Change is good

A New Wave icon shows a different side of herself.

By Gabe Echazabal

No other band to emerge from the late 1970s New Wave boom has more consistently been able to help us "Dance This Mess Around" than The B-52's. The Athens, Georgia party band, which is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary, is responsible for dance flfloor classics like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack" and has put out a slew of great records since the start. Now Cindy Wilson — the lovely, doe-eyed singer and tambourine player who used to sport a tall beehive hairdo — is stepping out on her own to try her hand at a solo career. The results might surprise listeners. The band isn't breaking up, but Wilson, 60, now has two dazzling EPs under her belt that musically range from dreamy electronica to hip New Wave dance sounds. She even has designs on releasing a full-length album of her own music later this fall. We caught up with her before her Ybor City show; see the full chat via cltampa.com/music. What was your inspiration to go out on your own and embark on your own solo project? Well, we've had a couple of years off from the road and you know, there are stressful things going on in your life and so music's always been a good way to just negate that and have something that relieves stress, and music always does that for me. It was really like a school for me because I let go of a lot of what I was doing in The B-52's, vocally, and tried to just experiment with different vocal styles until we came out with a sound that we liked. Tell us about your solo show, which you've titled "Change." What might fans who may not be familiar with the musical direction you're going in expect? It reflflects the change in style that I'm doing and lots of other things that are going on in my life. It's more of an art kind of feel and it's a performance art piece and we have multimedia backgrounds and videos going and it flflows from the beginning to the end and then... It's not like a regular rock and roll show. So how does this solo tour and project differ from the schedule you keep with The B-52's? It's the total opposite. It's more like the beginning when we (The B-52's) fifirst started like back in the punk and New Wave days playing really small clubs which is really fun and you're right there at the level of the audience and it's just great. Overall, do you still enjoy this lifestyle? I know you're a mom and your life has probably changed a lot since the early days of The B-52's. Is all of it still enjoyable and fun? Oh it is. I have to make a point to try to get back into it as much as possible even if it's just for a couple of nights. This year's going to be crazy and it hasn't been like this for a long time. My husband understands, thankfully. My kids are college-aged, so they're older but my husband does have a lot on his plate… I feel bad about having to leave but he's a real trooper. And your whole family supports your music and your projects? bad that I'm away all the time?" and they'll say, "No mom, we want you to do this"... I'm very much supported by my family. What's in the future for you? More solo touring once the new record comes out? Any B-52's projects in the works? Yeah, this is the 40th anniversary for The B-52's and it's gonna be a lot of touring for us. We might record like one song, that's possible, but I don't think a whole album is really possible… but you never know. That band is so inflfluential and means so much to so many people. In a recent interview with Berlin lead singer Terri Nunn, she referenced what a huge impact The B-52's had on her. What does that feel like when you hear those kinds of accolades for the work you've done and the art you've created? It's amazing, it really is. You go about your daily life and then you go back and get onstage and you look into the faces of the crowd and you see what a good time they're having and I'm having a good time too. We're all having a good time, and it's like it's peaking in motion. I'm really digging it and if you would have asked me if we would still be doing this 40 years into it I would think you're crazy but you know, it's just a good time and it's a really special thing. I like to ask people their opinion on what their ultimate Saturday-night party record is. Ironically, my personal stock answer is usually a James Brown album or a B-52's album so it's funny that I'm asking you this… but how would you answer that question? At different times, it's a different answer. I've been listening to Tame Impala and Temples lately so that's my go-to for what I'm listening to right now. I love that sound. But I love different albums. It could be opera to country to whatever, it could be James Brown! I dig it all. I'm loving the old '70s and '80s music again too. It's obvious you love music and that you're still passionate about it. It never feels like you're just doing a job and your enthusiasm for it and for your newer music really shines through. Well that's what it's all about. You know, if you're not having fun, then go home.