KILAUEA — For Anne Welsh and her daughter, Laurie Williams, what started with recording a few songs together turned into an album. “We wanted to record a couple of songs for posterity it’ll be something we’ll always have,” Welsh said.
KILAUEA — For Anne Welsh and her daughter, Laurie Williams, what started with recording a few songs together turned into an album.
“We wanted to record a couple of songs for posterity it’ll be something we’ll always have,” Welsh said. “Then I said we should make an album before we get old. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do.”
Thus, Williams & Welsh was born. Their album, titled “Blues Gonna Getcha,” boasts 12 songs, which draw inspiration from jazz, Latin, blues, rock and Hawaiian music.
It has something for everyone, especially women, the 82-year-old Welsh said.
“This particular album is about men — the ones who weren’t good for you and the ones you let go. And as you grow up you learn to survive without them,” she said. “Almost every woman can identify with this album.”
Welsh, who considers herself more writer than singer, said she drew inspiration for the lyrics from her life experiences.
“Laurie’s father left soon after she was born, so I’ve been a single mother since day one,” she said.
Throughout her life, Welsh dealt with personal and family issues. And being creative — whether it was through dancing, acting or writing — was her way of handling the pain.
“Creativity is a saving grace when you’re going through something because you can write or dance it out,” she said. “When I go to hula, I focus on the music and the steps. It becomes a meditation, and the bad thoughts go away.”
Of the 12 songs on the album, Welsh, who lives in Kalihiwai, is the most proud of “Beyond,” which talks about knowing love lives on, past death. The song is for her husband of 46 years. He is 92 years old.
“I wrote the song looking out of the window at the taro fields,” she said.
After she wrote it, she couldn’t sing it for two weeks, Welsh said.
“I would start crying,” she said.
Williams, an accomplished jazz, rock, blues and country musician, took over vocals for the album. In addition to performing in California and Japan, she was also the 2006 Winner of the Mokihana Composer’s Contest Kauai.
“Blues Gonna Getcha,” which was recorded by Bandwagon Studios, took about three years to complete.
“I’m used to working with very young musicians, and it’s rare to get a debut album with so many years of experience represented,” said Jeremy Hartshorn, director of Bandwagon Studios.
“When they sing about the blues, you know they’ve lived the blues.”
Hartshorn said he got involved with the mother/daughter duo after he heard Williams perform at open mic night at Small Town Coffee.
“She hit me up to help with recording songs, and then we started talking about recording an album. It seemed like the natural step,” he said.
Today, Williams & Welsh will be hosting an album release party, complete with live music, at Kauai Christian Fellowship in Kilauea.
The free event begins at 1 p.m.
“We’re happy with the album, and hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it,” Welsh said.
Info: www.williamsandwelsh.com
