Tina and the B-Sides’ Tina Schlieske on writing, performing over nearly 4 decades

CATHY WURZER: We are definitely live from the Minnesota State Fair, Minnesota Now. I'm Cathy Wurzer. We have some wonderful guests here, including, of course-- well, if you've been listening to the show-- and I hope you have been for the past, what, two or three years since we've launched this show-- you know that we love local music. And, of course, the state fair has got some amazing performances on stages all across the state fair here. So there's a show tonight that I'm really excited for.

It's Minneapolis's Tina Schlieske, who is best known for fronting the Minneapolis rock band Tina and the B-Sides. Gosh, are we both the same age? I bet we are. It was hot in the late '80s. She's been touring as a solo artist ever since. And earlier this year, she put out a jazz standards album called The Good Life. Tina, it's good to see you. How are you?

TINA SCHLIESKE: Good. I'm good. Thank you, Cathy, for having me.

CATHY WURZER: Oh, my goodness. I'm honored that you should be here with us. Wow. Do you just want to just leap out and do a song right off the bat for us?

TINA SCHLIESKE: I would love to.

CATHY WURZER: Then we'll chit-chat. How about that?

TINA SCHLIESKE: I would love to.

CATHY WURZER: OK. I want you to play, if that's OK-- I don't want to force you here, but "Blue." I like "Blue." Go ahead.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Thank you.

["BLUE" PLAYING]

(SINGING) Take this force this might

Take this wrong this right

I only wish you would

Give me something

I already had

I already had

Pretend you want me now

Let me have you how

I only wish you could

Make me want something

I already have

I already have

And my blue will be blue

My true will be true

And I won't need to prove this heart to anyone

Take this force this might

Take this wrong this right

I only wish you would

Show me something

I've already seen

I've already seen

Pretend you want me now

Let me have you how

I only wish you could

Tell me something

I already knew

I already knew

And my blue will be blue

My true will be true

And I won't need to prove this heart to anyone

[VOCALIZING]

CATHY WURZER: [SIGHS] Wow. You are amazing, Tina. That's "Blue."

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Nicely done. So tell me about the song.

TINA SCHLIESKE: So this song was-- I wrote it-- the B-Sides got together-- we reunited, and we released an album called Barricade. And that was actually one of the songs from that record. But yeah, it was-- I use some of these songwriting prompts, at times, when I'm writing a song. And there was a sentence that said pretend you want me now. And I'm like, OK, I'm just going to start there.

And then it's-- but it's all about, sometimes, when you're in a relationship and though you know somebody, but there's that part of you that you still don't let them see or let them have.

CATHY WURZER: Hidden, right?

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: A mask.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: "Songwriting prompts." Do you have a notebook of them or what? How does that work for you?

TINA SCHLIESKE: It's various. I've got a-- it's an app, sometimes, that I use. My friend, Molly Maher, she's got a little deck of cards. It's just little prompts to help you get over any sort of writer's block. But a lot of people now say that there's no such thing as writer's block. So I'm trying to go with that, pretending that there's no such thing.

CATHY WURZER: Actually, I love that idea. I'm going to have to get something for myself. Because sometimes, you do. You feel dry. You just have nothing. But I'm going to give that a shot. Say, you've been, as I mentioned, writing and performing since the 1980s. For goodness' sakes. My gosh. When you look back on your career, how have things changed? How have you grown as a singer-songwriter?

TINA SCHLIESKE: You know, it's funny. That's a very good question. I feel like there are times that, when I'm playing music, I still feel like I'm 23. But then I see videos and pictures. And I'm like, nope, I'm 57.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS]

TINA SCHLIESKE: And then when I'm lifting that amp and going to the gig, that's-- my body's hurting. But the one thing that I try to be, even at 57, is still try to be a student, to still learn and keep my mind open. And that's why I did the jazz album. It's like, when I was younger, there'd be no way that I would attempt to sing jazz.

But I love-- I've always loved jazz music. And I just felt, why not now? So it's just always about putting yourself out there. I think it helps as an artist when you get older. Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: Jazz is not easy, though, at all. So walk me through that, for goodness' sakes, making that leap from rock to jazz.

TINA SCHLIESKE: I was petrified. I mean, I think-- but that's what I loved about it. It really made me-- reminded me of when I first started music. It's that fear that-- actually, it gives you that inspiration and that-- and it makes you feel alive. I mean, that's why I hate-- I like to change. I like to grow and do different things.

But yeah, there was times that I was just sweating. And I just was cursing myself. Like, why am I doing this? You know? But people have been so-- I appreciate so much that they've been not yelling play "Blue Sky," play-- but they actually come and listen to me sing jazz standards, which is unbelievable.

CATHY WURZER: Do you have some sort of-- I think of Prudence Johnson, who I adore. She's a wonderful jazz singer here in the Twin Cities. Do you have a model or someone that you would listen to to wind your way through that? I mean, you're going to have your own style. I understand that. But anybody that you really love?

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah. For me, growing up, Billie Holiday was always one of my favorites. And then, as I was getting older, too, I discovered Nina Simone. And for me, I mean, I love Ella Fitzgerald. I mean, those are-- but I can't sing like Ella.

But the blues have-- how Billie brought in the blues, and even Nina, I felt like, my voice, I could approach it that way. But it is a very-- jazz is a different beast completely. There is no faking. There's no note-bending like I'm used to with rock and blues. But that's what I appreciate about it too. It's just-- the technique it takes to sing jazz, it's very difficult.

CATHY WURZER: I mentioned, of course, that you've been working since the '80s. Things have changed dramatically in your business. Oh, my goodness.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: How have you kept up with everything?

TINA SCHLIESKE: I know.

CATHY WURZER: Isn't it shocking how things have changed in terms of technology and everything?

TINA SCHLIESKE: It is. I mean, when I was younger, laying in bed, wanting to be a musician and a songwriter, and I thought, I can't wait to have an album-- and then when I got old enough, then it's like, I guess it's just going to be CDs. And then I got older, and it's like, now it's just MP3s.

And so to live in a time where to see the music industry, technology just changed it so fast. And yeah, there have been times that I've been so frustrated and feeling like a dinosaur left behind. But then that's when you just get inspired. Because now the opportunity to record and release your music, it's so huge, and it's amazing.

And I'm so appreciative of that. But then, at times, it feels like bringing sand to a beach. When you've got a new record, it's like, hey. [LAUGHS]

CATHY WURZER: I'm over here. Hello.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah, exactly.

CATHY WURZER: Exactly.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Exactly.

CATHY WURZER: I do have a friend who is a musician who is worried about AI and how artificial intelligence may change--

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Well, it's changing everything. But your business specifically. Do you worry about that at all?

TINA SCHLIESKE: You know, it's funny. I've heard both sides of the coin about this. And on one hand, people are looking at it as just another tool and something that would help and advance-- I'm still holding out. I'm hoping that-- I truly believe that the human soul knows the difference. When they've done those AI songs that have come out, I think you can tell that there is no true human contact in that.

CATHY WURZER: There's no soul in it.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah. And I think the pendulum always will swing back. People are going to want to see somebody with an acoustic guitar sing live for them rather than an AI.

CATHY WURZER: Well, there's magic to that.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yes.

CATHY WURZER: Right?

TINA SCHLIESKE: Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: I always ask any artist who's on the show, who are you listening to right now? Any new music, any new musicians that are really capturing your attention?

TINA SCHLIESKE: What is it? Yeah. I mean, well, I love-- Brittany Howard, I think, is a soul artist-- the stuff that she's done outside of Alabama Shakes. But I also love Faye Web-- oh, my gosh. I'm forgetting her name at the moment. But there are so much great new music. And I'm just-- Clario? Clairo? She's cool. Yeah.

CATHY WURZER: There's a lot out there.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Somebody knows who I'm talking about. Oh, maybe not.

[LAUGHTER]

CATHY WURZER: So I want to have you play out for the rest of the show here in terms of a song. But before you do, I want to know a little bit about what you're about to play. Which one do you want to play?

TINA SCHLIESKE: I'm going to play "Kentucky Song, I Am Forsaken."

CATHY WURZER: "I Am Forsaken." OK. By the way, before you get there, I want to tell people what we're doing and who's put together this show, OK?

TINA SCHLIESKE: Awesome.

CATHY WURZER: Tina Schlieske, by the way, ladies and gentlemen. She's been with us. Singer-songwriter from Minneapolis. Her latest album, called The Good Life, it's online. She'll be playing at the Minnesota State Fair tonight, 8:00 PM. And I want you all to know who puts together this show. Because I don't do it alone.

I got a team behind me-- Aleesa Kuznetsov, Alanna Elder, Ellen Finn, Gretchen Brown. And thanks to our amazing technical support at the fair from Jess Berg, Alex Simpson, Josh Savageau, and Tom Campbell. Jacob Aloi, you've been so sweet to me out there in the crowd. Thanking you for being with us too. So we're going to take you out. Tina, please.

TINA SCHLIESKE: Thank you.

["I AM FORSAKEN (KENTUCKY SONG)" PLAYING]

(SINGING) I don't come from the Kentucky mountains

I don't come from the California sun

I didn't walk any big city sidewalks

I wasn't born Bob Dylan's son

But that's the place where I come from

Now, me, I ask too many questions

What I've done and where I've been

But lately, I can't tell the difference

From the blood and from the bleed

From the want and from the need

But it's the difference that I need

Hey

I am forsaken

I am set free

I am forsaken

Don't you know you're just like me

Don't you know you're just like me

Now, me, I have my expectations

Of what I've done and where I've been

And on some door I read the answer

God loves the sinners but hates the sin

Brother, I tell you, you just can't win

I am forsaken

I am set free, yeah

SPEAKER: Support comes from law firm Ballard Spahr. You can join industry leaders at the Life Sciences Boot Camp for early-stage life science companies September 12 in Minneapolis. Ballardspahr.com/insights, S-P-A-H-R.

(SINGING) I'm just a Midwestern daughter

Who made it to the California sun