Interviews
Connie
It's hard to label Connie Huber. In fact, don't bother trying. Just like her many musical talents - she plays guitar, drums and piano in addition to singing - Connie takes pleasure in the range of experiences that life has to offer. If you have dinner in her kitchen, you may get your meal presented on multicolored Polish stoneware or, then again, it might be bright orange Fiesta Ware. So when you sit down to chat with her, you don't know what to expect.
Would you call your style "eclectic"?
Maybe, but it's not conscious or anything. I just appreciate different things. Like I can take either side of an argument and really see the point in it. I think I'm a curious person and I like to explore, which helps me discover new things. It's the same when people ask me what kind of music I like to perform most. It's the variety I love. You never get tired of it because there's always something new coming up.
Grace and Cheryl have a lot of admiration for your musicianship. Did you have formal training?
I had piano lessons but I taught myself guitar. I also played drums in the school band. The fact that my mother never complained about the hours I would spend pounding on the drums was impressive. Eventually I got a degree in Music Education with a major in Percussion.
Was your family musical?
My father was very musical and he played piano by ear. He loved boogie-woogie. I had an Uncle Joe who played the accordion. We would gather in the basement with friends and family and jam.
What are your passions, besides music?
I love sports. I'm the girl who's always hanging with the boys in front of the TV on the weekends. There's this meeting of the soul and mind and body in sporting events that fascinates me. I admire the will and the spirit doing the best you can do.
Is that how you feel on stage?
Absolutely. That might be why I get so revved up watching a football game.
Favorite team?
The Lions. Before that I was a long-suffering Vikings fan. I guess I'm all about the underdog.
What do you love about performing?
I love connecting with people on this different level. It's emotional, organic and in a different space than regular life. Music is such an emotional experience anyway and you get to share that emotion with all these people you've never even met. The audience means a lot to me.
And what do you hate about performing?
I hate the "business" of what we do - lazy agents, the "flavor of the month" mentality. Well, I could go on...
Do you have a favorite song you've written?
"Sally's Advice" is the one I like performing the most. And "The Washing Machine Song" we do at kids' shows. Getting the whole audience gyrating like a washing machine agitator is a blast. A really good feeling is hearing an old song and still liking it, still saying, "Wow, I wrote that, didn't I?"
What have you learned along your journey as a Chenille Sister?
I've learned a lot about collaboration and about what the important things are. We have a policy of letting any individual Chenille "veto" an idea if it's really important to her. We believe that the person is more important than any issue we could have.
Is that why you've worked so well together all these years?
That's definitely part of it. Grace and Cheryl are both so creative and imaginative. Everything just clicks when we're onto something. It's become like instinct, in a way. We "get" each other and we know what we are. That feels really good.
Details, Details
- Full name:
- Connie Marie Huber
- Birthplace:
- Valley City, ND
- Current home:
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Siblings:
- 1 sister
- Favorite sound:
- any sounds in nature
- Favorite smell:
- vanilla
- Favorite food:
- pizza
