Sass Jordan
by Tina Hall
March 2010
Canadian actress & singer Sass Jordan
U.K. born, Montreal raised Sass Jordan has proven she can make it in the rock world as well as the acting world. Her singing talents have been promoted by Gene Simmons of KISS, as well as the late composer Michael Kamen and hung out with counterculture guru Timothy Leary. Sass has recorded and toured with such acts as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Carlos Santana, and Joe Cocker.
Sass took on the world of acting starring as Janis Joplin in the off Broadway “Love Janis.” She enjoyed a show stopping run in the Canadian version of “The Vagina Monologues” and was given a guest role on the NBC show “Sisters”. For six years she was a judge on Canadian Idol.
Her newest release “From Dusk Til Dawn” is set for March 16th on RBE Music/Kindling Music/Fontana. It features a remake of Tom Waits’ “Ol 55” along with her newest offerings. I recently had the opportunity to ask a few questions.
Maximum Ink: Did you mother, being a ballet dancer and actress, influence you to partake in acting yourself?
Sass Jordan: Not really, because she wasn’t actually working when I knew her. She quit it all to be a full-time Mom.
MI: Who are some of your major influences?
SJ: So many and varied it’s really difficult to narrow down… I am hugely influenced by the ‘70’s in general, I would say… Bad Company, Little Feat, Dr. John, Stones, Bowie, Curtis Mayfield, Ike and Tina…
MI: What was it like portray Janis Joplin in Love Janis?
SJ: It was very difficult, as I was never a fan until I did that show. I finally understood more where she was coming from, and the integrity and emotional impact she had.
MI: What has it been it like to have the support from and chance to work with some of the greatest names in music today?
SJ: It’s fantastic… and sometimes hard to believe… It’s very reassuring in a lot of ways.”
MI: What was it like to hang out with Timothy Leary?
SJ: Timothy was an indescribable person - I didn’t know him really well, but I was lucky enough to spend several days alone with him .. His book “Flashbacks” is an astonishing journey and takes you deeper into the man.
MI: You have said in your own words that the acting roles you have been given seemed to land in your lap? Where you surprised by that?
SJ: Well, it’s surprising to be solicited for stuff like that… but on the other hand, because I am a performer, I can understand that I was already in the public eye, and a lot of ‘acting’ is about how you look - if you fit the character in the directors mind physically, they want to see you.
MI: How does acting differ most from being a musician?
SJ: It’s not that different in some ways, but music is SO MUCH more my type of thing, mainly because of the rhythm and the inspiration from the sound.
MI: When did you first know you wanted to be a musician and what led you to that realization?
SJ: When I first heard the Band I knew right then and there that I wanted to tell stories set to music and to go on the emotional journey that THEY took me on!
MI: What advice do you have to offer up-and-coming musicians? And what is the best advice you have received from other musicians?
SJ: I don’t really give advice except in specific situations… it’s such and individual journey, and what works for one doesn’t work for another. You have to believe in the integrity of what you are doing, and above All you have to enjoy yourself. Don’t do it for other people - do it for yourself. I don’t remember being given any specific advice other than - ‘Get paid before you play the set!
MI: Is the rock world different for women than it is for men do you think? Why do you think there are so few women out there?
SJ: I think that things are different for different people ... not Gender related, specifically. There are PLENTY of women out there now… more than men, as far as I can see!
MI: Will there be a tour in support of the new album and where can your fans go to keep up to date on your career?
SJ: I cannot wait to get out there and play everywhere I possibly can… Fans can find me on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and www.sassjordan.com
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Sass Jordan
CD: From Dusk Till Dawn Record Label: Elvair Entertainment
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