Q: Let’s dive into the adventures of your world tour as a singer-songwriter! Are there any memorable behind-the-scenes moments or wild stories from your global travels?
Effie: So I’ve been touring for two years, and my first couple I got to see the behind-the-scenes of tiny towns and historical towns – seeing Alaska for the first time, and then Europe came along, which was incredible. We sang in Budapest for 8,000 people; I didn’t realize our band was even that well-liked there. That took me to Egypt, and that was wild, performing at a social networking event for Egyptian celebrities. So everyone there was very famous, but we had no idea who anybody was, and after our concert, they invited us to a party in Alexandra, right on the beach, and taught us all the dances. They were so warm and welcoming. I thought my life couldn’t even change after that…
Q: Tell us about your love for the arts and theater and how you infuse that creative energy into your music. What’s the secret ingredient that brings it all together?
Effie: I love this question. My mom always tells the story of one day when she was cleaning the house and came into the living room. I had my hands against the TV and was singing along to a Christmas program. I was singing along to Ave Maria. I was maybe two years old, she said, and I couldn’t sing the words, but I knew the melody already, and my mom freaked out – called my dad and said, “Our daughter is going to be a singer.” So my love, I guess, began instinctually for music. I didn’t even think about it. You don’t just choose to love music at two years old, but I was fortunate, and I am very grateful that I have two parents who incubated that love and nurtured it for me. When I was 5, my mother signed me up for piano and music. I auditioned for Broadway by the time I was six, and then I was studying Opera by the time I was 12. The secret ingredient obviously is support and belief. I know some don’t have that, so I am very lucky my parents were not scared. Also, in terms of the music I write, the secret ingredient is always to have my eyes and ears open. I’m always listening for inspiration and looking around me. (As she looks out her living room window.)
I write a lot about the river, mountains, and dogs out on the street. I think it’s important for other musicians and creatives to try and see inspiration, even in moments that aren’t great.
Q: Why do you feel introducing the arts to kids is important? Can you share a heartwarming or unexpected moment from your sessions with the little ones?
Effie: This is such a loaded question, especially now in our society when everything is on a stupid app. I think it’s important! And, the younger, the better – throw them into a music class even and if it’s unbearable – like you have to listen to My Heart Will Go On on the recorder for eight months it’s worth it. I think music teaches our species a way of communication. It’s time to express ourselves. If you start dating somebody and you start sharing the music that you like, that is a form of intimacy. It’s important, and I think that kids are losing this exposure at a very drastic, unfortunate pace.
The human connection is being lost, and art – not just music – art, music, theater, writing, acting – is a way to return to the beginning. It has been with us since the dawn of time. It’s not going anywhere, but it’s on the back burner. Here’s an example: I was on tour with Brandon & James, and we did a concert in the Midwest, which was like a classical music outreach program. One of the venues that we performed at was a junior high school that had this new theater, and so they said it was part of our contractual obligation that we had to have a workshop with the kids where we sang a couple of songs and then answered questions. I was dreading it cuz I remember what I was like when I was 13 or 14. I was a jerk. I thought I knew everything. I was that total a****** kid, chewing gum and smoking in the bathroom. I was that kind of kid. And these kids made me tear up – they made me cry cuz they had the most genuine questions, they were so complimentary and engaged.
Q: With the tight-knit entertainer community in Puerto Vallarta, how do you think the venue variety has impacted the local scene? Do you have any insights to share on how we can spice things up a bit: expand on what’s working or tweak it for everyone?
Effie: I’m genuinely upset about the closure of Incanto. There was a very weird relationship between all the theaters in town before the pandemic, which was detrimental to many people’s success here. They tried to enforce radius clauses, saying oh if you’re singing here, then you can’t sing here. When more artists started to work (after the pandemic), it was really important for the theaters to learn to work together – and have a better relationship for the artists’ benefit. It was hard for them to get used to because some artists were technically competing with themselves. If they were singing here for free, why would somebody buy tickets for a show?
What’s great is that you can hear the things you want to hear, and I love that every theater has something. Act II is most famous for the musical theater where you can see the Bird Cage or Rocky Horror Picture Show — that’s there. If you want to see Mama Tits, Miss Conception, Sutton Lee Seymour, or Heada Lettuce – all amazing drag artists then you go to The Palm. Then, in Incanto, it was kind of the home for the little misfits — who didn’t fit anywhere. They had the cabaret where we could tell our stories, share our lives, and make you cry and laugh. We have Nacho Daddy, which has blues, and there’s the Roxy. It’s all so cool. Yeah, it’s just such a different experience – even though I lived in Los Angeles, where you can find anything you want, everybody’s constantly butting heads and fighting for the next opportunity.
Now, in Vallarta, the theaters are becoming more centered around what’s selling, so there’s no opportunity anymore (for emerging artist). It’s like we are still playing catch-up from COVID, and I understand that, but there are other musical acts out there. Incanto was perfect for local Mexicans, and since they closed, we need to find a space for our own local Nationals to perform besides doing resort work and singing for pennies on the dollar. La Catrina Cantina is a beautiful space for that, but they seem to have difficulty getting people there. There are so many talented local Mexican Nationals here that nobody even knows, and I feel like it’s just unfair because now this town is overrun by the same thing, and it’s become a copy and paste. Every show is an American or Canadian, and there’s something else out there. One thing Tracy (from Incanto), in particular, was so good at was hosting open mic nights. He would watch and be there to host, and if he liked what you did, he was the first person to say, “Do you want to come play and have your show here at 5:00 p.m. and try and build an audience …” He would” always do a live stream, and offer you to play at their brunches or whatever. He was the first to extend an olive branch (to artist) and try to make that happen. It was exceptional, and the content was very special!
Q: How has living in a town full of talented individuals and entertainers who make PV a frequent stop sparked some creative ideas? Can you share any exciting plans for collaborations?
Effie: Living in this town (she laughs), it’s kind of a double-edged sword – because when you’re living someplace where not only is everybody so talented – but also very supportive of each other, it’s kind of like everybody wants to pull everybody in every direction. Come into my show, sing with me here. And when I’m interested in building a show with someone, I don’t have time, or they don’t have time, so it’s very difficult to collaborate and make something meaningful. It’s easy to just kind of throw something together with songs everybody loves, but creating something artistic takes time. That’s one of the main reasons I don’t work with a band: I’m not very patient with people who don’t appreciate time, especially if it’s for a show and we have only so much time to rehearse. Also, I like what I do as a solo artist – but my best friend Allison Lo, and I always love working together. We put together shows quite frequently, and that’s just so much fun because that’s definitely not something you see very often – two women working together so closely and so unabashedly themselves, and we just love each other so much it’s very unique and I think I wouldn’t have found a friendship like that let alone a musical partner like that if it weren’t for this city. We have our moments of seriousness, and we have our moments of complete idiocy, and everyone knows us inside and out here, so we’re not afraid. We’re actually planning on one more show in March, hopefully before I take off. So, yeah, collaboration is a lot harder than people think, it really is.
