INTERVIEW: Blues singer Alexis P. Suter finds inspiration on the open road

Alexis P. Suter, the rising blues singer with a powerfully resonant bass/baritone voice, has a stage presence and energy that can prove infectious. At a recent concert at the Turning Point in Piermont, N.Y., the singer and her band jumped into a full setlist of bluesy originals that induced sporadic hoots, hollers, dance sessions and nodding heads from the packed crowd.

For those in the audience, it seemed to be a warm respite from the bitter cold temperatures on the desolate streets outside. There was something happening, something important occurring — a star in the making.

At one moment, the singer ripped through “Teacher Man,” waving her hands around the microphone as she built the blues beat to a crescendo.

For Suter, the occasion was doubly special. Not only was it another quality gig in the Hudson Valley region of New York (an area that has been kind to her and the band), but she recently celebrated her 50th birthday. The concert became a simultaneous celebration of both music and musician, with a shot of brandy to top it all off.

The singer, a native of Brooklyn, said music is what she does. “Oh man, you know, it’s just something that I do,” Suter said recently during a phone interview. “It’s like wearing a coat. It’s like wearing your clothes. If I don’t do it, I feel totally naked. This is what I do for my life. …  I wouldn’t even know how to do my life any other way. … Because I’m so conditioned to, you know, doing this. But it’s fun, it’s fun. I’m my own boss. I have my own hours. And it’s just a blessing to be able to be me.”

Throughout a conversation lasting only a few minutes, Suter said the word “blessed” repeatedly. Her gratefulness extended to her band, a grouping she’s had for three albums and many gigs. Their individual sounds have coalesced into a recognizable, yet unique dedication to the blues. Suter’s contribution on lead vocals is thanks in no small part to her mother.

“My mom, she taught music and she sang,” she said. “I was blessed to have been privileged to have music programs in the schools growing up, and they were a big part of the school, and you know my mother having [me] sing recitals and stuff when I was very, very young in church.”

Those early experiences planted a seed in Suter’s mind. “It helped me to want to go on further with it,” she said. “I really liked the way it felt. I liked what people would say, and I liked how I made people feel, and I liked how it made me feel, even from a kid. So, you know … it started very young.”

As Suter started gaining notoriety, she attracted the interest of several blues legends, including B.B. King and Levon Helm. The friendship and working relationship she developed with Helm, in particular, helped bring a wider audience to the Alexis P. Suter Band. Today, after Helm’s recent death, Suter has nothing but kind words for the drummer of The Band.

“I mean I can only speak for me, and anybody else that has ever spoken about Levon would tell you he was just the most beautiful energy you could meet,” she said. “He was just genuine, and he would always drop pearls of wisdom on us. He would teach us so much about the industry.”

Suter’s band opened for Helm 97 times at the world-famous Ramble sessions in upstate New York. “He was like a father in a sense to me,” Suter added. “I really miss him, and just the topic of speaking about Levon, it chokes me up every time, because I just want him back so bad. You know. I’m just thankful for him and for all the joy that he brought to so many people.”

The singer said her band — including Victoria Bell, Ray Grappone, Jimmy Bennett, Peter Bennett and Benjamin Harrison — makes the “perfect mix,” which is the result of constant touring for eight years. “To get on stage with these guys, I know it’s going to be magic,” she said. “It’s just that feeling that you get when you get on stage and you hear your music behind you. You hear these cats, they really put it in for you. And you have no other choice but to get out there and give your best, because they’re giving you their best. … When we get on stage, it’s an explosion. It’s just a beautiful experience with these cats.”

A concert from the Alexis P. Suter Band is usually a unique affair. Grappone, the band’s drummer, keeps track of every setlist so repeat visits to the same venue are different for the diehard fans. “We’re always like creating,” Suter said. “We’re always changing things up. So you know we just want to make sure we give people the best of what we have. And I think one way of doing that is keeping track of what you’ve done so that you don’t overdo it.”

With three albums complete (Shuga Fix, Just Another Fool and Two Sides), plans are in the works for a fourth effort, possibly to be released this year. “It’s just that we’ve been so busy and you know life experiences and life challenges sometimes get in the way of some things,” she said. “But we’re working on something new, and we’ve got some new material lined up. And when we do, it’s going to be very, very, very tasteful, and I think people will receive it well.”

Suter’s journey seems to be filled with satisfaction. Looking back after 50 years, she sees decades filled with music, family and friends. All along the way, from gig to gig to gig, Suter and her band often drive the streets of America, taking in the diversity and landscapes. For a singer who has traveled far in her life, the open road is an open invitation.

“I love to see the countryside,” Suter said of driving. “I love to see the different changes in demographics and things of that nature. I love that. You can’t see that on a plane. … I like to be close with my band, and when we travel, we create a lot while traveling in the car. I’ve written many songs sitting in the car. So I dig that better than anything.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• For a list of upcoming Alexis P. Suter Band concerts, click here.