Deko President Bruce Pucciarello writes to you about what is going on at Deko…
Recently Deko Entertainment agreed to partner with one of my all-time favorite singers Sass Jordan. In my opinion, Sass is a top-ten all-time rock vocalist and it is almost supernatural to me when I get to Zoom call with her. Anyway very few singers can light on fire any song they sing like Sass.
When we found out that there was this hidden gem recording of a live performance Sass did at the South Street Seaport in 1994, we jumped at the chance to partner with her and get this important piece of music out to the public…for the first time! The new album titled Live in New York Ninety-Four is now on my top live albums list because it is straight forward, high adrenaline rock that doesn’t let up, so you can’t let go. As a powerful foundation for Sass’s vocals, Nick Lashley (guitar) and Stevie Salas (guitar) join Tony Reyes (bass, vocals) and Taylor Hawkins (drums, vocals). The drive behind the music is exceptional. Before his untimely passing last year, Taylor credited Sass and this band for giving him an important career break, and he maintained a warm friendship with Sass. Just like a lot of folks I know, Taylor Hawkins was a favorite musician and personality. I hear that drummer I know on this, and boy is he connected and excellent in this performance. So because I can, and I thought it would be fun, I sent Sass Jordan questions, so she could write us back in time to put her answers in this issue of “From the Desk” knowing it will be included with Deko’s newsletter this Friday April 28. That (not exactly coincidentally) will be on the same day that Live in New York Ninety-Four is released for download and on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. If you’re smart, after you read this, you’ll jump right over there and check it out, so you can see if I know what I’m talking about! So Sass, thanks for doing this Q&A with me for our “From the Desk” readers. It is a very special perk you’re giving us, and we appreciate it mightily! Here we go…
INTERVIEW
They say 10,000 hours doing one thing makes us an expert, but considering I’ve listened to at least 35,000 hours of music and played musical instruments another 35,000, I discover each day how little I know. For example, when I listen to this record now, I can’t help but wonder why it took this long to get released. Is there something I’m missing? “It just didn’t seem like the right time! Timing is everything for all of us. When Taylor left, I felt this huge loss, because I couldn’t just call him and chat like we always did, anymore. We didn’t see each other often, but we always kept in touch--and having that part of the friendship removed was a big blow. Digging up this old recording was a way to feel that connection again, and a way to celebrate the connection we all had to each other and to the fans--we are all a big community, and when one of us goes, the rest of us feel the loss. I know T would have loved hearing this again--it brings up so many hilarious memories. I know he’s not really gone--he’s just gone from this hologram--but his spirit and joy are still here for us to enjoy--and this recording reminds us all of that.” It has always been confounding to me that a large percentage of the US audience was under exposed to you, when at the very same time it looked like everyone in Canada totally got it. That is one of the many things that makes this live NYC performance such a collectable. At this performance, the NYC audience is so into you that I guess my question is, why were we denied more Sass in the USA? (Which record company or touring agent do we blame? It wasn’t Deko Entertainment. I know that! ;-)) “The fact is the music business at the time was very political. There were so many rules and regulations--and one of them was that you couldn’t play too many female artists on rock radio--it was taboo. As ridiculous as that sounds now--it was a thing back then. That being said, I wouldn’t really blame anybody--except perhaps myself--because I just didn’t have the emotional fortitude to keep pushing against those types of barriers. I just got bored--and in the end I was more interested in living a real life than I was in creating and living a character that would batter down the walls--it didn’t appeal to me after a certain point.” Listening over and over to New York Ninety-Four, I appreciate how much the audience fed off the performance and the performance fed off the audience. That is what makes a very special live album. You have the audience swooning when you sing “You Don’t Have to Remind Me.” I feel like I’m there with them and you’re singing to me. Do you remember anything you can share about that song/performance? “LOL! I don’t remember much. I remember mostly that it was a very emotional day, with a lot going on behind the scenes on a personal level. I was tapping into that, and of course, when you are with that many people, and you are tapping into an emotion, you will strike a chord that brings out the resonant emotion in everyone else. It was a powerful experience, and you can hear it in the recording.” Finally, I know that you get interviewed all the time and a typical question is, “Hey Sass, what’s next?”, so I think the Deko community would like to ask that question but in a different way. “Hey Sass, what would you love to do next?” “I would love to keep being inspired and excited by music--working with new people, playing for as many as possible, and uplifting, and inspiring others wherever I go, whatever I do. I have no intention of ever retiring from anything--I just want to keep going until I move onto the next adventure--and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”
I think you’ll agree that Sass’s answers were much better than my questions, but also that she couldn’t have been more honest and open in replying to us. Great music affects so many of us in so many ways, and the best music comes from the artists that give us the biggest pieces of themselves. Here is an example of that kind of excellence:
If you want more music that does all of this and more, jump on your stream of choice, filter up Sass Jordan Live in New York Ninety-Four, move the furniture from the middle of the room, secure the rugs, and rock the F**K out!
What questions would you like to ask Sass? Please send questions to me at bruce@dekoentertainment.com.
There is a lot of other stuff coming up at Deko so keep an eye out for my next “From the Desk” when I’ll finally answer our most frequent inquiry: whether there is an actual desk and if there is, what it looks like.
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