11 Questions with The Merry Wives of Windsor
As William Shakespeare once said; "Two women placed together makes cold weather". But what would The Bard have thought of 12 women placed together? Perhaps, had his ears been graced by the sounds of the The Merry Wives of Windsor, it would have lead him to take up music reviewing. Verily, he would be hard pressed to find an adverse verse among their songs. But let us not speculate on what a very good bearded playwright would think, and allow me to introduce you to Heather Greene, one of the 12 ladies whose voices comprise The Merry Wives of Windsor.
1. For the uninitiated, who are The Merry Wives of Windsor?
Heather: The Merry Wives of Windsor is a 12 voice women's group that sings a mix of traditional and original music from the early Renaissance right up to today.
2. How long have the Wives been together?
Heather: The Wives have been together since fall of 2001.
3. How many albums have the Wives recorded together?
Heather: The Wives have recorded 5 CDs.
4. Tell us about your most recent album.
Heather: The Wives' most recent album is Bottom's Up, a collection of traditional and original madrigals, drinking songs, bawdy songs and beautiful ballads.
"Lament of Mary, Queen of Scots" from The Merry Wives of Windsor's latest album, Bottom's Up
5. Where does the inspiration for your music come from?
Heather: Everywhere.
6. What can a music fan expect from one of your live performances?
Heather: Fun, high energy music.
7. Who will your music appeal to?
Heather: Everyone, we hope! We use traditional and humorous themes and combine them with traditional instruments and a modern sound.
8. What is your biggest achievement or professional moment to date?
Heather: Our biggest achievement to date was having our fans buy us 24 margaritas during our St. Patrick's Day set at The Coach House this year!
9. What else should we know about The Merry Wives of Windsor?
Heather: Did I mention that we love margaritas?
Here is a particular bit of fun that would go well with margaritas, from the Wives' album Tale's from Windsor's Tavern
10. For the person who has never been to Faire before, please describe it in your own words and why this year is especially important for it.
Heather: The Faire is a great place to find whatever escape you enjoy. Shows, food, kid's entertainment or adult entertainment. It is interactive theater on a very large scale. You can participate in many different ways or simply watch. This year is celebrating 50 seasons of the Renaissance Faire. There will be actors and guests coming this year that have been around since the beginning and they will be lending their perspective and talents to this years Faire.
11. Here's your chance to convince someone who's never seen or heard you before to check out The Merry Wives of Windsor. Go!
Heather: We are 12 sassy, funny and talented ladies and that means that there at least 24 reasons to come see our show!
The Merry Wives of Windsor are indeed the perfect opposite side of the shilling to The Poxy Boggards, whom I introduced you to last weekend. I've enjoyed the company of The Wives' in a live setting several times at Ren Faire and can not encourage you enough to do the same. If Southern California is on your journeys over the next several weekends, do yourself a favor and visit the Golden Jubilee of the Original Renaissance Faire in Irwindale and let The Merry Wives of Windsor fills your ears and your hearts with song.
For those not able to journey back in time to the Renaissance Faire, invite these ladies into your preferred listening space by picking up a CD from The Merry Wives of Windsor or downloading them (Oh my! That sounded a bit bawdy, didn't it?) from Amazon or iTunes.
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