Photo courtesy of artists
CUPCAKE DUO. Tippy Canoe (right,) and AntonetteG play Mandolin Café at 3 p.m. on Feb. 6.
Bay Area musicians Tippy Canoe and AntonetteG are heading to the Northwest for a series of shows. They will perform solo sets, then finish each performance as a duo dubbed The Cupcake Diaries.
The two met 10 years ago from playing in all-girl rock groups in the Bay Area. Tippy was a drummer and AntonetteG played bass.
On their last trip to the Northwest they played a cupcake shop in Olympia. They did a set together, thus moniker Cupcake Diaries.
“Somehow it defined the whole tour,” AntonetteG said. They decided to revisit the collaboration on their upcoming visit, which includes a show in Tacoma.
Each performer will do a solo set and then combine forces for harmonies and a euphonious fusion of guitar, ukulele, washboard and bass.
“We are such good friends that we knew we wanted to team up,” Tippy said. “The shows will have three things in one package.
Some songs will have pre-recorded music of a full band.
“We do a lot of different things, depending on the venue, such as whether it is a coffee shop or a bar,” AntonetteG said. “Each show will be unique.”
Tippy will play some material from her latest album, “Parasols and Pekingese,” which came out last year. Her musical comrade is promoting her album “Antonette & the Golden Boys,” which was released in 2008.
Critics have praised the old-time sensibility Tippy brings to her brand of folk/pop.
AntonetteG’s material reveals a variety of influences. The song “My Horseshoe” has a country flair, while “Pretty Pictures” shows her rock side. “No Joy For The Soldier” suggests a Creedence Clearwater Revival influence. The song describes military personnel struggling to adjust when they return from battle, a timely topic given our nation’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I write about whatever is happening in my world,” AntonetteG said. “It could be my family. The war is part of everybody’s life. We are all affected by it in some way.”
Her song “Over You” brings to mind Jefferson Airplane, suggesting the Bay Area rock of 40 years is still influencing modern artists.
Tippy’s knowledge of that style came from hearing it on the radio when she was growing up in Baltimore. In her youth, favorite artists included Donna Summer, Queen and Electric Light Orchestra.
AntonetteG grew up in a military family and moved a lot. She listened to show tunes and classical music in her youth.
After wrapping this current tour, AntonetteG will release an album on vinyl. Why release a record, a once dominant format that is now a niche market?
She prefers the sound quality, for one.
“A CD is inferior delivery mechanism,” she said. “There is something special about listening to the record.” AntonetteG also feels a record cover is a piece of art in itself.
“It is something separate from the music itself.”
The two artists are slowing growing a fan base in the Northwest, something they plan on building upon with their visit next week. “It is a work in progress,” Tippy said. “The fans we have met are great. We definitely have quality, if not quantity. The people are very friendly, the audience is easy to chat with an interested in a dialogue. We love going up there.”
They plan to have a dance contest. A new original song, “The Caterpillar,” needs its own dance, they have determined.
“We are looking for people to come up with a dance move,” Tippy commented.
Tippy Canoe and AntonetteG play Conor Byrne Pub in Seattle at 8 p.m. on Feb. 4 and Mandolin Café in Tacoma at 3 p.m. on Feb. 6
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