Chali 2na and Sharon Jones at the 2008 Jammys
You mentioned that you played with Saundra in a wedding band. What type of music did you play?
I was in this wedding band, an Italian wedding band, and then she left to start doing her career, and then the wedding scene got crazy. They started wanting me to sing Christina Aguilera, so I felt it was time to get the hell out of here. I like J. Lo, but when I had to sing her song I was like, “Ok, alright, time to go…” You know? Thank God that when one door closes, another one opens. That’s my blessing because it was hard…I looked at my bandleader, and I know he was hurt. I was with him what 13, 14—I was with him as long as I’ve been with Daptone and these guys here.
You know, I’m devoted to singing—that’s my gift, it’s what God gave me to do, and I enjoy doing it. I just feel like people shouldn’t get angry and try to hold me down—especially when you’re making money off it. Here it is you’re a singer and, meanwhile, you’re out here in projects living in a room with your mother, while people are making money off of you.
I mean, I chose to come out and help my mother. I’m like, “just get her out of here, get a house down south near everyone else that can take care of her,” and then I can go ahead with my career. Because I just think that in order to be happy in the next few years, I have to concentrate on myself, and I can’t do that with my mother worrying about me. You know that’s it—at least with the next album coming out, I’m expecting to really get out there and get on the road. This year was thrilling, but we didn’t go anywhere. We went to Canada, we went to a couple places, but we basically worked on the album, and the guys are really drained from the last few years. And I can understand that—[guitarist Tommy “TNT” Brenneck] has his own label now, and he’s got the Budos Band, Menahan Street Band and he’s working with Mark Ronson. He even has a hit with Jay-Z. We’re about to lose him—not lose him but he’s not going to be at every gig—and we’re gonna have to get another guitarist to be on the road.
It must be hard to be at the center of his band that is the lynchpin of so many other projects.
We have a large family, but a change is coming. I gotta get prepared. The Phish thing was right up my alley. I mean, I’m looking forward to doing more stuff like that. When I did the thing with Lou Reed Berlin it was different. Lou Reed is from a whole different world, and these guys from Phish were so down to earth. Then I realized I was older than these little guys, they’re only in their 40s or whatever. But they were so down to earth. I just can’t imagine anyone being as nice as these guys, and they have that kind of crowd—that kind of following. They have so much energy, but it is not drug-related energy, it’s all natural. They got their families, their wives and their children back there, and they’re all so humble and happy. It just made me feel so good to be around them and it was just a blast to do. I like working with different people and even that Michael Buble album that just came in October—I’m on that too.
As you said it’s all about positive energy
Yeah, it is like that show. Everyone in the front started looking, and I just let it go. And then I just got on and did my thing. Don’t stand there with your hand in your ears. If you don’t like it, then move and just come back later on. They taught me a lesson though: when I see that, don’t focus on it!
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