Meet your neighbor: Carly Black
Published 12:00 pm Thursday, October 24, 2013
- Singer-songwriter Carly Black is bringing Birmingham artists to Pell City for the Muddy Water Music Show at Celebrations on Dec. 5
Carly Black was asked why she decided to call the concert she’s organizing the Muddy Water Music Show.
“It’s from a song my guitarist, Bobby Abernathy, and I wrote called ‘3 In 1,” the Pell City musician said. “The lyric says…well, I’ll just sing it for you.” And the words came in her distinctive, powerful voice: Muddy waters/Wash over Me/Set me free/Set me free/Muddy waters.
“It was written by the Coosa River around a bonfire, and it’s a very simple song lyrically, one for Bobby to show off on with his guitar.”
Black hopes the Muddy Water Music Show will be the first in a series of concerts aimed at bringing live music shows to small towns.
“This will be the pilot run here in Pell City,” she said. “I would like to see young people – and everybody, really – have the opportunity to enjoy live music in a classy atmosphere, somewhere other than a bar. There are some small towns that don’t even have bars where people can go to listen to live music. I hope it takes off.”
Strumming her new guitar – christened “Sweet Thang” – by Birmingham blues singer Lauren “Sassy” Brown – on the banks of the river by which she wrote “3 In 1,” Black outlined plans for the concert, discussed the life of a musician, and explained why song lyrics are a powerful medium.
The Muddy Water Music Show: It’s scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5, at Celebrations in Pell City. The time and ticket prices have not yet been set. The bill includes acoustic solo artist Amanda Caudill of Auburn; Birmingham hip-hop soloist Krymson Wyte; singer-songwriter Rus Spillis of Birmingham; duo Rattlesnake Pussycat; and Birmingham group Haley Bopp. Birmingham singers Lauren “Sassy” Brown and Kendra Sutton are also expected to perform. Black’s band, A Touch of Black, will close the show. “I just can’t believe all these great people are coming out here. I just can’t believe it, but they are.”
What makes for a good live music show? “Quality musicianship. A good vibe between the players, and by that I mean a camaraderie that’s obvious to the audience. Good state presence. And most importantly, positive lyrics.”
Why are lyrics so important? “Lyrics are powerful. They go into people’s heads. Today’s music is flooded with negative lyrics about sex, drugs, and drinking. All that promoted in music these days. Kids are hearing these words and singing these songs that are disgraceful. I’m not a teetotaler, but alcohol and drugs ruin lives at the same time that the music industry seems to be promoting these things to our kids.”
A Touch of Black: The band is comprised of Black on vocals and acoustic guitar, Abernathy on lead guitar, bassist Tim Kelley, and George Griffin on drums.
Upcoming dates: A Touch of Black has four shows in Birmingham: 8 p.m. -12:30 a.m. Friday/Saturday at Daniel Day Gallery/Dream Mecca; Nov. 8 at The High Note; Dec. 1 at Zydeco; and Dec. 18 at The Bottletree. Black will perform solo at the Commodore Club at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt in Nashville on Jan. 29 and Feb. 23.
The musician’s plight: “I’m a struggling musician, which most musicians are. Unless you make it big, you struggle financially. I mean, people can buy a song – a creation that musician worked hard to produce – for 99 cents, if you can get them to buy that. My band is really good now, but most of the shows we do are for no pay. A show can last three hours, but loading, unloading, and setting up can take at least an hour, not including driving to the venue, and a lot of times we get nothing for all that hard work. We’re baring our souls, we’re sharing, and it’s sad that we can’t make a living at it. I’m not interested in getting rich, but I would like to be able to make a living as a musician.”
One reason it’s hard to do that: “What we do is constantly being devalued. Arts are being wiped out in the school systems. They’re getting lost. And it’s not just music. The same is happening to theater and visual arts. It makes me sad because the arts are such a part of me. I would not be the person I am without music in my life.”
The celebrity she’d most like to meet: “Stevie Nicks. I’ve looked up to her for so long, and I admire her stage presence and voice. I also think she’s a good person. I’d love to know more about her. I cover ‘Landslide,’ ‘Gold Dust Woman,’ and a lot of Fleetwood Mac stuff.”
The super power she’d most like to have: “Is there a super power that can help you save masses from poverty, emotional distress, any type of harm, or negative influences in life? If there is, I’d like to have it. I have a song about that, ‘Save Us.’ It’s a cry to God because there’s so much pain in the world.”
Why there are spiritual elements in her songs: “I believe the gift of music and singing is a direct gift from God. This is just me, but I feel like God gives me my lyrics. I know others don’t believe in things like that, but it’s what I choose to believe. That’s why I spread his word through my music, because he gave me the talent.”
