In perfect harmony

The Wailin' Jennys knew they had a good thing going from the start The Wailin' Jennys knew they had a good thing going from the start

Destiny, fate, karma, kismet - call it what you will. When the Wailin' Jennys first got together, the planets aligned.

"Our voices blended really well together," Jenny Ruth Moody said recenttly from her home in Winnipeg.

"I think we were sort of surprised. We hadn't expected it. It sort of has felt right from the beginning, that it had an energy all of its own. It just seemed like it was meant to be, somehow. When you come across something like that it's really worth exploring."

Things sounded promising from day1. The acoustic folk trio's first gig - even before a friend had suggested their colourful name - was sold-out. They recorded a five-song demo three weeks later in a living-room and wowed delegates at the International Folk Alliance convention. The demo, tidied up and bolstered by a sixth song, became their first album; it charted on campus radio across the country.

One can only imagine what will happen now that Moody, Nicky Mehta and Cara Luft have releases their proper, full-length studio album 40 Days.

"In a way it feels like the beginning. I think it's just going to have more impact," Moody predicted.

The new album, recorded and mixed over the fall and winter, finds the Jennys writing their own songs, singing their heary-dash melting harmonies and playing a roster of instruments: acoustic guitar, dobro, piano, bodhran, electric guitar.

It's a reckless prediction, perhaps, but this trio could become the Dixie Chicks of folk. The fact they're still getting better at what they do is almost scary. Recording the new album, their producer David Travers-Smith challenged the trio to stretch and grow as musicians. (He set a good example by working 18-hour days).

"It was really intense, but a really great learning experience for all of us," said Moody.

While the album features a bevy of backing musicians, including Norah Jones' band member Kevin Breit on guitar and mandolin, the Jennys didn't want to get lost in the mix, or to have things too polished.

"We were very adamant that it should represent who we are and what we do live," said Moody.

Although all three women have had independent careers and recorded their own albums, nothin is sacrificed in becoming a trio. They share the workload, they bring along their own songs. It sounds like the perfect combination of individual expression and group dynamics.

"The fact that we're more experienced and a little bit older makes us a better band because a band is about more than music," says Moody. "It's about traveling, its about compromise, it's about heloing each other through hard times."

Asked to describe her bandmates, she says Cara is exuberant and joyful.

"She's got an amazing personality. She's funny, and as soon as you see her on stage, you see all of it.

Nicky is strong, wise and balanced between introspective and outgoing.

Moody says the other two would say she was "sheltered as a child and I need to be eductaed on 80s pop music," she laughs. They'd also describe her as "a bit of a dreamer, probably a bit of a romantic. I can be a little spaced out. A lot of people say that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I think we tend to agree."

Weep no more - Wailin' Jennys

Tantalizing trio stands legitimate chance at international success Tantalizing trio stands legitimate chance at international success

After wowing crowds at the recent Folk Alliance conference in San Diego and the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival in Austin, Texas, the Wailin' Jennys have been tracked down in that most Canadian of venues.

"We're at a Tim Horton's in Portage la Prairie about to order coffee and chili to go," announces Nicky Mehta.

Just over two years ago, Mehta and her musical friends Cara Luft and Ruth Moody had at best a handful of gigs to their credit and were making plans to knock up a low-budget, six-song recording.

Today, the Winnipeg trio has a legitimate shot at finding an international audience. They have played many of the nation's major folk festivals and basked in the overwhelmingly response to that debut EP.

They're now hitting the road to promote their new full-length recording 40 Days.

"Considering that the EP wasn't a planned thing and that we threw it together in a matter of days, it turned out to be an incredibly beneficial tool," says Moody. "It was raw, but it was representative of what we are, and it got us a lot of interest."

Another year of touring and writing allowed them to build their repertoire and find their places in each other's tunes. They consistently knock out sizeable crowds who are bathed in the glorious three-part harmonies that are the focal point of the new album.

"We didn't want a producer who was going to stamp his sound on the record, we wanted our sound to prevail and a producer who was good at capturing vocals," said Moody. "That ended up being David (Travers-Smith)," whose credits as an engineer or producer include sessions with Harry Manx, Rita Chiarelli, and Mia Sheard.

Moody had been recording and touring as a member of the popular Scruj MacDuhk before embarking on this new project.

While the vocals are layered and glisten on Moody's One Voice, Mehta's sombre yet soothing Arlingtonand Luft's sturdy-meets-sweet Untitled, the supporting cast that included guitarist Kevin Breit and bassist Andrew Downing locked into a collective mindset of embellishing the material.

That streamlined approach to recording the album - which also delivers comfortable covers of Neil Young's Old Man and John Hiatt's Take it Down - means live shows should match up well with what is presented on 40 Days.

Fans will find out for certain Friday as The Wailin' Jennys headline a triple bill with Orange Records artist Jim Bryson and opening act Daisy Blue Groff who will make her way onto the Sidetrack Cafe stage at 9:00 pm. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Thrice the talent

Chemistry is a science. So why then is it impossible to know or predict how the chemistry between people will work out Chemistry is a science.

So why then is it impossible to know or predict how the chemistry between people will work out?

Musically, it's even more difficult to forecast what the union of elements will produce, especially when they're so different.

But in the case of The Wailin' Jennys, a collaborative act featuring singer-songwriters Cara Luft, Ruth Moody, and Nicky Mehta, there was a hint the result would be magic.

"We knew vocally that things worked right from the start," says Mehta of that act that was originally thrown together for one performance at a Winnipeg guitar show in 2002.

"But I think because none of us had it in our heads that we were going to do it beyond that one show, I don't think we were thinking in those terms..."

"As time has gone by, we realize that it's a really great thing that we're such different writers and that we bring different elements to the group - it makes it a really well rounded project."

And the rest of North America is beginning to realize it, as well.

Separately, each had already established themselves in this country's music community: Luft, a former Calgarian, performed at Lilith Fair and also earned a Prairie Music Award in 2001, Moody was the vocalist for Scruj MacDuhk; and Mehta worked in theatre before forging her own solo music career.

Together the roots artists have become the darlings of the folk scene, with their gorgeous harmonizing and sweet acoustic material.

The Jenny, who perform tonight at Ironwood, have just released their first full-length recording, 40 Days, featuring covers and material written individually but performed and perfected collectively.

"We're trying to make time for everybody to pursue whatever it is they want to outside of the band, but really the focus is on the Jennys right now because we're really busy and there's lots of interest," says Mehta.

"Because we do our original material, and because we make it a priority that we're all represented equally and everybody's songwriting is presented in a really strong way, people get a sense of who we are as solo songwriters.

"That can only help create a wider audience for all of us."

Mehta says their success is sweet, even though it may have eclipsed what each of the women have done on their own. "I don't think any of us are sitting here feeling like, "Oh my God, I wish the spotlight was on me and not the other two," she laughs.

"For me, it's almost more fun to enjoy the success of this group because I don't have to carry it myself. You can relax a bit in the success and enjoy."

The Wailin' Jennys - 40 Days CD Review

Stunning harmonies are the key to Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys, a roots trio too acoustic to qualify as contemporary folk but too poppy to get tagged as a dusty trad act The Wailin' Jennys
40 Days
Jericho Beach/Festival
*** 1/2

Stunning harmonies are the key to Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys, a roots trio too acoustic to qualify as contemporary folk but too poppy to get tagged as a dusty trad act.

Alto Cara Luft, mezzo Nicky Mehta and soprano Ruth Moody mesh together like sisters on their debut album, which includes three tunes by each singer-songwriter plus a couple of traditionals and covers of Neil Young's Old Man and John Hiatt's Take it Down.

The vibe is vintage CSNY folk-pop, with a touch of earthy roots-rock and a lyrical earnestness that fits in well with a Winnipeg vocal-trio tradition established by The Wyrd Sisters.

Unfortunately, most of the songs are overshadowed by the brilliance of the vocal harmonies. The exceptions: Come All You Sailors, a rollicking Luft composition, and The Parting Glass, an acapella traditional.

One Night in Winnipeg

The Wailin' Jennys go from one-off folk concert to full-time job

A one-night stand featuring three women named Jenny The Wailin' Jennys go from one-off folk concert to full-time job

A one-night stand featuring three women named Jenny. Sure it sounds like something you might watch in the privacy of your own home on late night pay-per-view, but in this case, it is much purer. And with a better soundtrack.

When Winnipeg singer-songwriters Cara Luft, Nicky Mehta and Ruth Moody took an evening out of their individually successful music careers to play together in a guitar store, it was supposed to be a one-time deal. When that show sold out and another was immediately added, the three women began to think that this might have the makings of a good thing. Somebody thought of a tongue-in-cheek moniker, and The Wailin' Jennys was born. The three haven't had a chance to look back since.

With a sound that combined traditional and contemporary folk with Celtic, country and even pop, the three Jennys go beyond simply taking turns doing their own tunes. Each member contributes songs and favourite covers to the project, but the group is able to make it their own, complete with signature spine-tingling harmonies.

Their debut full-length 40 Days combined songs by each of the three songwriters, with tunes by Neil Young and John Hiatt. "I think we've been able to go beyond just the idea of backing each other up," says Luft, a former Calgary resident. "Whoever's song we are doing, we want to make it a Jennys song. Nobody in the band wants to feel like they're just standing there strumming the G chord for the entire song.

"We are still able to showcase each individual writing talent and singing style, and yet there's this common thread."

While strong harmonies form a backbone to the Jennys' sound, Luft describes this as a happy accident rather than something that was top of mind when the three first played.

"It was totally strange, because if you've ever heard any of our solo stuff or other projects we've been involved in, the styles were really different, so you'd assume our vocal stylings would be an odd combination," she says. "But for some reason, it works."

And audience reaction affirms it works undeniably well. An overwhelmingly positive response at a North American Folk Alliance Conference led to shows across the continent, as well as future European tours. They have even been called "the next big thing" by some music industry observers.

Such buzz was not something the trio had planned for. What began with a one-off show has become a full-time job. Yet Luft is quick to point out that it is still an enjoyable project, even though it takes more time than they ever imagined.

"It is still fun, but it has been a lot of work. And it's the kind of work that we weren't prepared for, in terms of the business end of things, because we were busy doing our other projects."

"Right now we jokingly say that the Jennys have taken over our lives. It is a priority for us right now, mostly because of the work we're getting out of it. And we just spent a bunch of money and time doing a brand new album, and that's our commitment - that's our baby."

So with their evolving success and "new baby", The Wailin' Jennys indeed prove a one-night fling can lead to a long and beautiful friendship.

It was lovely at first sight for the Jennys

Distinct voices meshed into folk-roots stew. Many groups spend years together before they realize their potential. The Wailin' Jennys hit their stride a little earlier - like, at their very first gig Distinct voices meshed into folk-roots stew

Many groups spend years together before they realize their potential. The Wailin' Jennys hit their stride a little earlier - like, at their very first gig.

The Winnipeg roots trio blew away the tiny crowd at their first show - Sled Dog Music in January 2002 - and haven't stopped since, hitting folk venues across the continent and festivals such as the prestigious SXSW in Austin, Texas.

"It's weird. It took everybody by surprise and we've been so busy we haven't had a chance to reflect on it," says Mehta, the guitar and harmonica-playing mezzo who was shocked to hear how well she meshed with multi-instrumentalist/soprano Ruth Moody and guitarist/alto Cara Luft on that cold night a little over two years ago.

This week, the trio finally has a record to complement its live show: 40 Days, a debut album for Vancouver's Jericho Beach, the in-house label run by folk-music powerhouse Festival Distribution.

The disc, already in stores in Winnipeg, captures the interplay between the Jennys' three distinct musical voices.

Mehta is a former rock singer who writes straight-ahead singer-songwriter fare with serious lyrics. Luft, the most outgoing member of the trio, pens acoustic-folk pop songs and harbours a not-so-secret desire to rock out in a Darkness-like metal band one day.

And Moody, the former lead singer for Celtic band Scruj MacDuhk, has a rootsier style and writes music with a slightly neo-hippie flavour.

"People tell us it was such a smart thing for us to get together, in terms of getting gigs, but that wasn't the motivation. We just clicked," says Moody, 28.

True enough, the three vocalists are a perfect fit. Where they don't agree is the definition of the Jennys' sound.

Folk music dominates, but doesn't define the group, whose debut album sports two traditionals, a pair of more recent folk covers - Neil Young's Old Man and John Hiatt's Take it Down - and nine originals split between the trio of songwriters and their varying influences.

"People come to our concerts and tell us they like us even though they thought they wouldn't because we're 'folk,' " says Luft.

"Folk can be a dirty word. We hope we're not considered the (trio) that didn't make it into A Mighty Wind.

The story behind the Jennys'origin is actually quite mundane: They were each solo artists who happened to play together.

"That's not exciting? Then say we all once dated the same guy," jokes Moody.

The reality is, there are few groups who can claim such a purely musical motivation. Look for an actual Winnipeg date by the trio in May.

Hello everyone. We're back from Ontario and SXSW and we had a blast. We're likely heading to a city or town near you. Check the On Stage page for upcoming shows across Canada and beyond. We'll be adding new summer festivals and fall dates very soon and the fabulous new website is getting closer to fruition. Stay tuned!! Also, our new album "40 Days" is in stores across Canada and can be ordered online at www.festival.bc.ca. Thanks for your continued support. The Jennys

McNally Robinson Appearance

Hello everyone,Just a quick note to let everyone know that we will be performing and signing CDs at McNally Robinson at Grant Park on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:30 pm. Hope to see you there!