Marcella Simien has been a fixture of the Memphis scene for over six years now, often with her band, Marcella & Her Lovers, and over that time she’s acquired a reputation as a genre-buster. If her brand of “swamp soul” is inherently multicultural, reflecting both her zydeco-playing father, Terrance Simien, and the rich roux of her native Louisiana’s other musical flavors, she personally has many sonic touchstones beyond those. “I have broad taste in music and always have,” she says. “You can find soulfulness in any genre. That’s what I’m drawn to. From Kraftwerk to Brian Eno to Nina Simone, from sampling to jazz to folk.”
As her musical endeavors gain steam, that eclecticism is more apparent than ever. And it’s keeping her mighty busy. I spoke with her recently about the welter of projects she’s involved in now.
Memphis Flyer: It doesn’t seem like quarantine slowed you down much over the past year.
Marcella Simien: It turned out that the time away from the usual schedule was something that I needed. All the time I had alone to write and dig more into what I want, across the board, in life and ceatively, professionally, was really transformative. Things have opened up for me.
I also invested in a couple items that have got me excited about making new sounds: a little sampler and a drum pad thing, the Roland SPD-S. It’ll be interesting to integrate it into the live show. It’s cool to blend analog or acoustic instruments with the high-tech stuff, samplers and all that. I’ve been making demo after demo after demo, sinking my teeth into these different genres.
You’ve also been playing with different ensembles. Are the Lovers still an ongoing group?
I’m never going to abandon the Lovers band, no matter what. That’s who I am. We still have tour dates, and we’re putting out an album, Marcella & Her Lovers Live at Railgarten, in September. And then I have a new single that’ll come out after that, under the name Marcella Simien. That’s a rebrand that allows me more room to dance between different genres.
Another group I’m in, ASP, started when Jesse James Davis, Keith Cooper, and Frank McLallen recorded all these songs during quarantine, and then brought them to Dustin [Reynolds] and I about three weeks ago, to recreate the songs live for Goner TV. I’m not the front person, and I really enjoy having the pressure off. And the songs are great and catchy and psychedelic. Some wild shit! So it’s been small gatherings and smaller ensembles. I’m drawn to that right now. And my website [marcellasimien.com] has all the groups that I’m associated with in one place.
On June 18th, you’ll be heralding the reopening of Bar DKDC. That venue has been important to you, hasn’t it?
Absolutely. It’s my second home. I owe so much of my progress to Karen Carrier. She gave me a stage, ever since I was in college. So on June 18th, we’re going to have a second line and walk from Nelson Avenue to DKDC, with the Lucky 7 Brass Band. Once inside, the Lucky 7 is going to throw down, and the Lovers will go on after them. And we’ll try to keep some of the Lucky 7 up there with me!
Not long after that, yet another group you’re in, Gumbo, Grits & Gravy, will have a DKDC residence.
Thom Wolke manages Guy Davis, who is the son of civil rights activists and actors Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Guy’s an incredible guitarist, songwriter, and storyteller. So Thom reached out to me about his idea for this group, gathering Guy with me and Anne Harris, who’s this great fiddle player based in Chicago. She’s just electric. She creates this whole different reality, and you can’t help but just want to be around her. And Guy’s the same way, with his storytelling ability. It’s heavily roots and blues. We’re doing a short 10-day run in July, so they’re coming to Memphis to rehearse, and then we’ll play DKDC on June 23rd and 24th. I’m just honored that they let me be a part of it.