who are musicians and fans , they helped me pick up a show here and a show there .
Now you ’ re doing music full time . What were you doing before ? I went back to school , got my degree . I studied classics and English and I graduated summa cum laude . I would tell people I was going to be a professor , but I didn ’ t want to be a teacher . My first inclination when I started studying Latin and Greek was I ’ m going to write songs in this . I didn ’ t feel like I could tell people I ’ m a musician . In order to do music , I was working sixty hours a week at a group home and it was very hard . It takes a toll on your psyche . I was working with adult men who were very aggressive with behavioral disabilities . I fell into that work while I ’ ve been a musician most of my life . I was always like how can I make music a full-time job ? You can ’ t make enough money . I recently quit that job . Luckily , I fell into a routine where I am now booking shows . They may not be the most artistically fulfilling shows , but they respect me and they pay us enough so we can do this full time . I ’ ll go to Vermont , New York , Connecticut and Massachusetts and play at bars and breweries . There are shows I do for growth and there are shows I do to make ends meet , and that ’ s fine .
I know a year or two ago , you celebrated your tenth anniversary for Bastard Children . Are you most proud of that album ? I am always most proud of my most recent work . I am proud of everything I ’ ve done , but it would be dangerous for me to feel like I ’ ve already done my best work . I think as an artist , you should always feel like you haven ’ t done your best work . That ’ s why you should always keep writing and keep creating . You might have a small percentage that might be good , and within that small percentage , you might actually touch brilliance .
Is there someone in your band you want to mention ? Diane O ’ Connor has been my co-pilot on this project for the last thirteen years . She ’ s a violinist and she ’ s one of my best friends . We ’ ve had breaks where she ’ s done other things and I have done other things . Most recently , I ’ m proud to work with this cellist , Isabel Castellvi , who is fairly new to Providence . She ’ s originally from Las Vegas . She was in New York City for a long time . She is great . We ’ ve been writing new songs for a new album .
I like that there are a lot of women involved in your group . The “ Sister ” part is important . I don ’ t really love the Vudu part . I am at a point where I ’ ve released four albums , and I can ’ t change the name . I like exploring feminine perspectives in my work . Our last album , Burnt Offerings , was our Latin and Greek album , and every song I sing as a character that ’ s from classical myth and they are all women . I think that surprises people . I call it creative androgyny . It ’ s a place where you can feel free to express things in the most unbridled way . I encapsulate a sort of androgyny or femininity . That ’ s why it ’ s “ Sister ,” capital S .
What is your family ’ s background ? I am part Romani . My father was Romani and Sicilian . You wouldn ’ t know it to look at me . Our family made its living by traveling to fairs . My mom made brass jewelry and sold it at fairs . We would pack up on l CONTINUED ON PAGE 158
PHOTOGRAPHY : COURTESY OF VUDU SISTER / JOE NELSON .
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l AUGUST 2023 95