Talking to Debra Devi

Stefani M.C. Janelli talks to blues/rock guitarist and vocalist Debra Devi about the North Jersey Blues Society (NJBS) Women in Blues Showcase Series at the Stanhope House on Friday, March 8 and her journey in the genre.

Question: You’re one of the main performers at the North Jersey Blues Society’s Women in Blues event at the Stanhope House, a celebration of female artists in a genre where women’s contributions haven’t always been in the spotlight. What does this opportunity mean to you, and how do you see your role in shaping the blues today?

Answer: The Outcrops, Regina Bonelli, the BC Combo and myself share equal billing. They’re all equally fantastic. It’s going to be a great night!

I love that NJSB is celebrating female blues artists because female musicians are still too often put down or shoved aside. Sometimes we do get special opportunities because we’re women - yet women make up less than 15 percent of the artists playing festivals, for example.

“The blues is a big house,” as Jimmie Vaughan told me. I’m grateful to slide under its roof as a blues/rock artist. I don’t see my role as shaping the blues so much as shining a light on the profound influence this Black art form has had on American music.

Question: Your “Jamification Station Vol. 1” live EP reached No. 5 on the Relix/Jambands.com Radio Chart Top 30. As a self-produced and unsigned artist, what was that moment like for you?

Answer: Very exciting! I couldn’t believe my record was on the chart next to artists I admire like Bonnie Raitt and Gov’t Mule. And I was happy that people were responding to a live recording with lots of spontaneous jamming.

“Jamification Station Vol. 1” was just me and my band crammed into one room together without headphones, playing our faces off. In this day of pop artists lip-syncing through their choreographed shows, it’s great to know that people still hunger for the high-wire magic of a live band improvising together.

Question: In addition to being an acclaimed blues artist, you’re also an accomplished author. What inspired you to write “The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu,” which won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award?

Answer: I started making a list of words in blues songs like mojo, hoodoo, hoosegow, nation sack ... I was curious about where these strange words came from and what they meant.

When my list hit 100 words, I figured writing a book would be a cool way to figure that out.

I interviewed as many elder blues artists as I could - from Hubert Sumlin to Robert Lockwood Jr. - and asked what these words meant to them when they were growing up in the Delta. They told me stories and provided insights I’d never read in the academic research sources.

I hope by talking directly to those artists, I’ve made some small contribution to the history of the blues. Now you can look up most any word from a blues song in my book and learn something about where it comes from and what it means.

Question: You’ve said your love for guitar started when you were a kid, listening to your teenage neighbor play Led Zeppelin. Did you have any idea then that you’d become an artist yourself, especially one of today’s leading female blues/rock guitarists?

Answer: I heard “Kashmir” on his transistor radio when he was outside working on his car. That music was so wild that I ran over to him and shouted, “What is this?”

I began listening to lots of rock and found myself singing the guitar solos instead of the lyrics. When I was 15, I got up my nerve to ask my mother for an electric guitar. She was mortified!

I finally bought an electric guitar in a pawnshop after seeing Bonnie Raitt during my senior year in college. I never thought I’d become an artist myself, but I was really drawn to the guitar. Music is how I express all my passions and frustrations - so if anybody else feels moved by my records or shows, I’m delighted. And there’s nothing more fun than playing with my band!

Question: Who were your biggest influences when you first picked up the guitar?

Answer: The blues gave me the courage to try. When I saw Son Seals play guitar with Koko Taylor, I was blown away by his emotional power. He could flatten the room with just one note. He didn’t play lots of notes; he wasn’t flashy. He was all soul, and I thought, “Maybe I could try to do that.”

When I moved to NYC after graduation, I didn’t know a single person. I decided to try to audition for bands just to meet people. I figured nobody knew me anyway, so it didn’t matter if I fell on my face. And I did a lot. I quickly learned to be comfortable with being totally humiliated. My motto was: Dare to suck! There’s always going to be an embarrassing moment during a jam or a performance. If you can laugh it off and roll with it, you’ll learn and grow.

To my shock, I actually got into a punk band. I learned how to play rhythm guitar by learning their songs. I figured out how to solo by looping chord progressions on my little Casio keyboard and playing over them until I stumbled onto notes that worked.

Question: Are there any rising artists in the genre who inspire you or who you see looking up to you?

Answer: I love the strong Black blues players carrying the genre forward, like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jackie Vinson, Cedric Burnside and Mr. Sipp, who reminds me of Freddie King. They’re all amazing! Same goes for our local heroes BLUES People.

I don’t know that any artists are looking up to me - but when we played the Morristown Jazz & Blues Festival last summer, a little girl with long red hair sat on her knees right in front of me at the lip of the stage the whole time. I was glad she was getting to see a woman play guitar and lead a band. That wasn’t an experience I had growing up.

Question: You’ve shared the stage with legends such as Willie Nile, Joan Osborne, Jesse Malin, Ana Popovic and Fantastic Cat. Do you have a favorite show or a particularly memorable moment from opening for them?

Answer: Having seen photos of Ana in her sky-high heels, I figured she’d wear something comfortable, like sneakers, for her soundcheck. Instead, she came out in equally sky-high espadrilles for soundcheck. I don’t know how she does it! She told me something that really impressed me: Every time she’s home from a tour, she looks up a guitar teacher and takes some lessons. She’s always learning, and that is so inspiring.

Willie Nile is the world’s nicest guy, with Jesse Malin running neck and neck. They both give their all as performers and to their fans. I got to sit in with each of them, and that was really awesome.

Question: Do you have any favorite collaborators - artists or musicians you’ve especially loved working with?

Answer: My biggest thrill was recording my EP “A Zillion Stars Overhead” with former Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson. I think he’s one of rock’s all-time great bassists. We recorded live in the studio with drummer John Hummel. Getting to experience Jorgen’s power and the musicality of his choices as we dove into some extended jams was incredible.

I’m still in awe of Jorgen’s stunning bass playing on “When It Comes Down (Jam)” and my blues/rock cover of Neil Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done.” There’s a video for “When It Comes Down (Jam)” on my YouTube channel that has some footage of us in the studio.

Question: What can fans expect from your set at this show? Any special songs on the setlist?

Answer: We will whip out some of our favorite blues standards for this one to mix in with my original songs. But you’ll have to come to the show to find out which ones. And I hear that a special jam session may be happening after the bands have all played ... .