was my first visit to the UK and Europe. It was
amazing, a totally rewarding and thoroughly great experience.
There are so many fond memories I don't think I could pick just
one. All the lovely people and wonderful fans everywhere we went.
the beautiful and endlessly interesting sights and sounds everywhere,
the architecture and canals of Holland, the lovely town squares,
the Glasgow show with Belle & Sebastian, and, again, the
people. Everyone was so kind.
ME: The album sold a few thousand copies in Europe, but sank
like a stone in the States. What was supposed to be a fresh start
turned into another bitter disappointment. How did you cope
with that and what do you think of the album now?
ES: Sales in Europe were helped by the tour. Although I did
some touring in the States, it was fairly limited and there's
so much more ground to cover. Naturally, albums generally won't
sell much if they're not heard and the artist isn't seen and
promoted. Radio play in the States is almost a joke. One huge
company owns tons of stations and also owns most venues and advertising,
so it's basically a monopoly. The independent radio promotion
structure created by the majors is like legal payola and it's
totally out of control. The costs are astronomical. If I'd been
able to tour everywhere at least once, my album had been promoted
with major label millions and then it didn't sell, that would
indeed be a flop. Although no one can ever predict exactly how
an album will do, I feel that based on the response of those
who heard and bought the album, Women In Prison would
have sold more if we had greater visibility. I do think it is
a really good, quality album that will stand the test of time.
There are always creative things I would change or do differently,
but that's the artist in me, not ever being completely satisfied
with some things.
ME: The songs on Women in Prison are mostly painful,
personal songs. You've co-written them with Chip and Al, so how
much of your personal experience has flown into them and how
did the writing process go?
ES: As a starting point, we went back to some of my musical
roots to some of the things that originally inspired me. The
writing really flowed. It was amazing. We wrote something like
nine songs in three days. No one ever knows how writing collaborations
will work until they happen, and we rocked! Naturally Al and
Chip had written together, but I never had with either of them.
Generally the more people involved in the process, the greater
the danger of missing the emotional mark. More head than heart.
We dug deep and fortunately I feel we kept to heart. Since I
was the also the artist, it was very important to me to make
sure the songs really expressed how I felt and what I wanted
to say.
ME: Everything seemed to look bright when young Scottish band
Belle & Sebastian suggested recording a few of your old songs
with you. Then the deal fell through. Why was that?
ES: The possibility of doing the recordings with Belle &
Sebastian, came in the days and weeks following my appearance
in Glasgow, where Belle & Sebastian joined me onstage to
play some of the earlier songs. I recorded with them the next
morning on one of their songs and we all had a great time together.
There were some discussions about going back to Glasgow to record.
Eventually, the band decided the originals were classic recordings,
which they loved and had a reverence for and should remain that
way. They felt like new versions would be sort of sacrilege.
Playing them live was one thing, but recording them was another.
Creatively, I agreed with their decision. Even though it would
have been musically and personally an absolute pleasure to record
with Belle & Sebastian anytime, anywhere. I had mixed feelings
about recording those songs again, too. They would have been
new versions, yes, and I'm sure very cool in their own way.
Still, recording the old songs was not something I especially
wanted to revisit again. I enjoy doing the early stuff at my
shows sometimes, but that's different. As an artist, I already
did those songs. I've moved on since those days ... so it wasn't
really my creative passion to follow Women In Prison with
an album that would revisit the early songs, albeit in a special
way, instead of an album of new songs. Who knows, maybe one
day...
ME: Then everything around you went quiet again. I know you're
still out there writing songs and doing shows in the LA and Bay
area. So what you've been up to since 13 February 1999 when we
met?
ES: As you say... been doing shows, mostly on the West coast,
generally clubs, a few festivals and fairs. Also, playing with
other artists. I played The Bottom Line in New York with Chip
(a Trainwreck Records night; did a song with Belle & Sebastian
when they played in LA at the Wiltern Theater just before the
September 11 disaster; played the annual Elvis tribute show at
the LA House of Blues in January ... did it last year too, and
had a great time ... I love meeting fans old and new. I've also
been writing for my next album and for others. I discovered a
fairly recent Beth Orton recording of one of my songs, "It's
This I Am I Find," a very cool, trip-hoppy thing, and also
found out Beck has performed that same song. I've done some recording,
my things, and on other artist projects, guitar and/or vocals.
I recorded backing vocals on the song "Shine" on the
Wondermints newest album, Let Me Make Love To You. And
I had two of my earlier albums reissued in Japan, Any Way
That You Want Me by Universal Japan and Suspended Animation
by BMG Japan. Now Estate of Mind (originally released
on Haven/Capitol), will be reissued late June in Japan on Dreamsville
Records.
ME: What is your opinion now about kids entering show business
at the age you did?
ES: Go for it. If it's in their heart, rock on.
ES: How much do you still want to make that next album? How
much hope do you still hold that it will happen and, should it
never happen, how would you look back on your career, on your
life, with disappointment, pride or resentment?
ES: I'm looking forward to recording my new album. In some
ways, I can look back on my career and my life. But, I don't
know I'm still living it. I can see mistakes that were made and
learn from them, some things I'd do differently. Disappointment,
frustrations? Yes. I don't think I'd be human if the ups, downs,
and emotional twists didn't affect me. There were times I was
definitely depressed. Not fun. I also appreciate whatever things
I have accomplished, achieved and I'm grateful. Some people never
have the chance to see any of their dreams come true. I've been
able to sing, write, play, produce and work with some amazing
people, have my songs recorded by great artists, perform at great
venues, do TV, radio, etc. and know that some fans out there
enjoy the music I make. The thing is, I love it more than ever.
I have the same enthusiasm and energy as when I first started.
It's a joy to play for people. I've been writing, and I'm excited
about doing the new album. Whether it will be my own label, released
on Trainwreck again, or be on a different label, I'm not sure.
The only thing I know is it will get done and be released. I
can't envision any time that I won't be making music. I want
to be writing, recording and performing as long as I'm alive.
Without music, I wouldn't really be alive, anyway.
*www.ivypresents.com
Contact Marianne Ebertowski at ebertowski-at-rockzilla.net
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