We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susana Butler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Susana , thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
The first time I sang live with a jazz combo, was at a Wednesday night jazz jam at Apres Diem in mid-town Atlanta.
I had been meeting up with friends at jams around the city for the better part of a year, just to listen and enjoy the music. As I started making friends in the jazz scene, I found everyone so encouraging and supportive of each other. It seemed that whenever I was introduced to someone, they would ask if I was a musician and I would respond with a “No, I haven’t sung or played an instrument since I was in college” or something to that effect, and then they would tell me that I should give it a try.
I had been a musician and an artist. I had played violin through college and sang in choirs. I studied and danced flamenco for many years. I paint, I have a degree in fine arts. Those were my creative focuses for most of my life. Now, I’d always felt I had a good voice, but never received any real encouragement to pursue singing specifically. Then life and work took me in different directions and I never thought about pursuing music or performance until this opportunity appeared.
So, back to the Atlanta Jazz scene, It is filled with amazing musicians, and everyone was so accepting and friendly, I finally decided. OK, I am going to take a leap. I am going to learn a song and get up and do my best to not to make an absolute fool of myself. But, frankly, I was pretty terrified at the prospect.
My biggest fear was getting up in front of an audience and freezing. So, I looked for a jazz standard that would have the simplest lyrics possible. I found the song ‘Deed I do. It was perfect. Short repetitive verses, easy structure. I decided even I could not screw it up.
That evening, I was beyond nervous, but I geared myself up to talk to the band leader, Dave Frackenpohl, (who is a really nice guy and a wonderful guitarist!) and ask to sing with the band that night.
When my turn came, I got up, told the band what I wanted to sing, gave them my key. They seemed pleased about the song choice. I recall my hands shaking as I held the mic, and waited to hear where I should enter the song AND we did it. And it was pretty good. I was hooked. That is how I started my journey as vocalist. I took the leap and it opened me up to a chapter in my life that I would never have thought possible.
The next risk, was when a friend who booked music for a club in Grant Park, suggested that i should pull a band together and perform there. Oh, my goodness, what a thought! I said “No” for months, then finally I said “Yes”. I took that leap as well. I also took some video. When I played it back, all I could hear was what was wrong with my voice. I did not like what I heard, but I loved doing it and I knew I had to do more than just learn some sings and sing if I was going to be serious about performing.
So, I got serious, I got a vocal coach. And not just anyone, I had met the fabulous Deborah Bowman and hoped that she would be willing to take me on as a student. To my utter delight she did. Amazing. She coached me for a number of years and those lessons provided me with all the tools I needed to become confident in my voice. It truly changed my life.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For me, music is an absolutely joyful experience. Whether it’s working new songs, performing with my band, Susana Butler & Easy Living, or enjoying the music of my friends, it lifts me up. Music has that power. I love the feeling of being in the middle of the music, participating in the weaving of the sound and the rhythm. My band mates, Micah Cadwell, Craig Shaw and Steve McCraw, feel the same way. We play a lot of Jazz standards, but do not shy away from pulling any song that we fall in love with into our sets. So, even though I’d describe us as a jazz group, at any given show, we’ll be mixing it up and including something a little quirky or fun in. Say some Tom Waits, or a bossa nova verson of a Bob Dylan song. We love Latin rhythms, and I’ve been studying French, so of course, we’ve woven a few chansons francaises into the sets. The guys are all masters of improvisation, I just love to listen to them play off each other. We have such a fun time performing and love to see how our audience responds to our music and the obvious fun we are having.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
This is actually an easy question to answer. Support your local musicians and the venues that hire them. Seek out live music and attend the shows. Atlanta Metro has an incredible wealth of talent. On any given night there are opportunities to enjoy live music while you are dining, or meeting friends. Many people take that for granted. I think a lot of people undervalue what music contributes to their lives. We need to encourage new generations to play music. We need to support school musical programs to give our children the opportunity to learn an instrument and participate in the community of music.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
When you are making music, there is nothing else but that music. There is no negativity, no concerns, no worries, no harm. It’s immediate, and present and powerful. That is a perfect reward. Now, imagine you have all that AND then you notice someone in the audience that is really affected by the music or you look over to your guitarist and you see him exchanging smiles with your bass player, and you know that they feel just as good as you do. It is a lovely feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.susanabutler.com/
- Instagram: susanaeasyliving
- Facebook: Susana Butler Music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@susanabutler7594
Image Credits
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