Carolyn Wonderland's NW Tour
by Kelley Guiney

Carolyn Wonderland is a native of Houston, Texas, and over the past 8 years she and her band have won just about every music award Houston has to offer, including Best Female Vocalist, Songwriter of the Year and Best Blues Artist. She's opened for Rod Stewart and Ray Charles, and has had the honor of playing at the birthday parties of legends B.B. King and Willie Nelson. Wonderland and her band, now based in Austin, arrived in the Northwest in late March and played a week of shows throughout the area from Olympia to Bellingham. I attended the first show in Bellingham as a curious outsider, and just about fell out of my chair during the sound check. Her vocals are that powerful. By the second song, I was completely won over, and attended every show of the band's Northwest tour.

Wonderland has a captivating stage presence featuring accomplished guitar licks and vocals that are at once tender and ravaging. Her performances have inspired well-earned comparisons to the likes of Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt. Wonderland's personality is a combination of humility, street smarts, sweetness and southern charm. She is an incredibly likable, down to earth, hilarious woman who has a fierce commitment to her craft (six CDs and a constant touring schedule) and absolutely no ego...just pure talent and good will. The power of her performance is a result of her ability to surrender to that talent, holding nothing back; you really do have to see it to believe it. In case all of this isn't enough, the woman has a gift for songwriting that is, arguably, unmatched by anyone in her own generation. Her original songs sound like classics from way back, and her influences include honky tonk, R&B, blues, rock 'n' roll, surf, zydeco…you name it, she's influenced by it and knows how to make it her own. Memorable examples of her talent include I'm the Man, inspired, as she tells it, by 'a telemarketer who woke me up at 8 in the morning and asked for the man of the house.'

Backed by an excellent group of musicians: Scott Daniels on guitar and vocals, Eldrige Goins on drums and Calvin (pool) Hall on bass, Carolyn took the Northwest by storm and won over all those who were smart enough or lucky enough to make it to the shows. Wonderland credits their combined skill to the fact that they are constantly on the road, as she says, 'The more you play, the less you suck, and we play a lot.' Daniels is a master of lead guitar; his playing is characterized by jazzy improvisation that is absolutely unpredictable and always fully complements the songs. He doesn't show off, he's just an amazing musician. Goins is not only a high energy, innovative drummer, but also a genius in the recording studio. He produced the band's latest, Grammy-worthy CD, Alcohol and Salvation. Bass player Hall has known Wonderland since she began playing solo at 14. 'He never treated me like a girl,' she reminisces, 'He treated me like a guitar player, which was nice.'

Particularly memorable moments were Wonderland's Saturday night performance of I Don't Want To Fall For You (she stood on stage with a cigarette in one hand, the mic in the other, eyes closed and belted out this torch classic, which is on her latest CD, but you'd swear it was written in the 1930s), a rocking cover of Dylan's Meet Me in the Morning, with vocals by Wonderland and Daniels (which I'm convinced would become an instant hit if they'd record it), and what fans refer to as the cornbread song,

I need one piece of cornbread, half a cup of soup.
I said...seven shots of whiskey, honey I'll be gettin' over you

which is actually called, My Mind's On Vacation and I'm Out Sick. I could go on and on, because every song is performed with full-on high energy from every member of the band.

You would think that four nights of shows in a row would be enough for anyone, even a newly converted rabid fan, but you would be wrong. This compelling band inspired me to take an extra two road trips — another trip to Tacoma on Monday night when they played at Jazzbones' blues jam, and an all night cruise to Portland, where they transformed another sleepy mid-week crowd at Hopper's. Not only was the lack of sleep completely worth it, but when I arrived home from this odyssey I immediately got on the phone and email to all of my friends and acquaintances and ordered them to get online and buy at least one of their six CDs. You don't want to miss this band if they come through town, and every one of their CDs is packed with talent. I recommend the newest release, Alcohol and Salvation.

For more information on Carolyn Wonderland including an active tour schedule, CLICK HERE