| Question: | The First thing I wanna know about is tell us a little about RS2 and how it's different than Intellipop? |
| Answer: | RS2 was a lot of fun to make & write and it represents some of my musical and life changes. It was also a great outlet for me to put some ideas & words together after the hugely successful Musicology Tour. I’m also pleased and honored to have Prince, Sheila E. and Fred Hammond guest with me on this CD, along with many other talented musicians and co-writers. |
| Question: | What are some of your favorite tracks on RS2? |
| Answer: | I like them all… and I like to listen to it from top to bottom like a story, this is what we wanted to do. |
| Question: | I am not musical at all; I love music, but couldn't really write a song to save my life, Tell me about how a song like "Time" comes together? |
| Answer: | At first, it was called something else, and it had a little bit of a Fame vibe (David Bowie). I’ve always been a huge admirer of his music, so I started to collaborate with 3 other writers and the hook and vibe changed more, and it became “Time”. I sent the track to Prince and he put the finishing touches on it with his bangin’ solo and killer tone. |
| Question: | It's hard to talk to you without asking a few Prince questions… but I'll try to make it brief. What tour with Prince was your favorite and why? |
| Answer: | I remember them all fondly and as major learning experiences, but I would say that my favorite tour was One Night Alone. Only because we were a smaller group and we were able to stretch out musically a little more. A die hard hits fan might have been a little disappointed but from a musician’s standpoint playing and creating with Prince was amazingly fun. |
| Question: | Before working with Prince, did you listen to him much; and if so, what were your favorite songs before and what are you favorite songs now and how do you view his earlier work after working with him? |
| Answer: | I had listened to some Prince before I worked with him; I think it’s impossible not to know of him regardless of where you’re from because he’s a huge international artist. I’ve always loved his writing and I got to learn and hear basically his entire catalog and many tracks that haven’t been released…Too many songs to mention. I especially love his ballads; I think he’s an amazing writer. Songs like Adore are timeless….too many to mention… lol |
| Question: | Last Prince question, I promise...People that have worked with him and been around him always talk about how funny he is, can you share a funny story with us? |
| Answer: | He’s hilarious and his laugh is infectious… He would love to put voice imitations on my recording devices while I was recording our rehearsals. I have quite the collection… |
| Question: | Do you have any hobbies away from music? Or, what are some things you like to do away from music? |
| Answer: | Yes, I love 2 cook, still thinking about going to culinary school, and I love to day trade stocks…i love finance stuff, believe it or not. |
| Question: | Do you watch much TV? If so, What? |
| Answer: | I watch a lot of CNBC, I try to watch it every day. I like The Sopranos too… |
| Question: | Favorite Movies? |
| Answer: | Love comedies, been watching Woody Allen flicks lately, he’s crazy. |
| Question: | If you were teaching "Musicology 101 at UCLA, what are 5 of the albums that would be MUST LISTENS for us the students? |
| Answer: | That’s a tough question because it depends on the style. I don’t know if you’re asking about studying a specific style or just music in general. One thing I believe is that you should listen to all styles of music just to be better educated and well rounded musically. |
| Question: | Is the music biz ever gonna turn it around where we hear MORE artists like Rhonda Smith and LESS of the cookie cutter music that dominates radio? |
| Answer: | I hope so, but I doubt it at least on major radio stations. I think you have to look harder as a music lover to find what you like, but with the internet and live shows, I think you can find it. |
| Question: | How has the internet changed that way you promote and get your music out there? |
| Answer: | It’s completely changed the game. Folks are able to have access to your music regardless of where you’re located, but you still have to make people aware of your music. There are interesting and innovative internet media companies that do on-line promotions that can help you increase your visibility and sales as an indie artist. All in all, I think if you are committed to doing the work and own your own product, you can see some nice results, but like I said before, a live band really helps glue all this together. |
| Question: | Do you listen to internet radio and what do you think of it? |
| Answer: | I do, and there are tons of stations… overwhelming sometimes, but I love to have choices just like everybody else, but I don’t like the stalled or buffering issues with some streaming music…hopefully that’ll get worked out in time. |
| Question: | What are your plans for the summer? Any tours in the works? |
| Answer: | Yes, I’m going back to Europe for a summer tour with Candy Dulfer and Friends, doing outdoor festivals and hopefully doing some more bass clinics while I’m there. When I come back, I’ll be rehearsing with my band for some RS2 shows, cause the world needs a lil’ MO BASS! |
| Question: | And finally, the question that I've wanted to ask for months… who is your favorite cartoon character? |
| Answer: | The Roadrunner |
Thank You Emancipation Radio, Wishing you all the bass, Rhonda |