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ZEEZA

A few years ago, Christiane Marie, aka Zeeza became one of mp3.com's first real cyberstars. Her raw talent, constant attention to postings on its BB and her hunger for hype left her with over 250,000 listens at mp3.com alone. She delivers a hard edgy blues, mixed with some French Canadian sugar, add a legendary Harvey Mandel and find you yourself all ears. We chatted one stormy afternoon from somewhere close to her swamp in the hills of Quebec......

Mb: Hi Zeeza, how are you?
Zeeza: Happy as a frog on a spring run.
Mb: Tell me a bit about what's been happening lately?
Zeeza: With what?
Mb: Anything, life, love, music?
Zeeza: I thought I was pregnant 5 months ago. My god what a freak out!
Mb: and?
Zeeza: No... false alarm. Thank the goddess.
Mb: Do have kids?
Zeeza: Yes, I have one step daughter that we took care of since she was a new born, and I gave birth to 3.
Mb: Full house!
Zeeza: 21,18,12
Mb: So you've seen it all, eh? Do they like your music?
Zeeza: NO, I have not seen it all but lots of it. My oldest son is a singer song writer and plays guitar, my youngest son is a classical pianist, will be going to the conservatory soon. My little girl, well, she wants to be Zeeza.
Mb: Are you a stage mom?
Zeeza: Well not really. I let them do their own thing. One rule; they must listen to my songs at least once or they don't eat. Just kidding...
Mb: Watch it you know how rumours spread!
Zeeza: hee hee hee hee rumors.. yup, I know 'bout them. Don't you love it? I call them sectional rumors. It depends on where they start and with which group.
Mb: How do you feel about all the flaming you've been involved in?
Zeeza: I love it. It makes me laugh alot.
Mb: Any personal favorites?
Zeeza: Favorites? On the message boards? I liked the tits one with Rhonda. She is such a dear heart and finally came around to GETTING IT. Its all jokes, once people find out they laugh along with me. Shakee teekee was a funny girl to play with too. Face I like him, he's my type. extremely weird, yet, intelligent and HE GETS IT. It takes a certain sense of obscure humor to understand the whole Zeeza fun time concept.
Mb: I remember a post, a long time ago, that involved manipulation of some photos. Got really rough and it seems some sides were taken and camps were established over it.
Zeeza: hahahahahahaha yeah, that was so funny. I was having side cramps for a week. It just kept on going, even Mickey got involved. He's funny too in his own sick way. You see.. a long time ago, Rhonda stuck her head on this pin up girly and then I did it, it was the week before Christmas in 1999. Lots of people though they were real.. big giant boobs, and Rhonda with her naked nipples.. what a great time. That was fun. Just laughs. She was posting them everywhere and I was saying.. HEY BRING IT ON RHONDA! The whole freedom of it was great. I almost posted on.. but I had second thoughts.. and well..
Mb: Do you think people take this stuff too seriously?
Zeeza: Well people take it as it comes. Some people are naturally unhappy and angry, so they'll take it in a negative way, and then others, with a more laid back attitude, will take it as a form of art, comedy and make the best of it. I'm an ordained minister of the Church of the Subgenius so I take my slack where I can find it. I must admit that I don't like to be spoken for, nor do I enjoy joining anything. I am not much of a joiner so I don't go for that gang bang-a-go-go follow the leader of the click thing.. you know? It hurts too much. That'd be like dying, in a way. I gots my friends.. and I gots my un-friends... Do you want me to stop typing now?
Mb: lol.. nothing more to say?
Zeeza: Ask away if you want. Come on, you must want to know some deep dark secret of mine? hee hee hee
Mb: lol...So, what leads you through a day?
Zeeza: I get up early and clean up the mess from the kitchen, then I make some green tea, then I check the swamp (the frogs are going mad now) then I do some music related stuff.
Mb: Thought of a secret yet?
Zeeza: A secret...lets seeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... I may be playing bass with a guy who toured with Prairie Oysters... a drummer who played with sneezy waters.. and...not sure yet, we've just a few auditions, one heck of a good drummer too. I should say the bass player toured with them, I'm the singer.. One other one played with Charlie Majors.. I'm fortunate to live near Ottawa good great musicians here.
Mb: Are you going out on the road?
Zeeza: Well I will be doing some music.. that's all I can say for now.
Mb: Where do you like people to go to find you online?
Zeeza: www.zeeza.com I have some songs with Harvey Mandel on there too.
Mb: I was just reading that. How did you hook up with him?
Zeeza: It's a long story. I "met" Harvey through Rene Defourneaux, his manager. Rene is an extremely talented writer, DJ, and music business man. He taught me everything I know about the music business.. (the hard core stuff). I presented Harvey with some of my songs and asked if he would play with me and he said yes. Its just about the most exciting thing that's happened to me in music.
Mb: Is a good collaboration. *listening* You two sound great together. Both rooted in the blues?
Zeeza: He is a great guitar master, I'm very honored to be doing a CD with him. Yes, I'm rooted mostly in Alternative blues and glamour jazz and he does it all too, and a pretty good producer too. But I live in the country.. lots of cowboys around here so I have my roots in country music too, which bugs a lot of people. hee hee hee hee haw.
Mb: How do you write? What moves you to a song?
Zeeza: How I write? Well, I just kind of get a feeling and then I grab my guitar or start to play piano and the melody floats in. I'm almost inclined to say that i'm not responsible in a way. It kind of just comes to me like a beam of moonlight. The first few times I sing it, are usually the most raw and honest in terms of emotions.
Mb: And lyrically?
Zeeza: Same thing, the words drop into my head like rain, and I sing it. Sometimes I don't remember what I sang and I need to go check it in the song. Then I kind of fix up the ends to make them rhyme, if I can. It's a complete thing, the whole melody, emotion and words are done in one shot. I kind of make myself hollow for the muse to do me as she pleases. I've written since I was about 15. It is a very spiritual thing for me. With the band, they just play something and I sing on top of it, right on the spot. Sometimes it makes a great song. Since I record my own stuff, I can do it when the time is perfect.. like 11 pm on a rainy full moon night is great.
Mb: When people see your name what do you think they think? What impression do you think you've left?
Zeeza: It all depends on where my name has been dropped. My video for example was viewed over 800,000 times on tha NBC site, which got me some good attention. That leaves a good impression for the most part. For the tiny crowds on the message boards, well they all have their opinion, but my music is what I am all about. That tells who I really am. I love most people, I hold no grudges what so ever and I hope that everyone can see through the hype.