We're just home from our UK tour. Wow, what a trip. I had a depressing start on this one as my beloved bodhran got left in a cab in New York City (I still can't bring myself to use the active tense) and I flew to England without a drum. It is like a sort of a death when you lose an instrument, and this one had been with me for 7 years and seen a lot of shows, going back to the Scruj days. I was pretty devastated. Frank Lewis and Norbert Eckermann both came to the rescue by loaning me their drums for the tour. THANK YOU!!!! They are both fabulous drum makers. Thanks especially to Norbert Eckermann for making me a replacement so quickly - I should have a brand new Eckermann drum in time for the Australia tour and all will be well again.The tour was amazing. Unfortunately we all got colds and Nicky ended up on crutches for most of the tour (an old recurring injury), but hey, we are a hardy bunch and we made it through. Unfortunately we never managed to find a cream tea (I know, it's a tragedy) and we will be on a mission when we return in July. It all feels a bit like a dream now in some ways but many things are very vivid: The amount of curry we ate, the amount of fish and chips we ate, playing to a packed house at the Borderline in London, the ocean in Brighton, partying at the BBC Folk Awards with our fabulous agents Ken and Sue Bradburn and Charles Devlin (and Nolene!), York Minster, The beautiful energy of the audiences in Southport, Froome, and Newcastle, (among others...), our lovely hostess Anne and her beautiful Georgian house just outside New Milton, our tourist speed-walk through London with Charles, SOHO, and my hilarious bathroom at the Kent Hotel in London (stay tuned for pictures). I am sated to say the least, and I can hardly believe we are off to Australia (my 'homeland'!) in 2 weeks for more adventures. My senses are going to overload soon if I'm not careful.Thanks to Emerging Music for taking such good care of us over there, you guys are awesome and we can't wait to see you in the summer.Peace
P.S A number of people have written about wanting the sheet music for 'One Voice' so I thought I'd mention that it will be available very soon through the website. Thanks!
The Wailin' Jennys - Southport Arts Centre
Considering the sheer beauty of the sound that can be achieved by harmony singing it’s surprising that there isn’t more of it about. Considering the sheer beauty of the sound that can be achieved by harmony singing it’s surprising that there isn’t more of it about. Hirsute men in waistcoats and boaters have probably given the genre a bad name, but if tonight’s performance is anything to go by its reputation will soon be restored to its rightful place. Three attractive women, dressed in black, all singer songwriters in their own right, combining to make sounds which give the word heavenly a new meaning. Singing songs from their 2004 album 40 days, and their latest, not yet released album, their accomplished vocal styling could make any songs sound good, so with astutely chosen covers of songs like Neil Young’s “Old Man” and The Waterboys’ Mike Scott’s “Bring ’Em All In,” they really have a winning formula. Their own songs are also very good and instantly accessible, with newcomer Annabelle Chvostek holding her own with those of founding members Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta, and with all three displaying disarming good humour, comic timing and musical accomplishment on guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bodhran, accordion and harmonica, they seem destined for wider success. A sold out venue is fitting testament to the regard that this languorous out of season seaside town has for the talent of the Canadian trio and the merchandise table does great business at the end of the gig. And what a way to end a gig. Politely waiting for the rapturous applause to die down, the three step beyond the microphones to the front of the stage for as near perfect a rendition of the Irish standard “The Parting Glass” as you are ever likely to hear. No gimmicks, just effortless three part harmony, a cappella, with palpable silence as they pause to draw breath between verses. They are away to Australia for a few months, but come back to the UK for some festival appearances, including Brampton Live, in July.
The Wailin' Jennys
Looking at the current incarnation of the Jennys, soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta, and alto Annabelle Chvostek, it would seem like few groups could be so perfectly aligned Looking at the current incarnation of the Jennys, soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta, and alto Annabelle Chvostek, it would seem like few groups could be so perfectly aligned, by fate or by design. It is no wonder that music critics are inclined to phrase their descriptions in honeyed phrases.
The Jennys, music reviewers say, make music that is "lush", "luscious" and "sweet". Their masterful three-part vocal harmonies are "haunting" and they "shimmer".
The Wailing Jennys are touring the UK from late January through to the end of February, visit www.thewailinjennys.com for further details.
Introducing the Newest Member of the Traffor Library
Hello everyone,I am proud to say that I am now a member of the Trafford Library in Hale, Manchester - apparently there is no internet cafe in town so this was the next best thing. Plus, I can get a book the next time we are through. These British keyboards are something to get used to, though. Anyway, just wanted to touch base and let everyone know that we are in England and about to embark on a whole wack of shows on the island. We arrived in Manchester from New York the other day and the journey felt a bit easier than last year. Last time we had been recording a demo until pretty much the moment we stepped on the plane so jet lag was harder to shake off. We were quickly reminded of a few of the culinary perks of England as we tucked into an English breakfast and drank some tea - it will only be a matter of time before we hit the ale. We've promised ourselves a full cream tea and are going to make sure it is a meal in itself instead of dessert this time. I can already feel my clothes getting tighter.We spent the earlier part of our first 2006 tour in the U.S. and had some great shows in Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Performing in Minneapolis at the Cedar was an emotional show for us. Bob Feldman (the founder of Red House), had passed away only a week before and we were feeling his loss acutely as we prepared for the show. The last time at the Cedar had been a completely different experience with Bob bounding around excitedly and making sure everything was perfect for us. This time, the rest of the team at Red House were there to keep it all going. Everyone at Red House had been so busy keeping the fort strong that the show was a chance for all of us to stop for a bit and reflect on why Bob's presence was so sorely missed. He was a bright light and we did our best to sing to that and celebrate who he was. We miss him very much.In general though, there were many little highlights to the U.S. tour. We ate amazing Cuban food in Chicago, played a fair bit of hacky-sack in parking lots across Minnesota, witnessed some spectacular karaoke in Minneapolis and had a good amount of time to hang out with our Red House family in St.Paul. This time, both vehicles were returned to Enterprise and National with no dents or scrapes and we only got lost twice. We also arrived at airports more than 10 minutes before our flights this time (yay!). We ended up in New York city for the final showcase of the season and then Annabelle, Grant and I hung around NY while Ruth went back to Toronto to finish her parts on the recording. It was hectic but well worth it.So now we hook up again with our faithful UK agents, Ken, Charles and Sue and prepare to wave to the same flock of sheep several times as we criss-cross the country in our van. Back in Canada, our team is working on finishing up all aspects of the new record - it should be out in the spring right on time. We'll keep you posted!Take care, everyone.~ Nicky
Hi everyone,
We are in the UK at the moment and may have a hard time answering our guestbook questions right away but thanks for all of your comments (and do check back through the pages as we sometimes go back and address questions after the fact). Just to let you all know, we are indeed on MySpace - you can hit the link on our links page or just go to www.myspace.com/thewailinjennys. Thanks!
The Jennys
We are very saddened to write that Bob Feldman, founder and president of the Jennys' U.S. record label, Red House Records passed away last Wednesday, January 11th. Bob was a rare entity in the music industry - he not only believed passionately in the power of music but cared deeply about his artists and was committed to running all aspects of his business with integrity and respect. His belief in our music was a profound inspiration. Bob was a man of great vision and energy and a valued friend and he will be greatly missed. For those interested in donating to his memory, memorials should be directed to the Breast Cancer Fund c/o Red House Records PO Box 4044 St Paul MN 55104.
Hello everyone
We are back from NY where we had a great time performing on A Prairie Home Companion and shooting photos for our upcoming album with our good friend (and ace photographer and fingerstyle guitarist) Art Turner. It was a busy but fruitful time. Thanks to everyone who has written into the guestbook to comment on the PHC shows. Just to let you all know, "Bring Em All In" and "Sun's Gonna Rise" are on our EP which is available on our "Merchandise" page (in the drop down menu under the "Music" tab). We have not recorded "Calling All Angels' as of yet although we may do so in the future. We'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your interest and have a wonderful holiday and new year.
The Jennys