Awna Teixeira is best known for playing the gut bucket bass, accordion and a lot of other 
instruments in Po Girl. But while Po Girl frontwoman Allison Russell is working with her band Birds of Chicago, Teixeira is concentrating on a new solo CD “Where the Darkness Goes,” which she released in the United Kingdom last year.
She is excited to bring it to the grand opening of CASA , May 17, opening for Oscar Lopez.
“It’s going to be great to play my first solo show in Lethbridge,” she said from he part time home in Salt Lake City, Utah, adding because she has played the Geomatic Attic with Po’ Girl many times so she immediately contacted Mike Spencer when she was booking her solo tour.
“He asked if I wanted to open for Oscar Lopez,” she said.
Her solo material is a little different from her material with Po’ Girl.
“I compose a lot of music on accordion, banjo and guitar with Po Girl In mind. But the solo songs are definitely a lot more personal,” she continued.
She will have her drummer and backup vocalist for her set, but will probably not be joining Oscar Lopez on stage.
“I haven’t actually met him, but we’ll see. Maybe next time,” she said.
Po’ Girl has been on a break for the past year and will likely be on a break for the next year as well.
“If we want these other projects to work, we have to put some time into them,” she said.
She noted her solo works are more free.
“I don’t have to think about how they will work with the band,” she said.
“ I compose a lot on the banjo so they have more of a backwoods feel. But I also compose on the accordion, so they have a more European feel and a lot more Eastern European,” she said adding while her show will focus on solo material, she will likely play some of the Po’ Girl songs she wrote.
While her solo CD was released in the United Kingdom last year, she is just beginning touring on it in North America.
While she is doesn’t usually bring the gut bucket bass on tour, preferring her accordion, banjo and guitar, she said the may talk about it.
“ I wrote a children’s book called ‘How to Build and Play a Gutbucket Bass,” so I may talk about it to promote that. But it is difficult to play a solo show with it because you depend on the band,” she said.
She is excited to be part of the grand opening for CASA.
“It will be exciting to be part of the grand opening. It will be great addition to Lethbridge,” she said.
