The story of one woman inspired by the sound of Janis Joplin.
Edited copy from David Slone, Times-Union Staff Writer, Fort Wayne, Indiana
"I sing as her," said Irwin. "The story is funny. It's about women. It's about a woman who discovered her voice through the gift Janis gave us," said Irwin.
Many women are told they can't sing, but in actuality, Irwin said, they just may have different voices. Joplin opened the doors for singers to sound different, to "sound like they sound," Irwin said.
Decades after Joplin's death, Irwin said, people are still coming out and telling stories of Joplin and how Joplin affected them. Joplin opened the doors for many women in music.
Irwin discovered her voice almost by accident.
A native of Indianapolis, Irwin has been an actress for more than 15 years..
She needed to diversify her career to help pay the rent. Others heard Irwin singing and told her she sounded like Joplin. Irwin added singing to her acting repertoire about 10 to 12 years ago.
In the 1960s, Irwin said there were 20-minute guitar solos as part of a concert.
For some of the songs, Irwin said, there is an order she has to sing them in order to do all of them well. She has to sing "Half Moon" before "Piece of My Heart" because if she does them in reverse, she she she wouldn't be able to do it.
"She really had a spectacular range," Irwin said of Joplin.
Irwin said there aren't many actors who would do what Irwin does to her voice when she sings Joplin. People swear to her that she will have nodes in her throat in 10 years. When she tried to sing "Piece of My Heart" as Joplin for the first time, Irwin said she lost her voice before the song was over. The more she worked on it, the further she was able to progress.
Today, audiences would want to hear Joplin sing and there's less long guitar solos.
"I'm not sure (Joplin) could do 13 songs in one night without other musical stuff happening," said Irwin. "Thirteen songs, I think, are the max."
She said singing as Joplin can be hard on her voice. While Irwin is always playing with what she can add to the song, 13 songs is her max for now. With the story and the songs, Irwin's show lasts about 90 minutes.
In choosing her 13 songs, Irwin said there are some songs "you have to do." Those include "Me and Bobby McGee," "Piece of My Heart" and "Mercedes Benz".
"I always try to pick one people don't always know. One song that I cannot do, that is the bane of my existence, is 'Summertime'. The range in that song is incredible," said Irwin. "The instrumentation and arrangement is amazing."
In "Take Another Piece of Her Heart," audiences will hear Irwin sing "Mercedes Benz," "Me and Bobby McGee," "Half Moon," "Ball and Chain," "Try," "Little Girl Blue," "Get It While You Can," "Cosmic Blues," "Move Over," "Bye Bye Baby," "Down on Me," "Turtle Blues" and "Piece of My Heart."
Irwin said she found she couldn't stand still when she sings "Half Moon". It's a song that makes her just want to move. And "Little Girl Blue" is an old song that Joplin covered.
"What's interesting about this process is people want to hear the music. That's what people are coming for. But there's only so much singing you can do in one show," Irwin said.
The story that ties all the songs together, she said, is poignant, funny and provides some information on the life of Joplin. With that being said, Irwin said she doesn't want to play up the story too much.