Interview: Cathy Richardson

11 November 2011

Cathy Richardson

Cathy Richardson is the current frontwoman of Jefferson Starship, and recent parent.

We spoke to the singer about her time with the band, the future and how being a mother has affected her career.

-You joined Jefferson Starship in 2008 - how's your time with the band been since?
I have had a blast playing this music with these people! We have a great rapport and are really clicking musically now. On stage is always fun and we have a great time hanging out, as well.

-Despite the gap in regular activity, was it still hard coming into the band after over 30 years of its history?
First of all, I am such a big fan it was a no brainer when they asked me to join to jump right in. There are always going to be those people who don't like you simply because you aren't Grace Slick or whomever.

No matter how good you are those people will never be pleased. I didn't force any of my predecessors to leave the band, I just took advantage of an amazing opportunity.

I grew up listening to this great music and now I get to sing it. It's an honor. I think for the most part, people really enjoy what I bring to the band.

-How was it working on Jefferson's Tree of Liberty?
That was an amazing experience, we went into this studio where the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane and all these iconic bands had recorded in the 60s.

We all sat down in the room together with baffling in between us and cut all the vocals and basic tracks at the same time, just live takes. There wasn't a lot of fussing over it, it was like, "that was great... next."

It was instantly apparent that Paul, David and I had a very special blend with our voices.

-Can you tell us a bit about the World Tour?
It's sort of an ongoing thing, our management books shows here and there and we go play. I have been to Europe three times with the band (UK, Italy and Holland) and Japan once.

We have dates in the US kind of all year long but it's not constant. We'll play two weeks on the East Coast and go home, a weekend in Florida, five shows in San Francisco, with a lot of down time in between. We fly to the main hub and rent vehicles to go from town to town.

Next year we have nine dates in Australia which I'm very excited about, hopefully we'll stop back in Japan on our way. I really hope to go back to Europe next year, too, we have such an awesome fan base in the UK.

-What can people expect from a Jefferson Starship live show?
You can expect to hear a lot of Jefferson Airplane material, some of the early hits and more obscure 70s stuff. We play a lot of other songs, too, that people might not expect, the Beatles, David Bowie, Grateful Dead, putting our own spin on it, of course.

We definitely don't play We Built This City or anything from the "Starship" offshoot of the 80s. Although, I have thought of doing the song Sara as a sort of lesbionic torch song, haha.

-Is it hard balancing JS with Macrodots?
It can be hard because one band or the other has to take priority. I just work with the Jefferson Starship manager well in advance to make sure I am clear to book other shows.

We also have Darby Gould, who sang with the band in the 90s and sits in on a lot of Bay Area shows, to fill in for me on dates if I happen to be double booked.

-Will fans of JS enjoy Macrodots?
I'm not sure! I think so but it's very different. There are really two different kinds of Jefferson Starship fans... the original, die hard, hippie Airplane, Paul Kantner fans who have been following the band since the 60s.

Then there are millions of casual fans who know the band from the radio hits. I think those people might like Macrodots better, and I wish they would, haha!

-Do you hope to balance the two, or is one a priority?
My main priority is to keep singing and working and creating and breaking new ground so however that has to happen, I am open to it.

-You've one a number of awards, and been nominated for Grammys. What helps keep you grounded?
Life has a way of kicking you in the ass and the highs in this business are very short lived. I just take it all in stride at this point, I enjoy my moments onstage but when the show is over, it's back to reality.

For a long time I lived on hopes and dreams but when you reach those, you go, "oh, this is what it is... ok, that was fun. Now what?"

-How has being a mother affected your outlook on your career?
Well, I'm pretty new at it, it's only been nine weeks, so far! I can say that ever since Sri Rose (my daughter) came into my life, everything else pales in comparison.

I think it's important for children to see their parents living an authentic life and staying true to themselves so I won't be giving up music anytime soon, it's just the emphasis on what really matters has shifted. That said, it is very hard to say goodbye and go on the road.

-Has it meant you've had to slow things down?
I told Jefferson Starship I wouldn't be able to be away from home around the time she was due, my wife Rachel carried the baby but there was no way in hell I was going to miss the birth.

I booked a lot of local gigs with the Macrodots around that time and kept the weekend of her due date open. I kept telling the baby, "If you want me to catch you when you come out, you are not allowed to be born until your due date!"

Wouldn't you know it, she came on that exact day! Such a good little Virgo. Very prompt. Fortunately, so far, it has worked out that I'm just not on the road that much for these first months of her life.

-Where do you go from here?
Things really slow down in the winter so I'll be playing a few local shows, visiting family around the country for the holidays.

Rachel, Sri Rose and I will be heading to San Francisco for most of January, we are booking a little Macrodots tour of Northern California and showing our clothing line, Shining Shakti, at the Yoga Journal Conference.

Zack (Smith) and I are planning to finish writing the next Macrodots record during that time and Jefferson Starship is playing five nights (Jan 25-29) in a little club called the Razz Room. It's always good to get out of Chicago in the dead of winter so that is a bonus!