Interview: Southern Avenue–Family

Interview: Southern Avenue–Family

By Martine Ehrenclou

GRAMMY-nominated Memphis-based band Southern Avenue is a magical blend of Memphis blues, modern soul, and gospel-infused roots music. There’s no other band like it. Blues Music Award winners, the outfit features founding member, guitarist, songwriter Ori Naftaly and his wife lead singer Tierinii Jackson, her sisters drummer, vocalist, songwriter Tikyra “T.K.” Jackson and percussionist, violinist, vocalist Ava Jackson. The band also includes Jeremy Powell on keys, Blake Rhea on bass and Luther Dickinson on bass. They have toured with The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sheryl Crow, Los Lobos, Galactic and The Revivalists, and performed alongside Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan.

Family is what it’s all about for this talented band. Their new album out on Alligator Records, is aptly titled ‘Family.’ Southern Avenue’s new album is their debut on the esteemed label, the band’s fourth in total. Recorded in Memphis at the famous Royal Studios (Al Green, Ann Peebles, Bruno Mars), the record was produced by GRAMMY winner John Burk (Ray Charles, George Benson, Melissa Etheridge) and recorded and mixed by multi-GRAMMY-winning producer and engineer Boo Mitchell (Snoop Dogg, Bobby Rush, Cedric Burnside).The band’s authentic approach is ever-present on the release, a smoldering melting pot of Memphis roots music that’s grounded by electrifying grooves, killer vocals and guitar ingenuity.

I spoke with Ori and Tierinii by phone.

Rock & Blues Muse
Would you call ‘Family’ a celebration record? Tell me about it.

Ori
The idea was really to go back to the roots and to what makes us special. We decided to double down on our uniqueness and write an album where we tell our story and write a concept album from beginning to end. We wrote it chronologically. Starting with my arrival to Memphis, as in the song “Long As the Road,” and then all the way to the sisters and Ava joining full time when we became a family band. Writing it with guitars and vocals on a voice memo on the phone rather than on the computer, with a drum groove and building it from the instrumental. So, we can play the whole album acoustically and none of the songs will suffer.

Rock & Blues Muse
There’s an emphasis on struggles, growth and unity in your songs. Tell me about where they started and how far you’ve come.

Ori
We met when I was living in my van at Walmart in between shows with my ex cheating on me with my manager at the time. I lived with them, so I was basically homeless. That’s “Long As the Road,” it’s in the lyrics. I looked for Tierinii. I was like, who is the best singer in Memphis that writes her own music? People pointed me to Tierinii. She said, “My sister plays drums and she’s in college, can she join?” I was like, “Yeah, of course.” And 12 months after that, we already had an offer from Stax Records.

We were found at a small bar in Memphis by John Burk–being discovered like in the old days, like from a movie, the way we signed our first deal. Everything happened very, very fast, and we didn’t really know each other. And within a year, we already signed on with a major record label. We weren’t even friends, really. We were just people who knew each other and trusted each other. I think the journey speaks about everything we’ve been through as people and slowly how we became a family.

Rock & Blues Muse
The press information stated that when you first saw Tierinii perform, you saw your future flash before you. Can you tell me about that?

Ori
When I met her and we talked about what we’re trying to do, that’s when I realized, she’s special and it’s way beyond anything I ever thought of at the time. Tierinii wasn’t in the blues world. She wasn’t in in our realm of Americana roots. I realized how she would be able to break the glass for a lot of other women and in artists in general. As the years went by, I realized it way more when you go through so much with a person. We have three kids—a 12 and 13-year-old. And Nava, she’s three.

I always had a vision personally of having a band where everybody’s great at what they do and we’re all working together, and I never saw myself as somebody who’s doing something solo.

Tierinii joined in on the call

Rock & Blues Muse
Your songs have positive messages. Where did that come from?

Tierinii
I think the positive messages come from being raised in the church and listening to gospel music. I’ve always been a spiritual person and I’ll always be a spiritual person. I think that music holds a responsibility and I want to have my listeners feel good and uplifted, moving forward. And these lyrics are how I talk to myself. This is the way that we speak to each other when we’re going through a tough time. You have to be positive in order to move yourself into the next ambition.

Rock & Blues Muse
You have three interludes that are under a minute long on the album. Can you tell me about those? What was the goal?

Tierinii
The goal was to give the listening ear a bit of depth into the traditional aspect of blues and the storytelling of blues.

Ori
We came to do an album that tells a story. When you listen to the album in order, there were a few things lyrically and poetically that enhance the story. And if you don’t have them, it sounds like it’s just a mashup of songs. Not everything has to be verse, pre-chorus, chorus, breakdown. Not everything has to have the same formula to make a point. John, and Bruce at Alligator, they asked us, “This is great, can you make it a full song?” And we were like, “No, no. This is it.” And you can hear it on “Believe.” We didn’t even try to make it short. We just tried to make the point lyrically and then write music to it. It was our attempt to make a record and not a collection of songs. We’re really thankful that they went with our vision on it.

I am very curious to know, how did you feel when you heard them? How did that hit you?

Rock & Blues Muse
I loved them because all three were beautiful. I remember on one or two there was just Tierinii’s beautiful voice, and then there were backup singers with harmonies. It was like cleansing the palette in between great meals, or maybe a break between two chapters in a novel.

Ori
That’s exactly what we’re trying to do.

Tierinii
That makes me feel good.

For more information on Southern Avenue and their new album ‘Family’ see here

“Upside”