Dana Fuchs’ Bliss Avenue leads to the Tunnels

Dana Fuchs opens her UK tour at the Tunnels on Monday May 11, supporting her Songs from the Road CD/DVD combo and no doubt playing songs from her most recent LP Bliss Avenue. Expect a blistering set of blues/soul songs delivered with passion and commitment. Before you buy tickets, find out what music leaves her weak at the knees, makes her crazy and blows her mind…

What was the first record you ever bought and where did you buy it?

Synchronicity by the Police: I bought it from a good friend’s older brother because he hated it. I was blown away and still remember every word to every song – was a child!

What was the most recent record you bought and where did you buy it?

I just got the new Bob Dylan – Shadows in the Night – from iTunes and upon first listen am digging it! His music was a steady diet when I switched from doing blues covers to writing my own songs.

What record do you stick on the deck to sooth your soul?

Al Green Greatest Hits has been the most recent but it often changes. Tom Waits Mule Variations is another fave.

Have you bought a record on the basis of a great single and then been disappointed by the rest of the album?

Tusk by Fleetwood Mac. Loved Sara but the rest didn’t knock me out. I was a kid so should probably listen again.

What record do you turn up to maximum to get in to that party mood?

Moby’s Play gets me crazy every time!! Prince’s Controversy also works.

If we had the ability to land you at the recording of one classic LP so you could witness the whole recording process, what would you choose and why?

Oh good god that’s tough! Gonna go with my fave soul singer Otis Redding and say Otis Blue. Just to watch him ooze that soul in the studio the way the way the recordings indicate he must have would make me weak in the knees!

Ever bought a record solely because you liked the sleeve? If so, what was it and did it delight you or disappoint you?

Queen A Night at the Opera and every song is a friggin’ gem and never ceases to blow my mind!

Oh no, your house is burning down and you can only rescue one record! What would it be and why?

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. I’m the youngest of six and my siblings and I acted out little vignettes to this album all through our childhood. It’s a memory I treasure having lost my three eldest (two brothers and sister). It’s our “story”.

What’s your favourite record sleeve? Tell us all about it (and whether or not the music gives you as much pleasure as the sleeve).

Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon and I love every stitch of the music as well. The cover made me dreamy and the music even more so

Morbidity alert: what record would you like played at your funeral?

The Staples’ Great Day: My first gospel record and I sang Gloryland in the shower for years. Someday I’m gonna bust it out at a show a cappella! I’m more Buddhist than Christian but the spirit of the music transcends all religious BS!