The Posies sprung to life in late ‘80s Seattle, along with bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. But musically, they had little in common with those bands and with the city’s soon-to-be-groundbreaking grunge scene. Though they could certainly rock out when they wanted to, The Posies – singer-guitarists Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, along with various bass players and drummers – were more melodic and generally brighter than their Seattle peers. Where grunge was mainly a dark form of music (Pearl Jam even recorded a tune called “Black” early on), The Posies were working from a musical equivalent of a rainbow.

The band debuted in 1988 with the self-released, modestly-titled Failure. Two years later, they returned with their major label debut, Dear 23. This album was critically acclaimed, with many people aptly comparing Auer and Stringfellow’s lovely harmonies and sense of songcraft to those of The Hollies. Dear 23 contained the radio hit “Suddenly Mary,” “Golden Blunders” (which was later covered by none other than Ringo Starr) and my personal favorite, “Any Other Way.”

1993 was a pivotal year for The Posies. They released their third album, Frosting on the Beater, which contained “Solar Sister” and other popular songs. In addition, 1993 saw them teaming up with Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens – the two surviving members of legendary power pop band Big Star. Auer and Stringfellow would continue to work as part of the refurbished Big Star until Chilton’s untimely death this past March.

The Posies released two more discs – Amazing Disgrace in 1996 and Success two years later. But despite the latter’s optimistic title, these albums weren’t as successful as their predecessors, and the band effectively called it quits before the end of the millennium. Dream All Day, a fine compilation, came out in 2000. In addition, a four-CD box set of demos, live recordings and other goodies, At Least At Last, appeared later that year. But The Posies wouldn’t release another proper studio album until Every Kind of Light in 2005.  

That’s not to say that the two main Posies haven’t stayed busy during the last decade or so. Stringfellow has released a series of solo albums, toured with R.E.M. and played with a series of other bands, most recently The Disciplines. For his part, Auer has also played with other bands, produced several artists and finally taken the solo plunge in 2006 with Songs from the Year of Our Demise. He also has the distinction of playing guitar on William Shatner’s 2004 album Has Been!

The Posies will return at the end of September with Blood/Candy, their first disc of new material in five years. The album, which was recorded in Spain, finds Auer and Stringfellow joined by bassist Matt Harris and drummer Damian Minwalla. Blood/Candy stands up with the best of the band’s work, containing a dozen strong tracks. There are so many highlights that it’s hard to know where to begin. The opener, “Plastic Paperbacks,” is a great leadoff track and features an off-kilter harmony vocal from Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers. Other high points range from sparkling rockers like “So Caroline” and “Notion 99” to the ballad “For the Ashes” to “The Glitter Prize,” which features a cameo from Kay Hanley, former frontwoman of Letters To Cleo. The Posies will support Blood/Candy with tour dates both here and in Europe. 

I recently caught up separately with Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer and have combined excerpts from both conversations below.

It’s been five years since your last album. In the press release accompanying Blood/Candy, Jon says, “We only do The Posies when we really want to now… only when we’re inspired.” Tell me more about why this was the right time for a new Posies disc.

JON:  It’s not like there wasn’t plenty else to do.  Big Star kept us busy, I toured extensively on my solo CD Songs From The Year Of Our Demise and lots of production work for others. But I was amazed so much time had passed since the last Posies record and round of touring. Honestly, we hit it so hard the last go around that I think we really needed the break, time to process and just be ourselves before any kind of reconvening could occur. Space is essential to the Posies equation in my estimation. It creates real perspective [and gives us] an appreciation for what we do together. Seemed like enough time had passed… it was time to be The Posies in full force again before the end of 2010. It just seemed right.  

You guys came up in Seattle during the grunge era but sounded totally different from most of the bands associated with that scene. What was that like? Did you ever feel out of synch with what was happening in Seattle at the time?

KEN:  I think we felt perpetually out of synch with what was going on. I also think we stood out so much that it actually helped us in the end. We were a category of one, and when people wanted to see what else was going in Seattle at that time, we were awfully easy to find.

JON:  There was no easy box to put us in… and yet we still managed to benefit from being from Seattle just because every person on the planet seemed to be paying attention to our geographical area at that time in history. We were definitely just doing our own thing and it posed challenges for sure, but more in the sense of how to market ourselves or be marketed

But hey, it was an amazing time to be from Seattle, an amazing time to live there and be a musician. The ‘scene’ was more created by journalists looking for a story than anything else. Musicians like music – period. Most of us love all kinds of styles, but if your band sounds a certain way, a lot of people seem to assume you only like music that sounds like the music you make. It’s just not the case and rarely ever is. I know for a fact that Henry Rollins loves him some King Crimson but I imagine a large part of his original punk audience would consider that sacrilege.

One of my favorite Posies songs has always been “Any Other Way.” Any memories of recording that song or thoughts about what inspired it?

KEN:  I'm glad you like it. It's pretty adolescent to me, in a way. It's trying so hard not to be self-pitying, and in that sense it's kind of pretentious. Well… I can forgive that 1989 (when it was written) version of me. I remember the recording was quite an elaborate job -- lots of layers, lots of stuff going on.

I’m curious to know from each of you who your main musical heroes were growing up.

JON:  Beyond an obvious call like The Beatles, the person that springs immediately to mind is Les Paul. My father was a huge fan and had an extensive collection of his and Mary Ford’s vinyl. I just loved all the multi-tracking he did; it’s what made me want to get into recording and producing records. Really, there are too many [other influences] to mention. Near the end of high school, Paul Westerberg, Bob Mould, Grant Hart, and Morrissey/Marr were major influences.

KEN:  I truly wanted to be Pete Townshend when I was a wee lad. Maybe that was the only 'hero' I had -- someone who seemed like a role model.  He had a great balance in his music of choreographed violence and extreme sensitivity.  Any teenager knows about being subject to wild mood swings, and here was someone using that formula and making great art from it. As I started to write songs, which happened in high school with my bands then, it was too late to have heroes per se. 

Ken, what does Jon bring to the band that you don’t?

KEN:  It's odd. In some ways, Jon is much more likely than I am to bring [in] something straight-ahead and simple. And then on the other hand, he is also often the one bringing the most dreamy, otherworldly things. Of course, Jon has guitar skills that are formidable, and I think he is a great engineer. Better than me in both cases.

Jon, reverse question. What does Ken bring to The Posies that’s unique from yourself?

JON:  I‘ve certainly learned a thing or two about organization from Ken over the course of the years. I’ve had a reputation for being a little more ‘free form,’ if you will (he said with a smile). But he’s definitely rubbed off on me in this department and I’ve made great strides, if I do say so myself!  

Tell me a little about Blood/Candy’s opening song, if you would. How did you get Hugh Cornwell to sing on “Plastic Paperbacks?” It’s a killer cut to start the album with.

KEN:  I like the songs I write to stay mysterious to me.  They're not about me, and thus I only have access to that world I'm writing about while it's happening. Analyzing it now, it seems to be about the search for knowledge, and how all the technology, all the abundance of written words around us, haven't really ended the quest or perhaps haven't even advanced the quest: Why do we exist? Is there a 'why' for our existence? What are the essential activities to complete the promise of our time on this planet?

Hugh's involvement was just a bold stroke of luck. I had the idea of someone speaking the words in the chorus -- and it sounded really lame when I did it. At the exact moment I was imagining who could pull this off, Paco, our engineer, mentioned that Hugh was coming to this town (El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain) just to hang for a bit -- the town we recorded in is somewhat of an artist's colony. Anyway, Paco simply gave me Hugh's email and that was that.

Jon, you played on William Shatner’s album Has Been several years ago. Tell me a little about that.

JON: It was kind of mind-bending because at the end of the day, Shatner is a bona fide icon, one of a kind. The most surreal thing was just being around him on a regular basis and hearing him speak about everyday things or asking questions -- but it would be with that unmistakable voice and sometimes it would kind of stop you dead in your tracks and you wouldn’t know how to answer or what to do next.

Ken, You’re living in France these days. That’s a long way from Seattle. What is French life like from an American’s point of view?
Perhaps I'm the wrong guy to ask, the wrong American anyway. I don't feel like an American living in France, and I don't feel like a Frenchman either. But for all the emphasis on 'family values' in the US, and all the hubbub of the sanctity of marriage etc., France is hundreds of times more supportive of families. The whole of French society is built around how to make modern working life possible for people with families. Medical care. Education. Social welfare. Vacation. Yes, it's inefficient, yes, it's not as productive or competitive as working 100+ hours a week in a sweatshop. But it's showing a commitment to life and living as opposed to the US, which all about work and having stuff. I can also say this: French people drink more delicious wine and eat more wholesome food, they live longer, and [they] divorce less than Americans. If I get any more "love it or leave it" emails [at] my website after this, my answer is: "I LEFT."

You both played with Big Star for many years. Sadly, Alex Chilton died earlier this year. He was one of the most critically acclaimed figures in music and perhaps one of the most mysterious in some ways. I have my own memories of Alex from when he crashed on my roommate’s couch when I was college and he was down on his luck. What were your some of your experiences of him?

KEN:  Well, one of the wonderful things about Alex is that his interests were many, and his pursuit of them very disciplined. I played tennis with him on occasion and he wasn't a hack. The first day we met him, he was excited to talk about the extreme examples of moral relativism in The Brothers Karamazov. He drove me around Memphis showing where he lived [and] the housing project where Elvis lived with his mom for a period. He was a great fan of Paris and towards the end of his life was spending a few weeks there each summer, so we would get together for dinner.

JON:  I just remember having some of the best conversations with him in airports. We had this amazing circular conversation in the airport in Stockholm once that started with a comment about my love of Tippi Hedren and ended up at Al Green and all points in between, all dots connected --  really inspired, cool stuff. He was a treasure trove of information and taught you things without [even] trying. I miss him.

On a related note – what was it like playing with Jody Stephens, the only surviving original member of Big Star and a hell of a drummer?

JON:  I know I’m not the only person who feels this way about him but Jody is just one of my favorite people on the planet. He’s also one of the great drummers as well. I think he was the soul of Big Star, really. We just spent time together in New York [in] July, played a Chilton tribute at City Winery and although it wasn’t a Big Star show, it still had some of that magic. Jody even sang a version of “Blue Moon” with just me accompanying him on guitar and it was beautiful. Any chance to play with him that feels right and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.

words by Dave Steinfeld

photos by Christine Taylor

Katrina Leskanich is best known as the lead singer of Katrina & The Waves, an Anglo-American foursome who were popular during the latter half of the ‘80s. Born in Kansas in April 1960 to a large family, Katrina was something of an army brat. She and her family moved all over America before settling in England in 1976.

While in the UK, Katrina met bassist Vince de la Cruz, another American expatriate with a large family. The two formed the band Mama’s Cookin’ which later evolved into The Waves with the addition of guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper. Rew, formerly of the legendary Soft Boys, was the band’s main songwriter but after a brief stint as frontman, he promoted Katrina to lead singer.

After working mainly in obscurity from 1983 to 1985, Katrina & The Waves hit the big time that summer. Their self-titled, major label debut was comprised mainly of songs from two independent releases the band had done for Attic Records. But this time, released on Capitol Records, Katrina & The Waves scored. The smash was “Walking on Sunshine,” a feel-good song that also happens to be one of the great singles of the ‘80s. With its insistent beat, horn hook and Katrina’s exuberant vocals, “Walking on Sunshine” shot into the Top 10 and earned the band a Grammy nomination for best new artist.

More hits followed during the remainder of the ‘80s, such as “Do You Want Crying,” “Sun Street” and “That’s the Way.” All of these dented the charts but none provided Katrina & The Waves with the smash they needed to remain in the public eye. During most of the ‘90s, they kept a low profile, at least here in the States.

Then in 1997, the band pulled off a major coup: their single “Love Shine a Light” won the prestigious Eurovision Song Contest. Although it was never released on these shores, the song climbed to number-three on the British charts and won the contest by the biggest margin in decades. Katrina & The Waves appeared repeatedly on Top of the Pops and recorded a new album called Walk on Water. But the success was short-lived. Within a year, escalating tensions within the band caused them to break up. Rew, Cooper and de la Cruz initially recruited another vocalist and continued touring as Katrina & the Waves – which was odd since the new singer’s name was Lynda.

Over the last decade, the real Katrina has remained busy. Still based in the UK, she has starred in the West End production of Leader of the Pack, the Ellie Greenwich musical; hosted a radio show on BBC Radio 2; and begun writing her autobiography, Don’t it Feel Good. In late 2005, she also took the solo plunge, releasing a 10-track album called simply Katrina Leskanich. Not only does the disc show her in fine form vocally – she can still belt out a rocker or deliver a love song equally convincingly – but it includes some fantastic tunes. My personal favorite is “Hallowed Ground,” a midtempo love song that in a better world would be all over adult contemporary radio. Katrina Leskanich also features the strange, stream-of-consciousness of “Watch,” the soulful “All That Matters” and a lovely cover of Kirsty MacColl’s “They Don’t Know.” Katrina’s version on the album is a ballad, though in 2008 she scored some success with a dance remix of the track.

2010 is a significant year for Katrina in a number of ways. It marks her 50th birthday and the 25th anniversary of “Walking on Sunshine” (a song that still gets lots of radio airplay and pops up continually in films). In addition, she is gearing up to release her first live album this month. Katrina Leskanich: The Live Album showcases her powerhouse vocals on hits from her days with Katrina & the Waves, material from her solo disc and a cover of the Tina Turner chestnut “River Deep Mountain High.”

I first met Katrina Leskanich while vacationing in London several years ago and have interviewed her a number of times since then. In addition to being one of the best and most underrated singers out there, she is a warm and open person who is always fun to talk to. Here are some excerpts from our most recent conversation.



Let’s start with your new live album. When and where was it recorded?? How can people buy it??

The new live album was recorded in England and Germany. It’s called Katrina Leskanich: The Live Album and will be released on the 25th of July.  I didn’t fancy going into the studio to record an album when I was feeling and loving the vibe of the live shows and the freedom to express myself without retakes and discussions. It is always a blast being onstage and these recordings reflect that but also show something new and exciting from me as a singer.  I think the true enjoyment and love I have for performing transcends the wild ride of some of the tracks.  In fact, there are some moments on the live album where I think the whole track is going to come crashing off the rails.

Katrina and the Waves never released a live album and, apart from our early albums, I thought we were so much better as a live band. [So]  I thought ‘Well, heck with it, let’s get these shows recorded.’


Tell me a little about how Katrina & The Waves formed and about how the American half of the band – you and Vince – met Alex and Kim.

Vince and I met in the church choir in 1977 when I moved to England from Holland.  My Dad was in the Air Force and was stationed there to fullfill my Mother’s life-long dream to live in England.  We started a band called Mama’s Cookin’ and performed for the G.I’s on base in the clubs.  Another guy in the group [had known] Alex Cooper in Cambridge and had mentioned me to him when he heard Alex was looking for a girl singer to start a band.  I said Vince would have to come along too.  Kimberley Rew, who lived in London, was looking for a band to back him after leaving The Soft Boys.  We clicked and decided to do some gigs in London around the early ‘80s. 

Most of the clubs were dumps and did not pay and the audiences in general seems disinterested but we plugged away.  We had renamed ourselves The Waves and somebody said, “Hey, you got a girl in the group but nobody knows it. You’d get a lot more bookings if they did.” So we added “Katrina” and Katrina and the Waves was born.


What is your relationship with the three Waves like now?

I don’t see them much anymore.  “Walking on Sunshine” celebrated its 25th anniversary this year so I went out and did a couple of TV shows and radio interviews, but not with the guys.  I think we all keep a respectable distance from each other. We split in 1998 and I feel I am a very different person to the one I was back in the day.


I wanted to ask you about the song “Hallowed Ground” from your self-titled solo album. That one has “hit” written all over it. How did that song come to be?

Phil Thornalley, my neighbour and a great guy, wrote “Torn” for Natalie Imbruglia and got me to sing backup on it.  That event started a working relationship with Phil. “Hallowed Ground” was a demo track of [his] that I sang on and then thought, “Hang on a minute, I want that song for my first solo album!”  And so it was.


You were keeping a funny online blog about your dog for awhile. Are you still doing that?

Metropoodle can now be found on Twitter and Facebook.  Metropoodle took a small hiatus from cyberworld after many exhausting photo shoots but is back.  She is a London dog and shares her daily exploration of the city with her fans.


What are the pros -- if any -- and cons of having the same name as a hurricane?

No pros having a name associated with a disastrous event. I withdrew my first solo [album] out of respect for the thousands of people who lost their lives, their homes and their hope.  It was an awful time for the wonderful people of New Orleans and I wish them continued success rebuilding their iconic and special city.


Any thoughts on “Walking on Sunshine” 25 years later?

“Walking on Sunshine” is 25 years old now and has certainly been a special record for me.  The association with such an uplifting song has made me a more positive and happy person as it has brought so much joy into my life.  I never tire of singing it and I love all the other cover versions, Dolly Parton’s most of all!  The song is my safety net, is always there for me and has enabled me to continue on with my career [after] 35 years in the business.  I really couldn’t have done it without it!

 VISIT KATRINA @ WWW.KATRINASWEB.COM

words by Dave Steinfeld