REINA COLLINS
'Roots Rockin' Songstress'
www.myspace.com/reinagcollins
www.reinagcollins.com
About Reina Collins
Roots rockin' songstress Reina G. Collins has sung for her supper for the past twenty years. She spent her first thirty years in sunny, salty Florida. Born in Miami. Grew up in central Florida. Lived most of the 80's in St. Petersburg. She played in pop rock band Multi Color House and then changed direction toward jazz and Brazilian music with pianist composer Kamau Kenyatta.
In 2003 singer songwriter mandolinist Ben Winship assisted Reina in making her roots folk cd Kitchen Sink.
Following her fall 2005 relocation to Portland Reina had the good fortune to cross paths with songwriter Rob Barteletti. With producer guitarist Terry Robb, they joined forces to record Even If I Fall at Dennis Carter's Falcon Studios. Tony Furtado, Terry Robb and other Portland players provide first class musicianship on this collection of witty, poignant, dark, and yes, even catchy roots country tunes.
You may have just recently learned about Reina but for two decades she's been playing honky tonks, bike rallies, five star restaurants, ski resorts, casinos, weddings, community fundraisers, music festivals and any local bar that'll have her!
"Reina Collins brings a lifetime of living and loving to her big voiced, big hearted performance. Whether fronting a down home ensemble or strutting it up with her big rock act, or even solo, Collins evokes comparisons to a charismatic chorus of brethren" ~ Lisa Lepine, Promotion Queen
"Collins is obviously a highly accomplished musician and performer with that Judy Collins, Kate Wolf, Joan Baez feel."
~ Cheryl Bruedigam, womensrising.com
"This is just damn good music." ~ Don Gilliland
"Reina Collins's music has the carefree vibe you would expect from a flower child and avid traveler. All the while, Austin to Boston is filled with energy and a certain country twang that has me longing to catch a live show and experience Collins's "Hair Flinging and Booty Shaking."
~ Trevor Dye, contributor to JamBase, FREE Magazine & HypeZine
1. Name your influences and why?
(As I started writing, this turned into a trip down memory lane. Feel free to edit!) The first music I remember listening to as a young girl was by Motown artists like Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Jackson 5, Temptations (& The Monkees, too). All great to dance to! My mother would take me to JC Penney and buy me 45s. A few years later my sister Elana & I would be playing piano & singing Billie Holiday songs from a Lady Sings The Blues songbook. Junior high I really got into Carole King, James Taylor, Carly Simon, Jackson Browne, Neil Young and later fell in love with Joni Mitchell. I harmonized while I sang along to their songs. I discovered Heart during this time -- Dreamboat Annie mixed in tender, beautiful songs with rock. ROCK! I started moving into the classic and southern rock BIG TIME especially Allman Brothers. Then Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Pretenders made it onto my radar. Punk & new wave hit Florida late but when PATTI SMITH entered my world (via Don Gilliland's Murmur Records in Orlando) she became my musical-everything. Energy, intensity, poetry, sexuality. A real awakening. I always had classic country threading through the years and eventually, through my jazz mentor Kamau Kenyatta, I was introduced to the timelessness of standards. In the eternal search for a brilliantly told story song, I stumbled upon Richard Thompson's 1952 Vincent Black Lightning….
2. If you could open for anyone passing through town, who would it be ?
The Saloonatics would be a great opening act for Willie Nelson. I think our music would appeal to the broad range of music lovers in his audience. (Social time on the bus after the show would be icing on the cake).
3. What songs do you cover and why ?
Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes is one of my favorites to sing. People are moved by this song -- and Hal's harmonies are so beautiful. Another one is Emmylou Harris' Deeper Well. We joke about it being a one chord song but we make it rock and the lyrics are for lack of a better word -- deep. Not to mention when I look over at Rob I think to myself, 'Wow, Flea's in our band!'
4. Who do you get told you sound like ?
Most often it's Natalie Merchant and Carly Simon. When we rock I hear people say Grace Slick.
(Editor's note: She "is" Patti Smith)
5. Name a musician/band in town (male or female) that everyone should go see.
Not fair! But without sounding preachy, we should all be out as often as possible to support live music. Bands I really enjoy: Scotland Barr & The Slow Drags, Pilar French & The Intention, Justin Jude, Blue Moon Highway, Ruby Red, Paula Sinclair, Kate Mann, Rob Barteletti & Friends, Lisa Mann, Sonny Hess, Marie Black, Beth Willis, Town Rill, Alison Rice & The Wheel (The Saloonatics other band), Ken DeRouchie Band….
Tell us what you are up to these days.
Mostly promoting Austin To Boston and getting to know The Saloonatics as we tighten up. We've only been playing together a few months and our sound is jelling so quickly. It's such a high when you know the band chemistry is there and everything's clicking. We have some cool shows this summer – the next big one is the CD release party Saturday the 21st.
Tell us about the song you are giving us.
'Keep Your Heart Fed'
This is one of the last songs on Austin To Boston. Some may know the album was inspired by my big solo road trip last year. Toward the end of the trip and almost in the home stretch I cross into South Dakota. It's pretty desolate out there and the billboards have a captive audience. I thought it would be fun to form a song based ..words from signs. This was a fun one to write and knowing I would be in Portland soon gave me a boost. The last line of the chorus sums it all up: "What it is that keeps your heart fed – lies straight ahead."
SEE REINA LIVE HERE:
June, 19 2008 06:00 PM - Music Millennium In Store Performance!
June, 20 2008 07:00 PM - McMenamins Edgefield
June, 21 2008 06:00 PM - Jax Rooftop *CD RELEASE*
July, 10 2008 07:00 PM - McMenamins Grand Lodge