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"Sense
& Sensibility"
Carol and Jeannie from Si*Sé
Speak From the Basement
by Gretchen Fournier-Padilla |
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In this first "Música Es", a column dedicated to Latin and Caribbean
women in music, we talk to Carol and Jeannie from the New York based
electronic-world band Si*Sé. And what a fun talk it was!
In the cozy lobby at Luaka Bop (David Byrne's label) I kept
myself busy, looking at the colorful surroundings, while waiting
for Carol and Jeannie. Nothing around me took me by surprise since
Luaka Bop has a reputation of thinking outside the box. Just a look
at their roster of artists and you'll know what I'm talking about.
And from this group of creative musicians, including Byrne himself,
one band is starting to stand out. Its name is Si*Sé.
Led by Carol C., the petite-velvety-voiced-Kraftwerk-loving singer,
and composed of an eclectic group of talented musicians, including
Jeannie Olivier, the soft-spoken-outspoken viola player, Si*Sé is
doing for electronic music what "Fania All Stars" did for salsa.
Together since the origins of the group, Carol and Jeannie have
shared countless adventures and the exciting experience of being
signed by a label. It's no wonder the relationship amongst the girls,
and the rest of the group, is such a strong one.
Sitting in the Luaka Bop basement, I got to see first-hand how that
relationship works, both personally and profesionally. Here are
some of what they shared with WOMANROCK.com.
WOMANROCK:
What did your families think when you wanted to make music your
life?
Carol:
My dad thought I was crazy. He thought I should get into Science
and be some kind of doctor. My mother, though, was a frustrated
musician herself, so she encouraged it a lot.
Jeannie:
My mom wanted me to be a "well-rounded" young lady and she thought
that playing instruments was one of those things a "well-rounded"
young lady did. And me being in a band is still kind of a war with
her. My dad is the most excited, he was involved in music in Jamaica,
so he's the most encouraging.
WOMANROCK:
Si*Sé comes from your name Carol. Do you consider this your band
or do you see it as a group effort?
Carol:
At the very beginning, before the musicians came, it was my project.
And then, as I became closer to Cliff (the producer) we started
thinking more as a team. And then, when we got the musicians involved,
it just became one big team of people.
WOMANROCK:
How hard was it to form this band?
Carol:
It was actually pretty easy. I thought it was gonna be a nightmare,
because there's so many people who claim to be musicians in New
York. I had never heard anyone before the first rehearsal and I
was really impressed and surprised at how well we all blended together.
Not only musically but our personalities as well.
WOMANROCK:
What obstacles, if any, did you encounter at first when promoting
the band?
Carol:
Before the label came in we did everything ourselves.
WOMANROCK:
Do you think that being women (although there are men in Si*Sé)
made promoting the band more difficult at first?
Jeannie:
I haven't really thought about things in terms of sexism, like our
difficulties in terms of sexism as opposed to other things.
Carol:
We have managers, both male and female, and I don't know if they've
encountered anything. But as far as musicians I don't feel like
there's been any obvious tension because of gender.
WOMANROCK:
Has it been helpful being picked up by a label?
Carol:
It's been very helpful and comfortable for me because they're a
small label and the person who runs it is an artist, so he understands
us. It's not like a big label where you never get to meet anybody
and they just kind of throw your CD somewhere.
Jeannie:
It's been helpful, but there have been difficulties because they're
such a small label, they don't always have money to do all the crazy
ideas that we come up with.
WOMANROCK:
Why a fusion with electronica and not something else?
Carol:
Umm, ever since Kraftwerk (laugh). Ever since I was little I was
attracted to synthetic sounds and mixing them with organic sounds.
It's been a very natural evolution for me. It's like explaining
why you like blue; you just like certain things.
WOMANROCK:
How did the collaboration with DJ Dara come about?
Carol:
He was dating my best friend and found out I had studied singing
and he asked me to do something together.
WOMANROCK:
Who would be a dream collaborator?
Carol:
I'd love to do something with Peter Gabriel.
Jeannie:
Andy Smith from Portishead.
WOMANROCK:
Where do you find inspiration?
Carol:
From everyday life, love, relationships with different people, what's
going on in the world.
Jeannie, honoring her empowering viola, answered that she's inspired
by things she hears, not necessarily music. And, speaking like a
true musician, she confessed that "this is what feeds my soul."
WOMANROCK:
How has your cultural backgrounds and the experience of immigration
influenced or affected your sound?
Carol:
I was born here in New York but I think at a very young age I was
aware that my parents came from somewhere else. They weren't like
my friends' parents, who were American; there was definitely something
different in culture. That made me aware that there was a lot out
there and I think it made me really curious. In that sense it has
influenced me.
Jeannie:
My parents were totally in denial that they lived in America. So
all I heard at home was the reggae version of American songs. My
dad would say "Michael Jackson totally ripped off Billie Jean."
WOMANROCK:
What do you think is the perception of a Latin interpreter nowadays?
And how does the comments about the way you dress or carry yourself
onstage affect you?
Carol:
I think that when non-Hispanics think of Latin women they think
"Charo", very spicy, little sex kitten. I don't know about substance
- if they think they have much of that. Some of them [the comments]
disappoint me especially when they say "As a Latina woman..." I'm
not gonna try to fit into the stereotypes, but I'm not gonna try
not to fit into them. I have to be me, you don't have to be a certain
way because you're latina or you're female.
WOMANROCK:
Describe your role in the band.
Carol:
Jeannie is the logical motivator of the group. She's very organized.
she charts things out.
Jeannie:
Carol is "Miss Excitement".
WOMANROCK:
When is the second record coming out?
Carol:
We're thinking March. Spring.
WOMANROCK:
Is it very different from your first one?
Both:
We don't know. We're still in the process.
Carol:
Well, so far there are a lot of different things about our music.
For one, the way we're creating it. Now we have an actual studio
where we can all go to bounce ideas off each other.
WOMANROCK:
What advice would you give to anyone, especially girls, that want
to get in the music business?
Jeannie:
Do it! It was something I could do. Why wouldn't I do it?
Carol:
Don't feel like you have to be a certain way to fit in. Don't be
self-conscious about it. Just be yourself and do what you love.
The time to leave had arrived, but as I left I was certain of
a couple of things. First, it won't be long before Peter and Andy
come knocking on the girls' door. And, second, Mrs. Cárdenas did
the right thing by encouraging her daughter's dream, and Mrs. Olivier
doesn't need to worry about hers. She's become more than a "well-rounded"
young lady. |
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_________________________________
To know more about Si*Sé go to:
http://www.si-se.com
or
http://www.luakabop.com
Hear Carol and Jeannie from Si*Sé perform at the WOMANROCK Holiday
Party. |
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_________________________________
Gretchen Fournier-Padilla is a writer living in New York City. This
is her first venture in music writing, so bear with her. |
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