Written by Curtis Gardner
How did the group come together? Did any of you know each other prior to joining the group?
We first met on match.com. We probably would never have met otherwise. I lived in East Nashville and Dorothy on the West side.
How did Meet the Seavers get their stage name?
Meet The Seavers was Dorothy’s idea. We were slated to play at the basement in Nashville. The owner asked what we were called. And Dorothy said Oh, I don’t know, just list it as meet the Seavers. We both liked the sound of it as it described us and wasn’t pretentious.
What is the group musical influences? What artist(s) Do you draw the most influence from?
We both have a wide range of music that we like, but Jazz gets put on the turntable most of the time.
The music of that era was so positive and creative. Artists back then put out an album because they
had something to say. Nowadays most of the music is disposable.
(Jace) I love Charles Mingus’ compositions but I’m also a big Tom Waits fan along with Sting and
Morphine. We both are still saddened but the death of Jeff Buckley. Lyrically, my influences are derived from reading too much as a child and young adult.
(Dorothy) For me: Doris Day, Aretha Franklin, The Lawrence Welk TV Show, Dakota Staton
Do you remember your first gig? If so, what's was that performance like?
Our first gig together was at a CD release show I did back in 2006. I always like to have fun and try
weird stuff onstage. One of the things I did back then was have a boxing themed show. I would have a fake boxing ring set up on stage. An announcer introduce me and I would come on stage with gloves on. For this show, I had Dorothy be “song Girl”. She held up signs between each song. “Song one, Song two” etc... She got most of the applause.
Our first gig when she actually sang was at an open mic in East Nashville. We sang If I Were a
Nightengale. I was surprised at what a force of nature she is on-stage!
What's the process like of creating music in the studio?
We never know how things are going to sound. We do 50% of our gigs with just upright Bass,
Theremin and vocals only. The other half of the time we use some great players to fill things out. Even then, we tend to be a bit odd. I can’t remember the last gig in which we had a Guitar. Our sound
always seems to be in flux depending on our mood. My favorite sound is with Drums, Bass and Sax.
The hardest part I have found with recording is having an engineer who understands a good Upright
Bass sound. Most people don’t know how to record it. Often they want to make it sound like an
electric. In general though we approach recording the same way we approach performance. We want to have fun and we want our fans to have fun.
What is the group current plans? Are you pushing any new music or have any new shows coming soon?
We are always filming something for the television show. That’s been a good vehicle for us. Nashville has so much music that it’s hard to be heard. The fact that we are so different makes it even harder. The television show sets us apart and gives viewers a glimpse into our crazy life.
Musically, lately I’ve been intrigued by middle eastern singers. I’d like to incorporate some microtonal singing into our music.
What advice would you give a band coming up?
(Jace) Always remember why you are doing music. If you think too much about how rich non-talented
people have bought their success into the industry you will go crazy. Those people have to live with
their falseness. Be an artist. Create. Be authentic. (Dorothy) Have a back-up plan.
How can we find Meet the Seavers online?
www.meettheseavers.com
The site contains videos, info on us and our Television show.
Any final words or shout outs?
Thanks to you and shows like Indieville TV for giving artists a platform to showcase their talent.
