Reappearing Act

Vanishing Peoples' Keisha Hutchins on getting married and going solo.

by M.J. Fine

City Paper : How did Dedicated come together?

Keisha Hutchins : I started writing about two years ago with the idea of trying to really find my own sound and get together some songs for an album. A lot of songs got cut, but the few on Dedicated were the ones that stayed with me.

CP : How long did it take?

KH : I'd say about five to six months. I started teaching last year, and I got the prerequisite horrible colds that knocked me out for about a month. I lost my voice for about two weeks. It sucked. So we were held up.

Photo By: Michael T. Regan

CP : How did "Stranger" evolve?

KH : The "Stranger in my house" is about depression, and the personification of this unfamiliar person in myself. It's like an invader. And sometimes that invader makes you look at yourself in ways that are not kind, positive or healthy. But the experience can also teach you a lot, and get you to the next place. A lot of hard things may be revealed ("shine light in my dark corners") but in the end, you have learned and grown ("I guess you think I should thank her.").

CP : Is VPE still functional?

KH : The group will probably function more as a recording entity than a performing entity, but you never know.

CP : What can you do solo that you can't in a group?

KH : The difference is that I am writing most of the music, though Doug and I still do some writing together. I guess I am choosing more of the voice and the vision and the direction. With a group, everyone has to be on board and have the same vision.

CP : How did you find music?

KH : In fourth grade, I went to a folk festival with one of my best friends and her family. From that time until I was 18, I went to the [Philadelphia Folksong Society's] Fall [Fling] and Spring Thing every year. ... I also had a teacher in sixth grade who got me really into Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez and just folk music in general. My mom listened to a lot of Phoebe Snow when I was growing up and I loved to sing along with that, but also the O'Jays, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers.

CP : What's it like to sing with the orchestra?

KH : I really feel privileged to be able to sing with the orchestra. The musicianship is incredibly inspiring. Invigorating, even. And to sing with the Philadelphia Singers is equally rewarding. I feel honored to be a part of such a prestigious group of musicians.

CP : How did you get involved in Intercultural Journeys?

KH : IJ was looking for someone who sang and could talk about African-American spirituals. I love singing spirituals, and have studied and given a few lectures on the subject, along with performances. ... It's an incredible organization that uses music as a way of creating dialogue and understanding between cultures.

CP : What do you get out of those groups?

KH : I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to sing and share my voice and my love of music with people. When you really are giving of yourself, you actually stop thinking. You just become a vessel for your art. That is what I strive for. I strive for that ultimate state where I cannot feel anything but love and the pure joy of music as it moves through and out of me.

CP : What's inspired you lately?

KH : Being in my 30s, getting older has been inspiring me a lot lately. Figuring out where I am, where I am going, what I really want to do. What I really want to do is what I am doing. I just want to do more of it — sing, perform, record, collaborate. Life changes have been inspiring me. A new teaching position, my friends having their first children, thinking about having children of my own. Doug and I were married a year and a half ago, so that influenced a lot of my writing before and on Dedicated. I am sure more about marriage and my journey with him will continue to surface in the music to come.

(m_fine@citypaper.net)