Tim Tunes
I’m Tim Rose and I’ve been writing songs for over 50 years. Each episode I’ll feature two or three songs that I’ve written over the years on a particular theme or subject or I'll interview someone who has been a key influence on me and my songwriting and performing. In the podcast I’ll explain what I am doing in each song, where they came from and the circumstances under which they were recorded. In interviews I'll explain how we met, how the interviewee became involved in music and how they influenced my work.
Tim Tunes
5-8 Tret Fure - Songwriter, Performer, Teacher and Sound Engineer - Part 1
This episode’s artist career spans the decades since the early 70s all the way to today. With 18 albums and hundreds of songs, she has continued to grow and evolve over the years. Her talent and advocacy are second to none. To say she is prolific is an understatement. One of the hardest working people I know, she continues to record, tour and teach, live and online.
From the first time I met Tret Fure long, long, ago I fell in love with her voice, her guitar, and her song writing. A lot has changed since then so let’s cut my intro short and get on to the interview.
I’m Tim Rose and this is the Tim Tunes pod cast. Welcome to part one of two episodes where we’ll interview the celebrated and talented singer/songwriter, gardener, and puppy painter, Tret Fure.
Please consider making a one time donation via the Paypal link above
Or, consider becoming a monthly subscribing patron of the show here:
https://www.patreon.com/timtunes
And get lots of extra documentation and music associated with the show.
[Intro]
[Intro Theme – Motor]
This episode’s artist career spans the decades since the early 70s all the way to today. With 18 albums and hundreds of songs, she has continued to grow and evolve over the years. Her talent and advocacy are second to none. To say she is prolific is an understatement. One of the hardest working people I know, she continues to record, tour and teach, live and online.
From the first time I met Tret Fure long, long, ago I fell in love with her voice, her guitar, and her song writing. A lot has changed since then so let’s cut my intro short and get on to the interview.
[Pod Lick]
Hi. I’m Tim Rose and this is the Tim Tunes pod cast. Welcome to part one of two episodes where we’ll interview the celebrated and talented singer/songwriter, gardener, and puppy painter, Tret Fure. Enough of my yackin’. Laisse les bon temps roulez!
[Pod Lick – Big D]
[Welcome]
Several months ago, I caught up with Tret in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. The previous evening, I attended her performance at the Theodore Parker Unitarian Church, nearby. The next day, with Tret recovering from a previously fractured patella, we sat in large comfortable chairs and spoke. By the way, that first bit of music, called “Blame It On the Day”, was the first song I ever heard her play in concert. Let’s listen in on our conversation.
{Interview}
[Song- My First Guitar]
We’ve just listened to “My First Guitar” by Tret Fure. The song was released on Tret’s “Stone By Stone” album in 2020. The song features Janelle Burdell on Drums, Mark Goldstein on Bass, Gina Forsyth on fiddle, and, of course, Tret on guitars and vocals
[Early Days]
Now let’s listen in as Tret talks a little about playing live and then about how she got started and the early days of her career.
{Interview – With Mousetrap version of Rainy Season underscoring}
[Play-What’s Gonna Happen When the Rainy Season Comes]
In that last section of our conversation, we heard two versions of Tret’s song “What’s Gonna’ Happen When the Rainy Season Comes?”. What we just heard was from Tret’s first solo album, “Tret Fure”, released in 1973. It features Tret Fure on Guitar and vocals, Richie Hayward on Drums, Kenny Gradney on Bass, Sam Clayton on percussion, Sneaky Pete Kleinow on pedal steel, Lowell George on slide and acoustic guitar, and Novi Novog on fiddle.
Before that I played a small section of the first published version as underscoring for this part of our conversation. This recording comes from Spencer Davis album Mousetrap, released in 1972 and features Spencer Davis on Six String guitar and lead vocals, Tret Fure on 12 string guitar and backing vocals, Andy Way on Bass, and Gib Gilbeaux on Fiddle.
[Tret’s Solo Career and Women’s Music]
{Podlick – Ascending funk chords, Interview – 18 Albums, Prolific, Rock and Roll Soul}
[Play – Across the Room]
That song was “Across the Room” from her album “Stone by Stone” released in 2020. So she still has that rock and roll spirit we were talking about.
This song features on drums: Janelle Burdell, on bass, Hammond B3, electric guitar: Mark Goldstein, and on acoustic guitar and vocal: Tret
Now, just to show that Tret is more than just a rocker, most of her stuff falls clearly into the folk/singer-songwriter genre, by the way. I submit my favorite one of her old songs.
[Play – That Side of the Moon]
We’ve just heard “That Side of the Moon” most recently recorded on Tret’s album “Piece of the Sky” released in 2013. This version has just Tret playing guitar and singing by herself. This is how she sounds in concert. The song was previously included on the album “Terminal Hold” released in 1984. The earlier version was fairly produced and included piano, bass and other instruments. This is my favorite version of one of my favorite songs. Just guitar and vocals – simple, but complete.
Now, let’s listen in as Tret talks about the next phase of her career. Her part in the development of Women’s Music and how it evolved over the years.
{Interview}
Tret was Cris Williamson’s partner both musically and romantically for 20 years in the 80’s and 90’s. During that period Tret released 3 solo albums. She and Cris also made three albums together of some wonderful music. I asked Tret if she had a favorite song from the period. This next piece is it.
[Play-Everyone to Me]
That was the song “Everyone to Me” from Cris Williamson and Tret Fure’s last album Radio Quiet. This song features :
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Guitar by Tret Fure
Backing Vocals by Cris Williamson, June Millington
Bass by Jean Millington
Drums by Leo Adamian
Guitar by Erika Luckett
Percussion by Janelle Burdell, Michaelle Goerlitz
And now to give you a taste of the rock music that Tret was performing during this period I present the following…
[Play- Tight Black Jeans]
I told you she had a rock and roll soul. That was, believe it or not, “Tight Black Jeans” from Tret’s album “Edges of the Heart”. The song features:
On Bass – Carrie Barton
On Drum Programming and Guitar – Randy Nicklaus
On Drums and Percussion – Jeanette Wrate
On Keyboards and Viola – Novi Novog*
Vocals, Music Consultant, and Arranged By – Cris Williamson
Producer, Arranger, Engineer, Mixed By – Randy Nicklaus
Producer, Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Arranged, and Written-By – Tret Fure
This album was released in 1986
Next up in our list of Tret’s rockers is the song “This and So Much More”. Written during the COVID pandemic and released on her 2023 album “Lavender Moonshine”, To me this sounds like a Jackson Browne song. The phrasing and instrumentation the chords, the melody, all sound to me straight out of Jackson’s repertoire. Let’s give a listen…
[Play- This and So Much More]
I mean, c’mon, Jackson Browne, am I right? This and So Much More features Drums: John Gardner
On Bass: Alison Prestwood
On Keyboards: Jon Carroll
On Electric guitars: Michael Lille
Background vocals: Michael Lille, and Karl Werne
Acoustic guitar and lead and background vocals: Tret
Ok, ok ooooo-kay. Now That I’ve gotten that rock bug out of my hair, let’s get back to our conversation.
[Teaching Song Writing]
{Interview}
[Play-The Door]
That was “The Door” from Tret’s album “A Piece of the Sky” released in 2013 . It features Stuart Gunter on drums, Mark Goldstein on bass and Tret on Guitar and vocals.
I’m going to take advantage of this section to introduce some of Tret’s Jazz Blues songs. Those of you who follow me know that I love to write in the Jazz blues genre. Tret is a master of the genre as you are about to hear. Move over Diana Krall and Madelyn Peyroux, here comes Tret. As our conversation continued, we talked about how chords can be a source of inspiration. Listen as I cross fade from our conversation into the song. Tret, the consummate professional just slides right in to the song “Language of Love”.
{Interview}
[Play-Language of Love]
“Language of Love” can be found on Tret’s latest Album “Lavender Moonshine” Released in 2023. It features
On Drums: John Gardner
On Bass: Alison Prestwood
On Keyboards, Electric guitar and Background vocals: Jon Carroll
On Trumpet: Ally Hany Albrecht
On Acoustic guitar and vocal: Tret
By the way “My First Guitar” played earlier in this podcast fits neatly into the Jazz Blues genre. I can see Madelyn Peyroux singing that one. Next up is my favorite jazz blues type song. I can just hear Diana Krall or maybe Janis Siegel or Cheryl Bentyne of Manhattan Transfer doing this one. Are you listening, Yaron? Here is “With You”
[Play – With You]
With You from Tret’s latest album “Lavender Moonshine” released in 2023 features John Gardner on drums, Alison Prestwood on bass, Michael Lille on Guitar. Ally Hany Albrecht on trumpet, on Background vocals: Karl Werne also singing that wonderful descant part and of course, Tret on vocals and background vocals.
[Outro]
{Podlick – Country Blues Ending}
We’ve reached the end of part one of our conversations with Tret Fure. The underscoring your hearing is from Tret’s song “New Year” which can be found on her 2018 release “Roses in November”. Also, if you stick around after you can hear the whole version of “Blame It on the Day” which I played in the intro.
In our next episode we’ll talk about Tret’s advocacy and her family as sources of inspiration for her music. We’ll also discuss the accolades that she has received over the years and finally, what the future holds for Tret.
You can find Tret on Facebook or on Tret Fure.com that’s T-R-E-T-F-U-R-E dot com. Where you can contact her and keep up with her live and online performances.
And finally, if you’d like to support me you can stream my songs online at whatever music streaming service you use. If you’d offer a comment or review that goes a long way towards increasing my reach. If you’d like to donate directly you can find me on Patreon.com/timtunes and become a subscriber or just send me a little something @rimtoes on venmo or paypal. That’s rimtoes R-I-M-T-O-E-S. It’s an anagram of Tim Rose, you see what I did there. That will certainly help keep the lights on.
Thanks for listening. I’ll be back in a few weeks with part deux. A bien tot, Compadres!
[Outro Pod Lick]
[After Outro Pod Lick ends]
And now here as promised “Blame It on the Day”
[Play – Blame It On The Day]
Blame it on the day appears on Tret’s Time Turns the Moon Album released in 1990. TTFN everybody!