Theresa Andersson is a
singer-songwriterSinger-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and
multi-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
.
General
Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 to play
violinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
with fellow singer-songwriter and Swede,
Anders OsborneAnders Osborne is a songwriter and singer.Anders was born in 1966 in Uddevalla, Sweden, left home at age sixteen, and hitchhiked and played music throughout Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the U.S...
. Nine years later, she left the band. Since then, Andersson has performed and recorded with several well known New Orleans Musicians, including
Allen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
,
The Neville BrothersThe Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in New Orleans, Louisiana.-History:The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art , Charles , Aaron , and Cyril The Neville Brothers, an American R&B and soul group, was formed in 1977 in...
,
The MetersThe Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
and
Betty HarrisBetty Harridick is an American Soul Singer. Her recording career in the 1960s produced three hit records that made the Billboard R&B and pop charts: "Cry to Me" , "His Kiss" and "Nearer to You"...
. In 2007, she accepted an invitation to participate in
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
, where she performed "
When The Saints Go Marching In"When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as "The Saints", is an American gospel hymn that has taken on certain aspects of folk music. The precise origins of the song are not known. Though it originated as a spiritual, today people are more likely to hear it played by a jazz band...
" with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Andersson has performed
Late Night With Conan O'BrienLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC between 1993 and 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and musical and comedy performances. Late Night aired weeknights at 12:37 am...
and
The Late Late Show with Craig FergusonThe Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
, and has been a performer at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans.
One-Woman Show
Inspired by a one-man-puppet-show (
Blair Thomas, Chicago), in which the
puppeteerA puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
played multiple characters and the drums, Andersson overcame the financial impracticality of touring Europe with a band by learning to play with a loop pedal. She began by looping just her
violinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
,
voiceVoice may refer to:* Human voice* Voice control or voice activation* Writer's voice* Voice acting* Voice vote* Voice message-In film:* Voice , a 2005 South Korean film* The Voice , a 2010 Turkish horror film directed by Ümit Ünal...
, and
guitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. Wanting to create a richer sound live, however, she began thinking about adding another loop pedal and more instruments. As a result, Andersson currently travels with two loop pedals, which she uses simultaneously, along with her
record playerThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
,
drumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s,
dulcimerThe Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, guitar, and violin.
Hummingbird, Go!
Andersson’s idea for her most recent Basin Street Records release was borne while touring Sweden, when she met with producer Tobias Froberg. With little prodding, like-minded Tobias flew to New Orleans in the fall of 2007, where the two recorded
Hummingbird, Go! in Andersson’s kitchen. Andersson played most of the instruments on the album, with exception on two duets: one with New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint, and the other with Norwegian Singer
Ane BrunAne Brun is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. Since 2003 she has recorded eight albums, four of which are studio albums, a live DVD and a collection of duets...
. The album was mixed by Linus Larsson (Peter, Bjorn and John,
Mercury RevMercury Rev is an American alternative rock group, that formed in the late 1980s in Buffalo, New York. Original personnel were David Baker , Jonathan Donahue , Sean Mackowiak, a.k.a...
).
Theresa Andersson Live at Le Petit
In April 2010, Theresa released her first live DVD entitled
Theresa Andersson Live at Le Petit. Andersson’s performance at New Orleans’
Le Petit Theatre du Vieux CarreLe Petit Theatre Du Vieux Carre is a community theater in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana.Le Petit was founded in 1916, when a group of amateur theatre-lovers began putting on plays in the drawing room of one of the members....
on Feb 28th was recorded for the DVD.
Live at Le Petit contains an extended set of old and new music, including some exclusive, never-before-seen material. In addition to her original music, the DVD features Andersson’s renditions of traditional American folk songs as well as a duet with famed New Orleans music legend
Allen ToussaintAllen Toussaint is an American musician, composer, record producer, and influential figure in New Orleans R&B.Many of Toussaint's songs have become familiar through numerous cover versions, including "Working in the Coalmine", "Ride Your Pony", "Fortune Teller", "Play Something Sweet ", "Southern...
.
Online success
Andersson’s do-it-yourself video for her song "Na Na Na" has become very popular on
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, with over 1.2 million views. Originally shot as a promotional video to help music venues understand how she would be touring, the video went viral during the summer of 2008. Andersson filmed the video, and a second one for her song, "Birds Fly Away" in the same kitchen where she recorded her album
Hummingbird, Go!
Solo
- Vibes (June 3, 1996)
- Theresa Andersson (April 30, 2000)
- No Regrets (April 19, 2002)
- Shine (March 10, 2004)
- Theresa Andersson The EP (May 20, 2006)
- I the River EP (June 11, 2008)
- Hummingbird, Go! (September 2, 2008)
Compilations
- Peace Stories by Theresa Anderson, John Fohl, David Doucet - (2001)
- A Love Song for Bobby Long by Various Artists - Soundtracks - (2005)
- When The Saints Go Marching In by Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the name for numerous groups of Dixieland Jazz and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall...
, on Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats DominoGoin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
- (2007)
Filmography
- The Strat Pack: Live in Concert
The Strat Pack: Live in Concert is a film of a September 24, 2004, concert featuring Joe Walsh, Gary Moore, Brian May, David Gilmour, and many more, marking the 50th Anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar...
(2004)
- A Love Song for Bobby Long
A Love Song for Bobby Long is a 2004 American drama film written and directed by Shainee Gabel. The screenplay is based on the novel Off Magazine Street by Ronald Everett Capps.-Plot:...
(2004)
- The Brooke Ellison Story (2004)
- Infidelity (2004)
- New Orleans Music in Exile
New Orleans Music in Exile is a documentary/ music film that was made in 2006 and released on DVD on August 7, 2007. It was directed by Robert Mugge.-Summary:...
(2006)
- Theresa Andersson Live at Le Petit (2010)
External links