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Written by Michael Muckian, Contributing writer
Jul 28, 2011
Mrs. Fun performs 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Aug. 4 at Shorewood’s Hubbard Park, 3565 N. Morris Blvd. – Photo: Courtesy
Some musicians put a lot of thought into what they should name their bands. Members of Jethro Tull ran through a litany of identities before assuming the name of the father of modern English farming and fertilizer usage. The name stuck.
Something similar happened to the Milwaukee duo known as Mrs. Fun.
“We were so caught up in making music together that when we booked our first gig we didn’t have a name,” says keyboard player Connie Grauer. “When the club owner asked, ‘What is the name of your band?’ I called (drummer) Kim (Zick) and she said, ‘Mrs. Fun.’ I thought it would work for that gig and that we would promptly change it. Instead, here we are 20 years later with the same name and answering the same question for the 1,000th time.”
Despite the name, or perhaps because of it, Mrs. Fun has attracted a large following for what the pair calls “neo-cabaret” or “nu jazz,” a mix of off-center standards, ultra-funk and spoken-word rap. The two women flex their musical muscles on Aug. 4 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. as part of the Shorewood’s Hubbard Park outdoor music series, one of a number of summer dates the duo has in and around the Milwaukee area.
Grauer and Zick hail from Waukesha, which they proudly note is the home of electric guitar pioneer Les Paul. Zick started out playing the flute in elementary school but switched to drums in seventh grade. She met Grauer in a seventh-grade drum class, and the pair have been playing together ever since.
It was time the duo spent in Nashville in the 1990s that helped propel their career to success. Veteran producer Jim Rooney produced the pair’s first recording “Lulu’s Walk” and Mrs. Fun’s star began its ascent.
While in Nashville, Grauer and Zick met k.d. lang, who invited the pair to perform Cole Porter’s “So in Love” with her on “Red, Hot + Blue.” Collaborations continued, with lang performing on Mrs. Fun’s compositions “Lulu’s Lament” from “They Are Not a Trio” and “Daughtera” from “No Ennui.” Lang’s 1997 release “Drag” features Mrs. Fun playing on Jane Siberry’s composition “Haint it Funny.”
The duo also met the Indigo Girls in Nashville and laid down some basic tracks for “Dead Man’s Hill,” featured on the album “Swamp Ophelia.” The Indigo Girls reciprocated, recording vocal backing for Mrs. Fun’s “Gossip” featured on the album “No Ennui.” The pair also has shared the stage with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Robert Cray, Janis Ian, the Violent Femmes, John Schofield and Billy Cobham.
Mrs. Fun relocated from Nashville to Milwaukee a few years ago, and now considers the Cream City to be home base.
Grauer cites musicians from Mozart to Ella Fitzgerald as influencing not only the band’s sound, but also its deep exploration of different musical styles that have all melded together into a unique and distinct musical style that has earned Mrs. Fun multiple honors from the Wisconsin Area Music Industry. Mrs. Fun has been voted best contemporary jazz group for three consecutive years.
Grauer and Zick also have earned WAMI awards for best instrumentalists and Grauer grabbed WAMIs for best female vocalist and best stage entertainer.
Mrs. Fun’s next musical port of call will be studying Afro-Cuban rhythms. A trip to the Havana Jazz Festival kindled an interest, and the pair have since been able to perform with Cuban musicians Ana Ruth Bermudez and Luis Diaz.
Where such an interest will take Grauer and Zick remains to be seen. In the meantime, Mrs. Fun remains a bellwether group who should be seen frequently, if only so fans can mark the tides of change.
