Monday, October 06, 2008

Stax Records was one of the most influential studios in the 1950s and 1960s, creating the genre of Southern soul music.

So it's fitting that one of the label's newest artists is Nikka Costa (right), a young, influential soul songstress who is bringing the style and energy of Stax's Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding into the 21st century.

"I'm just so happy to be on a label where I have hope they'll put [the record] out there, and that they'll work it," Costa said.

Costa's first Stax album, "Pebble to a Pearl," will be released on Oct. 14. After years of acclaim that included nominations for ARIA Breakthrough Artist in 1996 and Best Female Artist in 1997, Costa was the victim of label woes that led her to depart Virgin Records several years ago.

Costa, 36, didn't intend to stop making music, so instead she recorded an album she had dreamed of making for years, without music executives looking over her shoulder.

"I knew I wanted to make a record on my own dime, and we needed to be concise [for financial reasons]," she said. "We recorded 15 songs in five days. It totally flowed."

Costa thought about releasing the album on her label, Go Funk Yourself, a sentiment that reflected her attitude to major labels at the time. But then a fortuitous thing happened.

Stax, which in the 1970s had fallen into bankruptcy and dissolved, was re-formed, and producers were busy signing artists with the soulful style of Aretha Franklin, Carla Thomas and The Staple Singers. A Stax rep heard Costa's album, loved it and asked her to release her music on the Stax label.

"I know the history of Stax, and they wanted to maintain the integrity of an iconic label," Costa said. "But they didn't want me to change a thing."

Supporting Costa on this tour is Luke Reynolds, better known by his stage name of Pictures And Sound. Reynolds, former frontman for Blue Merle, played a dozen instruments on the Pictures And Sound self-titled album. Reynolds is well-connected so much so that Willie Nelson provides guest vocals on the album.

"Willie Nelson and his band used to be big champions of my band, Blue Merle," Reynolds said. "I made sure to develop a relationship with him."

A mellow alt-rocker with soul influences, Reynolds is using the shows to demonstrate his commitment to the environment. His entire 13,000-mile, 26-city tour will be in a Ford diesel van converted to run on waste vegetable oil, filtered very carefully. This makes sense for someone who grew up in a geodesic dome built by his parents in the early 1970s.

But music remains his priority. "I'm not interested in trying to preach or teach," Reynolds said. "I'm more interested in bringing people together."



Nikka Costa
When: Oct. 6. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Where: In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City
Tickets: $20 at SmithsTix and 24Tix
Opening act: Pictures And Sound