If you travel to the Arizona dessert, you may just hear the rumble and thunder of a drum kit… who’s sitting behind it, may surprise you! The mysterious and enigmatic entity Andrea, better known as Switchblade Barbie, is first and foremost a rocker, skin thumping, stick twirling cacophony of energy , sound and fusion. As a writer she has gained a following for her moving lyrics, worked with the infamous Tyla of Dogs D’Amour and generally been kicking up lots of musical dust over the years.
Forging a path that not many women have been known for, Switchblade Barbie is somewhat of a mystery I tried to unravel recently. I caught up with SB and had a chance to get the real story behind the lips, hat, hair and drum beat. Read on…
AAM (Kim Thore): For those not in the know… let’s start out with a little Dateline Story about your life… Tell our readers about the drummer known as Switchblade Barbie and is she as dangerous as her name?
Switchblade Barbie: Well, my friends will tell you that my bark is louder than my bite but I like to think I've done my fair share of living dangerously... been there, done that, bought the t-shirt... next! I've been drumming since I was 11 years old and writing music since I was about 16. I've spent most of my life paying my dues in the music scene. Whether it was attending shows, befriending musicians and club owners, promoting or booking shows, or partying with rock stars I've always felt the need to be in the middle of it all. I've spent the last 7 years trying to put together the ultimate all female raunchy rock-n-roll band and writing a slew of songs that basically have been the soundtrack to my life. Now that I've entered my 30's my career has seemed to have taken a different path but it's always been music centered. I have a girl gang of femme fatales that I run with called the Switchblade Sisters and we all pretty much live and breathe the rock-n-roll dream, even without ever getting our band off the ground. We just happen to kick enough ass that it doesn't matter, it's just understood :-)
AAM: The next obvious question is women in rock have often been lead singers, guitarists, bassists, and backup singers but you don’t find many drummers with the X chromosome… so how did you find yourself behind a kit?
SB: Well, when I was in the 4th grade my mother had a live-in boyfriend who was an incredible drummer in a well known local band. After he set up this monster of a set in my living room I became obsessed with wanting to play. He bought me my first pair of purple drumsticks that summer and we started lessons. I then joined the school band that year and played clear through junior high and into high school. In my early twenties I bought my first set and well, the rest is history.
AAM: How has it been different for you as a woman in the music scene? Have you had to try harder or work the angles differently to be taken seriously?
SB: In my experience most people just think its extremely cool...more than ever female 
musicians are emerging onto the stage and it still feels new and refreshing and empowering. People have been wildly accepting and encouraging and I never take anything too seriously so it takes the pressure off of having to prove myself. I am what I am, take it or leave it.
AAM: Who has influenced you the most and why?
SB: I think I've been slightly influenced by every single drummer I've ever known or watched perform. There are so many talented musicians out there that have different styles and interpretations that I just take a little piece with me when I leave and create my own....If I have to name a drummer that has etched something permanently into my psyche that would probably be Chip Ritter....a true showman, talent and gentleman to boot.
www. chipritter. com
AAM: If you were to give advice to a young girl starting out today what would be the 5 rules you’d give her to follow?
SB:
- Learn with a metronome.
- Master your art... learn how to read music, change drum heads, and know the difference in cymbal tones... basically learn everything there is to know about drumming.
- Don't just be a drummer, be a showman... twirl those sticks, put on some lipstick and do a shot of whiskey without skipping a beat. BE the show.
- Avoid nerve damage and carpal tunnel by stretching out those hands and joints and fingers and shoulders before you practice or play... use those thumbs instead of all wrists!
- Mostly have fun and be fierce. I am woman, hear me roar!
AAM: You collaborated with the infamous Tyla of Dogs D’Amour fame… whom we recently had the pleasure of interviewing as well… tell us how you met and how the song “Saint” came about? And of course what the experience was like?
SB: Ahh, Tyla. Anyone that knows him or has ever heard his music has an understanding of the depth of his talents and gifts. It was an upmost pleasure to have the opportunity to collaborate musically with him and I hope to be able to do so again someday. We met a couple years ago through my website and quickly became friends through common interests in music and writing and art.
I wrote Saint and sent it to Tyla as a friendship offering of sorts and he liked it enough to sit and put music to it. Shortly thereafter he went to record his last cd and decided to put the song on it. It was quite an honor for me, that song has a very special place in my heart and he immortalized it... forever.
AAM: As a writer, do you envision or hear the music as you are scribing or is it just poetry waiting for accompaniment ?
SB: I write alot of poetry and songs alike and they both are a very different experience for me. Songs I usually do have the tune running through my mind when I write them and my poetry is just free flowing words. I love the concept of turning prose into song but for me they have a very different vibe and flow. Music is but poetry in motion, they live as kindred spirits of the soul.
AAM: You’re a mother, and a wife… as a musician how do you juggle all three ?
SB: Well, my first priority will always be my family. I realized a long time ago that if I was going to be a femme fatale rocker goddess I would have to do it when it did not affect my home life. So I perfected the magic act of Donna Reed by day and Courtney Love by night. I would clean and cook and work part time jobs by day and as soon as the last one was tucked in at night I was pulling out the fishnets and leather skirts and the transformation took place. I kept my boys oblivious to their mom's alter ego and my hubby, well, he deserves an award for putting up with me for so many years. Luckily he's a musician as well so we had a mutual understanding of the scene and how things worked... through the thick and thin of it we somehow survived.
AAM: Who are you listening to now?
SB: I recently watched this Indie flick called "Once" and was completely bowled over by the music on this film. It had some of the most touching songs I'd ever heard and I downloaded the soundtrack and have been obsessing every since. If you've never watched it, do yourself a favor and do so...
AAM: You’re based out of Arizona now—tell us where your rock and roll life has taken you? What’s the future look like?
SB: I live in a little one horse town about twenty minutes from Tombstone. I decided about six months ago that it was high time for some much needed rest and relaxation from city livin' and I migrated to the Wild, Wild West. If I was going to be in a small town I at least needed a little roughneck adventure to keep me from going stir crazy.
I recently was hired at a local charter school as a paraprofessional and was put in charge as the school's music director. So these days I find myself teaching children how to play percussion instruments and recognize quarter notes and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to do so. Life can be so unpredictably wonderful and we just have to learn how embrace the natural evolution of things.
AAM: Any regrets?
SB: If I ever decide to write the autobiography my friends continually encourage me to write, all those things I MIGHT be regretting very well could make me a millionaire (haha) No regrets, baby... you only go once around the ride.
AAM: If you had to pick one moment from your life thus far that would go into your hall of fame, what would it be?
SB: The Switchblade Sisters can attest to this one... my 32nd birthday party will DEFINITELY be a party we will never be able to outdo. There were bands, blood, crying, fights, kissing, laughing, loving... yeah, a typical night out with the girls.
Final thoughts for our readers?
All things are possible... chase your dreams, have no fears and always believe in miracles. In the end, the only thing left is your memories... so make every day count.
Thanks Kim for the interview, lotsa love from the Desert Queen... muah!
