Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson

Theresa Andersson

New Orleans is her adopted home, which she moved to at the age of 18 from the swedish island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea. "When I first came to New Orleans, I really felt something inside of me was awakened." Like most residents of the Big Easy, Andersson is a music lover, steeped in the vintage
sounds that have made the city famous. As a performer, her rsum includes dates with Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, Betty Harris, and
members of the Meters. "All of that has filtered into me," she
observes. "You can't help it when you're here." Regional legend Allen Toussaint even dropped by, ferried in
his champagne-colored Rolls Royce, to perform on her CD Hummingbird, Go!

Despite initial plans to use "real" instruments, outside
musicians, possibly even a recording studio, in the end Andersson made Hummingbird, Go! entirely in her home, with no outside
performers (except Toussaint and Ane Brun). As a result, Theresa had to find a
suitably unique way to perform these pieces live, too. The solution? A
one-woman band set-up, using two looping pedals and a variety of
effects.


With her toes turning knobs, as her hands strum guitar or bow a violin,
and she sings with a charismatic smile that belies her intense
concentration, Andersson's performances are little masterpieces of
functional choreography. Working out a single arrangement can take
upwards of two months. Inspired in part by the puppet theater of
Chicago's Blair Thomas and Company, her shows provide daredevil thrills
for Andersson and her audience alike. "The crowd are as excited as I
am," she admits. "There is definitely that feeling of, 'Oh my God, is
it all going to fall apart?'"

Like Keren Ann, Feist, and Jane Siberry,
Theresa Andersson maps out musical terrain all her own, while
simultaneously beckoning listeners to come explore, too. - By Kurt Reighley