Vanessa Collier - My music is continually evolving.

My sound comes from everything I have ever listened to and loved and it’s still continually evolving.

Vizions of Rock:  Who plays what instruments in your band?

VANESSA COLLIER: On my latest record, I play the soprano, alto, tenor, and Bari saxophones, resonator guitar, and all the vocal work, including background vocals. Nick Stevens recorded on drums and percussion; C.C. Ellis, Scot Sutherland, and Cornell Williams are playing bass on different tracks throughout; William Gorman recorded on piano, Wurlitzer, organ, and clavinet; and Laura Chavez recorded all the electric guitar parts and solos on the record. Doug Woolverton is on trumpet and Quinn Carson is on trombone.

Vizions of Rock:  How did the band come together and how long have you been together?

VANESSA COLLIER: I love this group of people because they all bring different things to the table and we’ve crossed paths at various stages of my life. Nick was a high school friend and bandmate, and it was cool to see that come full circle again after college. C.C. Ellis is a fellow Berklee grad and he came highly recommended from a wonderful mutual friend of ours, Danny Mo, a bass professor at Berklee. Scot has played with everybody and I loved watching him play with the Welch Ledbetter Connection, but also with Kevin Burt and whole lot of other incredible players. Cornell Williams plays with Jon Cleary and I love Jon Cleary and the bass lines Cornell plays with him! I met William prior to a Joe Louis Walker show where I was a guest artist. The drummer and a friend of mine, Byron Cage, knew William well and I happened to be looking for a keys player. I met Laura Chavez when I signed with Ruf Records and she played on my second album. I loved working with her then and on the last two records since then. I met Quinn Carson, the trombone player, in sessions I often contracted at Berklee and I really respected his professionalism and attitude. I met Doug Woolverton on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises and loved learning from and playing with him and Mark Earley in horn sections on board. This crew is wonderful to work with!

Vizions of Rock:  What do you consider is your sound?

VANESSA COLLIER: I consider my sound to be blues, funk, and soul. My sound comes from everything I have ever listened to and loved and it’s still continually evolving. This latest record came about because I’ve been listening and leaning more towards listening to great songwriting and that became my focus for this record. I think it’s been important to me that saxophone takes center stage again in leading a band.

Vizions of Rock:  I find the history of the saxophone fascinating. It has been called the devils’ horn. It was lauded for its sensuality, then outlawed for its influence, and finally credited with changing the face of popular culture.  Why do you think that this instrument has encountered so much mystery and scrutiny overs its 160-year history?

VANESSA COLLIER: Too funny - I am re-reading The Devil’s Horn by Michael Segell right now! I think the saxophone is a contradiction - it’s a woodwind, but it’s also a brass instrument. It has immense power, but also immense subtlety. And it can be played beautifully or horribly out of tune, almost equally as easily. It’s also one of the newest instruments we have so it’s kind of the odd one out all around. But, I think it’s true power is elusive - it’s one of the instruments that is closest to the human voice, so I think it can entrance a lot of people and catch everyone off guard, bringing up all sorts of intense emotions. Some people aren’t comfortable with the intensity of its voice, but I think the people that love how the saxophone can growl and call out to you - how it can catch the essence of a player’s spirit and intention - well, I think those are the people that love the saxophone like I do. And there are plenty of those people out there!

Vizions of Rock:   Can you tell us more about the Blues in the School Programs?

VANESSA COLLIER: Blues in the School programs are awesome! The intention for me is to show how everything is connected - if students like any modern-day band, there are roots in blues and early roots music most of the time. And if you show the connection, a lot of students change their minds about blues music being monotonous and uniformly boring.  I’ll show a shuffle, then a New Orleans 8 bar or 12 bar blues, and then a jazz blues, and then a funk blues - and it’s all awesome! Michael Jackson has a shuffle, John Mayer has blues roots, and so many more!  It’s also an opportunity for me to talk about following your passion and taking chances, sometimes to kids who don’t think of being a musician as a job or a positive career path.

Vizions of Rock:  According to an article in “Blues Blast Magazine” it has been said that “Vanessa is an important part of the future of blues.”  What do you see your role as an ambassador of “The Blues” in the future to be? 

VANESSA COLLIER: I think to pass on this music, you have to love it passionately and keep learning because it is a never-ending quest to learn and understand each artist and each sub-genre based on the regions and historical movement about the country. I want to serve this genre well, exploring the past artists and also celebrating the offshoots that ended up in rock, rhythm & blues, funk, soul, etc. And I want to inspire more people to love this music and seek it out. I want people to see the truth in this music and feel the truth in this music.

Vizions of Rock:  I like to ask the younger artist that we interview who never knew the pre internet world… growing up in a “social Media” era, how do you see the future of the music industry?

VANESSA COLLIER: That’s a great question - I think I was the last generation that still grew up loving a physical copy of a record, be it an LP or a CD (or even when I was very young, a cassette). I think it’s wonderful to drive my car and be able to look up a song that I loved when I was 10, but it also comes at a cost of no longer being limited. That limitation led you to intimately study and know a record, and unless you intentionally set out to do so in today’s modern world, the depth of the record may be lost on you. I teach saxophone lessons and I find that with so much access to YouTube and streaming services, some of my students are actually less likely to listen on their own. But, it’s the way of the future.

I think platforms like crowdfunding and Patreon have come about in this new age and it’s a really wonderful thing for independent artists to be able to take control of their own careers. It’s like the old school program where the King or Queen would house an artist in residence and pay for an artist to commission works for the kingdom. We now have patrons of the arts in the modern age, which is really cool. I crowdfunded this record with 239 supporters from 13 different countries and 31 US states for about $25,000. All without a record label - which I think is the way it should be. The artist should control their masters, their copyright, their publishing, etc. and if they want to hand that over to someone, then that can be agreed to on their own terms. We’ll see what happens - there are a lot of moving pieces at the moment.

Vizions of Rock:  Who are your influences?

VANESSA COLLIER: So many! I grew up listening to The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, 90’s boy bands, Christina Aguilera, hip hop & rap, George Straight, country music, Ella Fitzgerald, Cannonball Adderley, Chris Vadala, and then it’s grown to include Tedeschi Trucks Band, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, The Wood Brothers, Snooks Eaglin, Professor Longhair, The Highwomen, and bands like Lettuce. They all have played a part in my growth as an artist and as inspiration and I keep finding great artists from all generations that I love!

Vizions of Rock:  What is the creative process like when writing your songs?

VANESSA COLLIER: I think every record has been different so far. The first record was mainly a lot of my assignments for my songwriting/lyric writing classes, the second record was all sitting at a keyboard and layering ideas into demos. Sometimes the music comes first, and I’ll start humming or singing an idea into the voice memo app on my phone; other times, the lyric comes first - maybe it’s just a line at first, but it’s a great first line!  Then it’s just like a puzzle trying to make the story flow and trying to create a strong story line that everyone can relate to in some way.

I enjoy writing based off of titles or object writes that I’ve come up with too.  Object writes are amazing - writing from the five senses really makes you walk around and see the world differently. Every fallen fall leaf may have a story, or every pebble was once in a kid’s shoe or was part of a larger rock in a river somewhere. The world is full of possibilities when you keep your mind that connected to nature and to the people around you.

Vizions of Rock:  Do have any advice for up and coming musicians who want to follow in your footstep, aside from “Stay in school” and “Don’t quit your day job”?

VANESSA COLLIER: I want people to find their purpose and their passion - for me, they are the same thing. I feel like if a musician knows in their gut that they have more to offer, then they have to follow their gut. No one knows what you are fully capable of but your inner voice. Most people that I went to school with probably can’t believe I stand in front of thousands of people and sing, converse, and perform as a career because I was so introverted throughout college. I liked being the quiet observer rather than the center of attention and it took me a little time to feel comfortable switching into that extroverted role that used to only come out around close friends and family. So, I think it’s so important to know who you are in this business and know what you are capable of. From there, don’t let anyone stop you if you know in your gut that you are meant to be a musician. But, also know that the musician life is not what you see in movies, so come in with realistic expectations. Not many people, even at the highest levels, are going to want to sort through M&Ms to find only the green ones for you. The musicians that are most respected are those who are the most respectful to everyone around them, including the waitstaff, bartenders, and engineers who make the night run smoothly.

Vizions of Rock:  Is there a message that you are trying to communicate with your original music?

VANESSA COLLIER: Absolutely, I think I’m exploring songwriting and I’m exploring my particular voice in crafting songs. I enjoy songs that are optimistic, but also truthful and genuine. I want the music to be a true reflection of my being, so everything I write is generally how I think. I’m optimistic about life and people and I believe that the littlest voice can make all the difference. I believe that we all need to speak out when we see minor injustices, especially when it doesn’t affect us. I believe that we all need to come together and work together, communicate openly through debate and discussion, and I believe that we have to see everyone else almost like relatives, instead of the “other”. And all these themes run throughout my records.

Vizions of Rock:  Is there a tag line that describes VANESSA COLLIER?

VANESSA COLLIER: Genuine, kind, and a powerful artist and musician is what I hope my tagline is!

Vizions of Rock:  What is on the horizon for the future?

VANESSA COLLIER: Hopefully, lots more albums and touring and some more deep dives into learning more about music, cooking, French language, and more!

Vizions of Rock:  How can we find you music?

VANESSA COLLIER: All my music can be found on my website: www.vanessacollier.com or on Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, Amazon, etc. Feel free to follow me on social media as well!