Terri Hendrix

Terri Hendrix readies release of “The Art of Removing Wallpaper 2012,” plus new book & arts center for 2013

SAN MARCOS, TX — In the midst of preparing for her two sold-out “Life’s a Song” workshops in Port Aransas, Texas (Oct. 26-28 and Nov. 16-18), booking concert dates for 2013, writing her second book, and working steadily toward the opening of her OYOU arts center, veteran recording artist and “truly self-made woman” (Al Kooper) is set to release a top-to-bottom remixed and remastered version of her acclaimed 2004 album, “The Art of Removing Wallpaper.” Hendrix is currently taking pre-orders for the CD, which will bear the updated title “The Art of Removing Wallpaper 2012,” on her website, www.terrihendrix.com.

Although she’s recorded several more albums since the original “AORW” was released (including 2010’s “Cry Till You Laugh,” which Philadelphia Folk Festival founder and WXPN DJ Gene Shay hailed as “wonderful, with some of the best songs I’ve heard in ages”), Hendrix says that revisiting her fifth studio album is a project that’s been on her wish list for years — ever since the first time she heard the album’s centerpiece song, “Monopoly,” on the radio. “It was mastered too low, and was lower in volume than the song that followed it,” she explains. Hendrix and her longtime producer and musical partner, Lloyd Maines, actually issued a remastered version of the album to correct that issue a few years ago, but between touring and recording newer material, they didn’t have quite enough time to dive as deeply into additional tweaking of the mixes as she had hoped. But they approached the 2012 version with the concentrated dedication of a brand new album, taking full advantage of the freedom that comes with owning all of one’s own masters to completely overhaul the mixes and mastering from the ground up. Hendrix even re-sang some of her vocals and tweaked some of her lyrics in order to “turn it into the original vision I had for the album all along.”

Given that Hendrix has spent most of her career as a pioneering independent artist with eyes seemingly always locked on her next creative horizon, “AORW 2012” might seem — at first — to be an uncharacteristic look back for the award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (harmonica, guitar, mandolin). But one listen proves otherwise. This is the work of an artist who’s always refused to rest on laurels, driven by the motivating spirit that even her best work, no matter how well received by critics and fans, can always be better. Songs like “Breakdown” and “One Way” have never sounded more deeply personal, nor “Judgment Day” and “Monopoly” more fearless and timely as searing critiques on the blurring of religion, politics and war and the alarming ramifications of the deregulation of the media. And the refinements to her cover of rapper LL Cool J’s “I Need Love” reveal a level of breathtaking intimacy that the original — arguably one of the most striking recordings of her career — only hinted at.

After the release of “AORW 2012” (pre-orders will ship to fans Nov. 30), Hendrix will move full-steam ahead into the New Year — with the opening of her nonprofit community arts center in San Marcos at the top of her to-do list. Called the OYOU (after her motto, “Own Your Own Universe”), the center will offer educational and therapeutic programs for people of all ages, including those who face neurological challenges or physical disabilities. As an artist and performer with epilepsy, Hendrix knows firsthand about the challenges of living with a neurological condition. She is currently writing an entire book on the subject; by sharing with candid honesty all that she’s learned through her own experiences of living (and touring) with a seizure disorder, Hendrix hopes to help others coping with similar conditions. She’s been working on the book since 2003 and aims to publish it next year. It will actually be her second book, following 2010’s “Cry Till You Laugh — The Part That Ain’t Art,” a collection of essays, song lyrics and DIY music industry survival tips that the Austin American Statesman’s Michael Corcoran deemed “equal parts spiritual and practical.” Having already sold 3,000 copies of the paperback version through her website alone, Hendrix is now set to introduce “Cry Till You Laugh — The Part That Ain’t Art” into the e-book marketplace. The book has also found its way into colleges, with some professors at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas, and Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City, La., adding it to their curriculum and inviting Hendrix to speak to their classes about all aspects of making music for a living.

As busy as she’s been with all of the above, though, Hendrix continues to pursue the part of her job she loves the most: performing for as many friends and fans as possible, both inside and outside of Texas. Juggling “the part that ain’t art” with the part that IS art is by no means an easy road. But having truly owned her own universe — master recordings, total artistic freedom and all — for the better part of the last two decades, Hendrix still wouldn’t have it any other way.

- WILORY RECORDS

www.terrihendrix.com and visit the press/bio section - See Hendrix Website

Amazon.com
Spirituality has rarely sounded more playful than it does on this album's title song. Though the Texas troubadour's matter-of-fact whimsy keeps her message from becoming overbearing, a seriousness of purpose underscores this song cycle about the ways in which spirituality informs everyday life. As the material remains thematically focused, there's a wide range of musical styles, from the Deep Ellum bluesiness of "No Love in Texas" and the jazzy "Mood Swing" to the spoken-word "If I Had a Daughter" and the Cajun two-step of "Jim Thorpe's Blues." In addition to her original material, Hendrix finds a perfect fit for material from others, including John Hadley's singalong opener, "Life's a Song," Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl ballad "Pastures of Plenty," and Jimmy Driftwood's socially conscious "What Is the Color of the Soul." As before, her key musical collaborator remains producer/multi-instrumentalist Lloyd Maines (father of Natalie of the Dixie Chicks, whom he has also produced and accompanied), with a crack band backing Hendrix throughout. --Don McLeese - Amazon.com

Review
by Alex Henderson
The highly influential grunge/Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Seattle explosion of the early ‘90s not only made angst a primary ingredient of loud, heavily amplified, hard-rocking bands--it also had a major impact on the singer/songwriter field. Plenty of introspective singer/songwriters who emerged in the post-Nevermind world (both male and female) have thrived on a steady diet of angst, dissatisfaction and anxiety even if they are surrounded by acoustic guitars, got their start in coffee houses and don't sound anything at all like Courtney Love or Eddie Vedder musically. But angst has not been a high priority for Terri Hendrix, who continues to see the glass as half full--or maybe even 65 or 70 percent full--on 2007's The Spiritual Kind, which was produced by Lloyd Maines (father of the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines). Optimism is not hard to find on this 45-minute CD; Hendrix's overall optimism asserts itself on rootsy, good-natured folk-rock items such as "If I Had a Daughter," "Life's a Song" and the title track. But that is not to say that Hendrix is oblivious to the problems of the world; the San Antonio native addresses racism on Jimmy Driftwood's "What Is the Color of the Soul" and sings about the victimization of Native Americans on "Jim Thorpe's Blues." Nonetheless, it is safe to say that The Spiritual Kind expresses more optimism than disappointment. Hendrix successfully detours into jazz territory on "Mood Swing" (a Hendrix original that incorporates part of Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing"), but folk-rock (with a strong country influence) is the primary direction of The Spiritual Kind--which is a consistently engaging addition to Hendrix's catalog.
- All Music (4 1/2 Stars)