Alexis P. Suter is one of my favorite artists because she contradicts most of the blues cliches. Suter defies expectations — a powerhouse Black woman fronting an all-white band that’s been playing together, on and off, for over two decades. She mixes and matches originals with titles like “Love Always Wins” and “Big Girl Panties” on her new album, Just Stay High, with covers by artists as disparate as Ron Davies and Leon Russell.
One of eight children whose mother was a minister and gospel singer, she mixes the secular with gospel in a repertoire that in 20 years has never colored within the lines. When we talk, it’s never an interview but rather a back fence conversation between old friends catching up.
“We (in the band) have a history, and we have each other. We love each other as family as well. So, I would say it’s magic. The love is what brings us together. The love is like the glue that keeps it together. And who doesn’t want to be in love? I’m not saying we don’t have our issues sometimes, and we’re adults.
“We’re family and sometimes things have to be voiced, and things have to be spoken about so they can be corrected or whatever the case may be, but we come together in love. When we’re on that stage it’s about the people.
“You can be in the dressing room throwing wine glasses at each other, but when we come on that stage it ain’t about us anymore. It’s about the people, and it will always be that way. That’s the golden rule. It’s about the people! And that’s it. That’s how we stay together.
“We’ve been together since like 2005, 2006, and sometimes people go their separate ways for a little while. Then they come back, and that’s what we did. We just explored different things, and then came back together as one. I believe we were not together for six or seven years. And then we all decided, ‘Look, you all sowed your wild oats. Come back and do what we do because we have a love language on that stage.’
“It’s a serious love language. I’ll look at Peter Bennett, the bass player, and he’ll know just what to do. I can look at brother Jimmy, and he’ll know first what to do. All of us know each other, love each other. We have the love. It’s the max, and it’s not just something where a group of musicians get together and play.”
Alexis’ mother was a minister and gospel singer who died recently at 101. “I’m still feeling that, but during the pandemic she was really sick. That’s when I started buckling down on this music real hard because it kept me sane because there was so much going on at that time. I mean, mentally I’m doing very very well. Technically I have a couple of challenges, but nothing that can’t be realized or fixed. Other than that, Don, I’m doing fine. I’m among the living and I still have another day to share my message, you know?”
One of the originals on Just Say High is a song called “Big Girl Panties!”
“Me and Vicki (Vicki Bell, vocalist in the band) wrote this song, and she was having a situation. Something was going on and her friends; I don’t know because I don’t know all of her friends. We’ve been friends over 20 years, but the girl told Vicki, ‘Just put on your big girl panties.’ Vicki said, ‘What?’ She said, ‘All right, whatever,’ and she got to writing it and sent it to me and said, ‘Add to it.’ We both added to it, and boom! It became a thing.
“We’re waiting to use it for this TV pilot that’s going to be tested. It’s gonna be coming soon. I believe the pitch is about four older women, and I think it’s a cross between Deadpool and The Golden Girls. It’s older women, and the song is perfect for the pilot. So, we’re just waiting to hear back and that might be happening.”
At Caffe Lena recently she took a sold-out crowd to blues-rock heaven backed by a band that challenged the Stones for raw intensity. The group had the hard-to-accomplish talent of lending nuance to arrangements that blew through the Caffe like a tsunami in Hurricane Katrina: razor sharp, loud and intense.
She played two sets for a total of an hour and a half on stage. She channeled blues legend Howlin’ Wolf on his classic Chicago blues standard “Built for Comfort Not for Speed,” but most of her repertoire was originals including several from the new album. “Just Stay High,” she says, is not about getting stoned. She stuck to the secular. She performed The Beatles “Let It Be” which brought her to tears. She led with songs from the new album but covered material reaching back into a career that began a quarter century ago. Vicki assisted on vocals. She also co-writes many of Alexis’ best songs.
Standout songs included “God Gave Me The Blues,” “Some People,” “Breathe,” and “Be On Your Way.” Also performed was “Tell My Baby What’s Wrong,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” “I’m A Ram,” “The Shape I’m In,” “Big Man,” and encore of “Take Me to The River.”
At 62, Alexis is at the top of her game, a game that’s been a wild ride. “Absolutely. Come on! I was in motorcycle clubs. I was the sergeant at arms. I was in that club for about seven years. We’re talking young – 19, 20. I was in different groups growing up. I was a very rebellious child. No matter what, mother and father stood by me. They let me know when I was wrong, and they did not reward bad behavior, but I was so young.
“All my siblings were nine or 10 years older than me. My two remaining siblings I have – my brother will be 81 the end of September, and my sister is 71. My mother had us all singing in church. I lasted the longest ’cause I was the youngest. Everybody else was like, ‘I’m out of here. I’m not going to service’ (chuckle) ’cause we grew up in a Pentecostal Church. It was very strict.
“For me the sacred part was my mother being at peace and leaving a legacy, leaving something behind for us to continue to build on. Now, the profane – well, (pause) all I can say about the profane is I’m here! She’s gone! And I just have to keep moving on. I have to learn what I learned from her and just keep calm no matter what’s going on in the world. No matter what’s happening, keep calm, pray, and continue what I’m doing. That’s the profane part for me.”
