Dawn Tyler Watson is widely hailed as Montreal’s Queen of the Blues, but at her recent 10th annual New Year’s Eve show at Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill — ranked one of the Top 100 jazz bars in the world by no less than Downbeat magazine — she mixed things up, and brought down the house with killer versions of Edith Piaf’s Je ne regrette rien and Bob Dylan’s Forever Young (the best version I’ve heard since Patti Labelle sang it at Live Aid in Philadelphia back in 1985).
“I love that tune!” says Tyler Watson, who will include Forever Young on her coming solo album Jawbreaker, her first since her 2001 debut solo album Ten Dollar Dress, which won her a Maple Blues Award for Female Vocalist of the Year. The new album features producer Tim Gowdy, Coral Egan, Ranee Lee and The Barr Brothers.
Tyler Watson’s current Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign seeks to raise $25,000 to complete her new solo album, which will should secure her title as Montreal’s Queen of the Blues. POP TART sat down with Tyler Watson for a Q&A about her sterling career, new album and what it’s like to perform sell-out concerts in Moscow and Qatar.
Pop Tart: Why did you decide to record a new solo album?
Dawn Tyler Watson: My fans have been asking for it actually. And while I’ve had a blast working with (musical-duo partner) Paul (Deslauriers) for the last 13 years, I miss the power of a big band and, though Paul and I did a few of them, I miss doing my originals.
Can you give us a hint of what to expect on your new solo album?
As with my first record, it’s hard to peg me in one particular genre, but the new album is mostly original works: some gospel, some jazz, some folk, a lot of blues, and a touch of rock ‘n’ roll.
Is most of the studio recording and post-production done? What is left to do?
We are finishing up the mixes — with (Canadian sound engineer and music producer) Tim Gowdy, Coral Egan, Ranee Lee and The Barr Brothers — and I just did a fun (album) photo shoot last week. Now, we will move on to mastering with Andy Krehm in Toronto, and graphic design. Then, there is manufacturing.
Your Indiegogo campaign will cover what costs?
The budget we came up with is for the whole project and includes all costs such as studio rental, including pre-production rehearsals and recording, musicians and arrangements, engineer and producer fees, editing, mixing, mastering, graphics and artwork, manufacturing, promotion and marketing; radio tracking, mail-outs, advertising, and hiring a publicist.
Although we are far along in the production, there are many invoices that have been deferred temporarily. That said, I feel like perhaps I bit off more than I could manage with this campaign, and on retrospect should’ve have considered doing two campaigns — one for production, and another for marketing and promotion which is about 35 to 40 per cent of the budget.
Why did you decide to create a crowdfunding campaign?
More and more artists like myself are steering clear of record labels.
What is like being called Montreal’s Queen of the Blues?
(Laughs) Actually, it’s a beautiful honour. That name was given me back a number of years ago by Le Journal de Montréal and it just stuck. But, frankly, I often say I learned the blues at the feet of my dear friend and fellow blueswoman Angel Forrest, who had been doing blues in the city long before me. Though she is younger, she’s the real queen. I guess that makes me a princess.
What is it like performing in Moscow?
I performed at the National Centre for the Arts in Moscow three times. The first time was with my jazz band. Of course, my jazz is always going to be bluesy and my brand of blues will always be a bit jazzy. There were almost 2,000 people. We did a few of my originals from my first record and some songs from the jazz book. They loved it. They bought tonnes of CDs and they had to have security to keep people at bay while we were signing them. It was crazy.
What was it like performing in Doha, Qatar?
That was another unforgettable experience. It was an arts festival, so there were all styles of music. We opened for Roberta Flack and Sister Sledge of all people. But the audience dug it. We had a blast.
What is it like to perform at Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill?
I have always loved the vibe of that club. It’s authentic. The food and staff are great, and the clients are true fans. I also love the intimacy there. Being able to reach out and touch the audience.
How cool was it to headline this past New Year’s Eve at Upstairs, your 10th New Year’s Eve there in a row?
Love it. We always have a blast. I couldn’t believe it was 10 years already.
Do you and Paul Deslauriers have another duo album in the works?
Paul and I have both put our attentions on our respective solo careers for today. We still do some shows together, and we’re great friends, but if we did another project, it would probably be a DVD or live recording. A lot of the magic of that show is about the chemistry onstage and the energy we share with the audience. We would love to document that some day.
Is it tougher to be a woman in the music business than a man?
I don’t feel a rift between the sexes in the blues, although some of my contemporaries might disagree. I think the blues is an awesome platform to explore all that is me as a woman, and as an artist.
What do you think of yourself as a role model for young, up-and-coming singers, male and female?
I think that is the coolest. In the last year or two, teaching has taken a bigger part of my career as an artist. I launched Vocal Expression Montreal with my good friend, singer-songwriter and educator Sheila Veerkamp. We give workshops to all ages and populations. This last year I’ve been teaching individual jazz vocals at the University of Sherbrooke. I also teach privately now and have students as young as 14. I love developing young voices and helping them to hone their talent. I take teaching as a real calling that until now I hadn’t felt I’d been able to devote the energy needed to do it justice. But it’s one of the biggest joys of my career now.
Click here for Dawn Tyler Watson’s Jawbreaker crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The campaign winds down on Jan. 15. For more Dawn Tyler Watson, plus coming concert dates, visit dawntylerwatson.com.
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