Theresa Andersson on U.S. tour

Theresa Anderson warms up on the East Coast (dates below)

"I stopped thinking in terms of traditional songwriting. I worked on shapes, forms, and textures, scents and colors. Elements which are more earthy and organic inspired me." - Theresa Andersson

Melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre; these are the traditional building blocks of pop music. Though you will find them in abundance on the new album by Swedish born, NOLA transplant Theresa Andersson.

Hummingbird, Go! hardly sounds like conventional pop. Playing every instrument on the album with the help of a loop pedal, Theresa took elements from her life and surroundings - her Swedish upbringing, New Orleans home, the locusts in her garden, the soda pop bottles in her kitchen - to create the uniquely beautiful tracks on Hummingbird, Go!.

Hummingbird, Go! was produced by Swedish singer-songwriter/producer Tobias Froberg (Peter Moren’s upcoming solo album) and mixed by Linus Larsson (Peter, Bjorn and John, Mercury Rev). Hummingbird, Go! was recorded in Theresa’s kitchen. She played all the instruments on the album except on bonus track “Now I Know” which is a duet with legendary New Orleans producer and composer Allen Toussaint (The Meters, Dr. John, The Band, Elvis Costello) and “Innan Du Går”, a duet with Norwegian singer Ane Brun.

Growing up near her mother’s wool spinnery on Gotland a Swedish Island in the Baltic Sea, Theresa moved to New Orleans when she was 18 and since then has played with the likes of Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and members of The Meters.

"The kitchen sounds amazing, it has wonderful, natural reverb," Andersson explains.

Even the room itself is audible. Theresa created and recorded sounds to match what she heard in her head.

The vibraphone on "The Waltz" is actually soda pop bottles filled with varying amounts of liquid, while the slide guitar textures on "Hi- Low" were coaxed from her primary instrument, violin. Mouth percussion doubled for drums. A classical guitar, tuned down, stood in for conventional bass. 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.

Andersson's craft does not end with her music. While mixing the record in Sweden, Andersson also needle felted 1,500 individual CD jackets for the teaser EP "I the River."

“I'm fascinated with textures, and love the feel and look of things. When you color wool, the final results depend on how you sort your natural colors to start. It's the same in music."

US Tour Dates
09/05: New Orleans, LA @ The Republic
09/09 Tuscon, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
09/15: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/16: Seattle, WA @ Showbox
09/25: Baltimore, MD @ 8 x 10
09/26: Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
09/27: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09/30: Washington, DC @ DC9
10/04: Gretna, LA @ Gretna Heritage Festival
10/22: New York, NY @ Living Room
10/24: Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
10/25: Norfolk, VA @ Attucks Theatre
11/01: Chicago, IL @ Schubas