MRS. FUN – Connie Grauer

By Alex Teitz

MRS. FUN in their own words, plays electra-acid-jazz. The story is much more than that. MRS. FUN is a two-piece consisting of Connie Grauer on bass, keyboards and vocal, and Kim Zick on drums. This duo has playing for over ten years and are a Daemon Records’ new artist. Their newest release FUNSVILLE was done in one sitting and is a masterpiece of jazz improvisination. FEMMUSIC was privileged to have a few moments with Connie Grauer. Here’s what she had to say. For more information visit mrsfun.com

FEMMUSIC: Can you describe your songwriting technique?

CG: Our songwriting technique varies in that one song might be inspired by a bass riff while another by a drum pattern. Some of our songs are written around a lyric or story line idea. One thing is consistent. The inspiration is a short idea then I work on it until the chord progression and form and feel are exactly the way we want it.

FEMMUSIC: MRS. FUN is a two-piece. What challenges does that present for you?

CG: The challenge in being a two-piece present for me is that I am playing a bass part, keyboard part for harmony and/or melody and a vocal part. That is a great challenge for me musically and I love it. The music itself is challenging but being a two-piece has only proven to be extremely liberating. Think about the freedom we have with two people. It works great for the improvisatory aspect of MRS. FUN.

FEMMUSIC: FUNSVILLE was done in a very different way from most albums. Why did you choose this improvisational style?

CG: We started MRS. FUN with the premise that we would be spontaneous and improvisational.  After playing for ten years we thought it would be great to record a completely improvised piece. I think of FUNSVILLE as one long piece because it is as we played it.  Rather than going into the studio with production ideas and songs arranged etc. we entered this project with a clear slate. I prepared for this project by clearing my mind of any preconceived chord progressions, key signatures, time signatures, tempos.

FEMMUSIC: What was the best experience making FUNSVILLE?

CG: The best part of making FUNSVILLE was getting a glimspe of the limitlessness of our musical minds.

FEMMUSIC: What was the biggest challenge making FUNSVILLE?

CG: It was an all or nothing proposition on our part. If it didn’t work we would scrap the entire recording and try another day. But it did and I feel very proud of this piece.

FEMMUSIC: How has your music changed over time?

CG: Our music has gotten better over time as it should.  The premise of MRS.FUN remains the same.

FEMMUSIC: As a woman in the music industry have you been discriminated against?

CG: Yes. However, that has had no impact on my drive, ambition, determination or musical ability.  I can’t wait for the day when it is completely a non-issue.

FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you change about the music industry itself?

CG: I wish there were more music industry savvy people in the clubs rather than club owners who think of music as an afterthought or of musicians as part of the help.. maybe a bit more respect for our business from other business owners. I think that more musicians should see it as a business as well.

FEMMUSIC: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

CG: Have a clear plan about your music and what it is you want to achieve in your career.  Not everyone’s goals are the same. The clearer you are about what you want the better. The rest is learned over time. There is no short answer to this question.