It's been a while since we have written a journal entry and we're already almost halfway through the summer. We're hanging out in Calgary right now working on new material for the album and we're getting very excited about the recording. The studio is both an inspiring and scary place to be but all of us are really pumped about this next record and really happy with what each other is creating. Nothing like arranging new songs and creating lots of harmony. Yay!The festivals so far have been chock full of good experiences. A few off the top of my head: three amazing workshops in Vancouver with the likes of Sarah Harmer, Dona Rosa, Juana Molina, Bill Bourne and Eivor Palsdottir, Dochas, John Reischman and the Jaybirds and more. The weather was great and the festival did well so we're happy to see that it will be around for at least a good while longer. Please support that festival!We spent some time with friends in Vancouver (you can check the "Images" page for shots of my friends Gill and Neil's beautiful dog, Sherpa as she chows down on sushi) and then headed to Calgary. This was our first time at the Calgary Folk Festival as the Jennys and we had a blast. Seeing the Indigo Girls live for the first time in my life was actually more of a thrill than I anticipated. Those women are the true definition of pro and their songs have definitely stood the test of time. We were also treated to shows by K'Naan, Iris Dement, Jeff Tweedy and the ever-fabulous Ron Sexsmith. I never cease to be amazed by all of their incredible writing.We had the pleasure of performing with the Holmes Brothers and Hungry Hill in a Sunday morning workshop that saw a devoted clan of people stand out in the pouring rain and cold for an hour and a half! We couldn't believe it - it was an utterly magical experience. We also had a workshop with the legendary McGarrigle Sisters which was a pretty profound experience as well. There is something about sharing stages with heroes that defies description. I thought Ruth was going to lose it when Kate and Anna told her how much they enjoyed "One Voice".By the end of both festivals we were quite tired but truly inspired by all of the fantastic musicians we heard.We are off to Canmore tomorrow where we will meet up again with the Worms, Eliza Gilkyson (who we loooove and who we had the chance to talk to), The Bills and more of our favourite people. Performing at the festivals is always a welcome way to reconnect with our road families and its a great way to take in music. That's actually a rare thing these days for us.Hope to see you all at the rest of the festivals this summer.~ Nicky
Folk Fest: Winnipeg Inspiration
The Wailin' Jennys are the quintessential folk-group--their vocal talents blend in beautiful three-part harmonies The Wailin' Jennys are the quintessential folk-group--their vocal talents blend in beautiful three-part harmonies without overshadowing one another. Accompanied by acoustic guitar, violin, mandolin and banjo, the Wailin' Jennys comprises soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta and alto Annabelle Chvostek, perfectly showcasing classically trained voices in a blend of country-folk at home on any Calgary Folk Festival stage.
"Its like an equal opportunity songwriters' collective in a way," laughs Chvostek of the three-way song writing process responsible for their distinct sound. "We all contribute to our songs pretty much equally. I think that's what makes people enjoy it too. We all have different influences and different ways of writing, but it comes together really organically and the fact that we're all together provides a unity for the overall sound."
The Jennys' sound has evolved considerably since their 2004 debut, 40 Days, due to former Wailin' Jennys member Cara Luft leaving the band to pursue a solo career in October 2004. After much searching, the Winnipeg-based Jennys looked east and found Montreal singer-songwriter Chvostek, who joined the group in December 2004, to round out their trio.
"One thing that is influencing the sound is that Annabelle plays the fiddle and the mandolin," explains Moody. "Those instruments make it sound a little rootsier and at times a little more country."
Mehta says fans can expect more country and maybe even some pop influences on their next album. The band heads into the studio this fall and the album should be released sometime in the spring.
"We're sort of going along a more alt-country route to a degree," explains Mehta. "We're retaining things that we've done before because of the fact that two of us are still here. There's some old sound in there for sure. I think all of us feel that things are going in a more raw, rootsy direction."
The band's success and part of their rootsy direction is attributed to another kind of roots: namely the ones they've entrenched in Winnipeg. Even if it means cold weather and mosquitoes, the city is famous for fostering, supporting and influencing a wide range of quality musicians.
"The [Winnipeg] community is already really strong and established and people share music with each other," says Mehta. "I think that connection to the elements makes people sort of aware of what's around them and connected to it, which I think makes them more creative. When it's minus 40 you know, that's inspiring in a way."
Only the quintessential folk group could take inspiration from such ungodly weather.
Hello again,
We are about to leave Vancouver to head to Calgary and just wanted to write a quick note to let you all know that we have created some new albums in the "Images" section. Many thanks to Rachel Stone for posting the photos and for creating her "special pictures" for the Jennys. Head over to www.manitobamusic.com to check out her work there and see what's up with the Manitoba Audio Recording Industry Association.
We expect to have new shows and journal entries up within the next week so please check back for that as well.
Have a great rest of your summer and as always, thanks for your support!
The Jennys
40 Days Review
Canadian folkies the Wailin' Jennys aren't opposed to throwing down the occasional sea shanty or English drinking song... Canadian folkies the Wailin' Jennys aren't opposed to throwing down the occasional sea shanty or English drinking song. Multi-talented singer/songwriters Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta, and Cara Luft -- the latter left the group soon after the album's release and was replaced by Annabelle Chvostek -- formed the group in 2002 after sharing the stage as soloists at an in-store in a local record shop, and their intoxicating blend of country, Celtic, and folk has cast a spell on not only the Great White North, but much of the U.S. as well. Like Gillian Welch or Alison Krauss, they can make new songs feel traditional ("Arlington") and old songs sound brand new ("The Parting Glass"). Their perfectly rendered harmonies swoop into choruses like a murder of crows, supplying involuntary goose bumps to even the most hardened skeptic. 40 Days is full of sparse arrangements and top-notch songwriting from all three members. Other highlights include a rousing version of the seafaring tale "Saucy Sailor" -- made famous by British folk-rock pioneers Steeleye Span -- Moody's beautiful title track, and Luft's rollicking (an obvious show opener) "Come All You Sailors." Fans of the Dixie Chicks, June Tabor, and even Heart will find much to love here. A most infectious first record, and highly recommended.
Hi everyone,
A quick note to let everyone know that our Sounds Like Canada (CBC) show at Grandview Park in Vancouver (July 13th) is actually at 6:00 pm, not 8:00 pm as originally posted. Hopefully this will not mess up anyone's schedule. We do hope to see many of you Vancouverites at the show and the festival this coming weekend. We're very excited to get out there and play after taking in so much great music lately in Winnipeg and Montreal.
We hope everyone is having a good summer and we are sending out good vibes to all of those Manitoban farmers affected by the flooding of the last few weeks. Our thoughts are with you and here's holding out for some good weather.
The Jennys
Hi everyone,
Thanks to some alert fans, we were notified about a mistake on our tour schedule. Thanks to Kevin and Lucy for pointing out that our show in Ann Arbor, MI at The Ark is on the 20th, not the 27th of September. Sorry for the gaff and we hope that this has not caused any inconvenience for anyone. See you there!
The Jennys
Hi all,
We're back home for a bit and then off to Vancouver for the folk festival. We had a great time in Thunder Bay connecting with friends and singing some new songs together and we're looking forward to the rest of the summer.
There's a lot to check out on the site and more to come - currently, there's a new journal entry, a couple of press articles, new links, several dates on the On Stage page, and new restaurants listed for Victoria, Rossland, Gibsons, Vancouver, West Hollywood, and Comox. Soon we will have another collection of photos and we hope to shoot some more silly videos this summer. Check back often - we've been forcing friends to make the strangest faces possible and they've really stepped up to bat. Have a great summer!
The Jennys
Thundering Women
Ah, the THUNDER! The festival in Thunder Bay this year was lovely. This is only the second year for Thundering Women, and as ever, Jen (the bent) Metcalfe managed to pull together a spectacular crew of ladies, and the inspiration and loving good vibes did toss themselves around abundantly. Leela Gilday from Yellowknife was a wonderful discovery. She had all of us swooning. She is a beautiful songwriter who seamlessly blends a unique modern style with Dene roots. Incredible voice, powerful messages, funny and damn sexy. Her in a workshop combo with Sweetwater women and the Mush-cow-zee-ek-we-wuk Drummers was a massive spirit lift. Great weekend. Tons of great performers. The journey to Thunder Bay is always a sweet one, and this festival of women is a gem to be celebrated and enjoyed by everyone. May it grow and grow. We have an incredible summer coming up. The festivals we are doing have us sharing the stage with many artists we love, artists whose recordings get multiple spins in our van as we criss-cross the nation. I am SO PUMPED!