Joyann Parker, one of the Twin Cities' best singers, could create controversy with 'Sconnie Girl'

It's Border Battle season. Vikings vs. Packers. Gophers vs. Badgers. And Joyann Parker, one of the Twin Cities' best and busiest singers, is about to release a playful, perhaps polarizing new single: "Sconnie Girl."

The country-blues tune mentions beer and German sausage, deer hunting and ice fishing, speaking her mind but being real kind. All hallmarks of a Wisconsin woman. Plus, she has a coupon for Kwik Trip.

"I love being from Wisconsin. We have an identity. The cheese and the Packers, supper clubs and Old Fashioneds. We kind of feel bonded when you're from Wisconsin," said Parker, who will celebrate her new album, "Roots," on Friday at Crooners in Fridley.

"That song ['Sconnie Girl'] has turned into an anthem. Last night, they were all singing along in Chippewa Falls [Wis.] in a little bar. We played that song in February in Florida. The bar was erupting."

What about in Minnesota?

"I don't say anything about the Vikings," Parker said, playing her cards right. "We make fun of the Bears."

When Parker, a deeply emotional and powerhouse singer, first played the song for Minneapolis producer Kevin Bowe, he kind of dismissed it as a novelty. But then he liked the feel of Parker's rhythm section of new bassist Chris Bates and drummer Bill Golden, as well as guest vocalist Chris Kroeze, a Wisconsinite who was runner-up on NBC's "The Voice."

"With those two [singers] together on that," Bowe said, "and then when she got to the 'Bears still suck' line, I'm like 'OK, I'm in.' "

The thing Bowe appreciates about Parker is that she's a songwriter in service to a song, not a genre.

"She does not care about styles. She doesn't even recognize it," said Bowe, who has produced G.B Leighton, Shannon Curfman and Communist Daughter, among others. "She has a song idea and she'll write the song. At the end of it, she'll go 'It's a rumba.' She feels no compunction to play by any rules. She cares about songwriting."

'Roots' is eclectic

"Roots" — her third album since undertaking music full-time — features Stones-evoking rock, bluegrass, blues, country, gospel, reggae, New Orleans jazz, Bob Seger-ish heartland rock and penetrating ballads.

The cover of "Roots" depicts Parker in a plaid flannel shirt and a stocking cap with an acoustic guitar, standing ankle deep in snow in her woodsy Wisconsin backyard.

"My image? It's just me," she said. "When you're starting out, you start thinking: What you should do. There was a very expected image of a blues girl. Flower in your hair and vintage dresses. I can do that. It's not that I regret it. I'd like that as an option, not an expectation.

"I don't care about the 'shoulds.' I do what I want. I don't fit in a box. I'm good with that. I'll just be myself. It's too hard to be somebody else."

Born in the small northern Wisconsin town of Mellen, Parker has lived in the Twin Cities area most of her adult life. A couple of years ago, she relocated to St. Croix Falls, Wis.

"I tried to be a city dweller my whole life. I like the excitement of a city," Parker said over lunch in St. Paul between in-town errands. "But I had to retreat because I think that's kind of my personality, too. I'm sort of an extrovert but I'm really an introvert because I get my energy back by myself."

"Roots" reflects "the different facets of me — anxiety, my kids, where I'm from, my faith," Parker said.

A key contributor is her longtime guitarist Mark Lamoine, whom Bowe calls Parker's "secret weapon." A recently retired Roseville lawyer, he now lives nine miles from Parker in Osceola, Wis. She used to be his office assistant.

They finish each other's sentences. Onstage, they're a bit like Sonny and Cher (yes, she's taller and often funnier). And Lamoine doubles as their de facto booking agent, whether it's for original music, a gospel program, a Patsy Cline tribute show or a salute to the classic women of country music.

After earning a degree in instrumental education from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Parker worked as an elementary school music teacher in Twin Cities. Her career turned when she won a 2015 blues competition, where she met Lamoine.

'Stay Home Mama' blues

Parker, 45, is still a teacher at heart, homeschooling her two kids while her husband commutes to his management job in the Cities.

"My kids love homeschooling now. The first year was bad for all of us because I didn't know what I was doing. The kids hated it because they were stuck inside. Now they're really thriving. This is Year 4. My daughter is a junior, my son is in seventh grade. I have zero complaints about my children."

The pandemic inspired one song on "Roots": "Stay Home Mama," a comical, true-to-life blues in which she's so busy waiting on her kids, finding her son's Legos, homeschooling and breaking up their fights that she hasn't had time to read a book in seven years.

"That first year [of homeschooling] was so bad. We all thought we'd hurt each other," Parker recalled.

"I was never going to record that song. We play it live and people come up afterwards and ask if they can buy it."

Parker, who took piano lessons starting at age 4 and taught herself to play guitar in her late 30s, is now teaching herself mandolin. She's also learning about navigating the music business.

Now, she makes more money from CDs and T-shirts than concert fees.

"I do over two grand in merchandise to people that don't even have CD players," she said.

Parker has hired a national publicist and reps to pitch radio stations, and she's amenable to having an agent — "somebody who can take us to the next level, whatever that may be. Hopefully to be able to make a living at what we're doing. I'd like to work a little less for more money."

She thinks "Sconnie Girl" could be a turning point — and not just emblazoned on T-shirts.

"There's more marketing in that song. That song has some legs," Parker said. "I want to get Kwik Trip to sponsor me."

She broke into a hearty — and hopeful — laugh.

Joyann Parker
When: 8 p.m. Fri.
Where: Crooners, 6161 Hwy. 65 NE., Fridley
Tickets: $25-$35, croonersmn.com