Hi all,We just spent four days in Tallahassee, Florida. Thanks to everyone who came out to the show last night - our first ever in Florida. 'All y'all' were fantastic and we can't wait to come down south again - particularly if it's winter, which it most definitely is here in Minneapolis, where we just landed. We are all getting ready for two shows with A Prairie Home Companion, which promises to be an exciting and unpredictable affair as usual, I am sure. It's been nine months since we were last on the show and we're so looking forward to being reunited with some of our favourite people and musicians. Tune in on Saturday for the broadcast!It's been an interesting tour so far. Despite balmy weather in Alaska, British Columbia, and Florida, we haven't managed to avoid getting sick with whatever monster flu has been making it's way around the world. It has certainly made its rounds in this band - twice. Only Grant and Jeremy have remained untouched. Does this mean that cheeseburgers really are good for the immune system? Luckily there was an amazing natural food store just minutes away from our hotel in Tallahassee, and Nicky, Heather and I single-handedly supported them for four days, stocking up on enough vitamins, herbs, and natural remedies to last a lifetime. I think we are coming to the end of it now. And I'm sure we are past the contagious stage, for any of you that just thought twice about coming to see us next week in Illinois or Kansas.It's an early night tonight. Here's hoping that with some good rest and some healing energy from the universe our voices will mend themselves and be ready for tomorrows and Saturday's shows.Thanks so much for all your beautiful guestbook comments. We feel so lucky to have such amazing fans. Lots of love right back to you all from the Jennys and 'Wailin' Jeremy'.Ruth
The Wailin' Jennys set to make noise in Fairbanks
Somehow The Folk Vixens didn’t have the same ring as The Wailin’ Jennys. Six years ago when three singer-songwriters got together for a show in Winnipeg, Manitoba at a guitar shop, the owner insisted the temporarily formed trio have a name. Ruth Moody, one-third of the band, said the musicians liked the pun on Waylon Jennings, the legendary country singer. Somehow The Folk Vixens didn’t have the same ring as The Wailin’ Jennys. Six years ago when three singer-songwriters got together for a show in Winnipeg, Manitoba at a guitar shop, the owner insisted the temporarily formed trio have a name. Ruth Moody, one-third of the band, said the musicians liked the pun on Waylon Jennings, the legendary country singer.
“It was a joke that stuck,” Moody said. “It has nothing to do with the man.”
That supposed one-off performance sold out and the folk singer-songwriters decided to stay a band under the moniker.
“It’s brought us attention and made people confused,” Moody said.
The trio will be attracting a lot of attention with its performance at Hering Auditorium tonight.
Although they were three solo musicians before that night in Winnipeg, Moody said the decision to unite wasn’t a hard one. Not only had the members known and worked with each other before in the close-knit Winnipeg scene, they also couldn’t deny this new group’s chemistry.
“It was a bit of adjustment because it was unexpected but there was a lot of energy so it was a no-brainer,” Moody said.
The new partnership had many more pros than cons, according to Moody. While there had to be some compromise, there was also more support, a shared workload and being part of a team.
The team also includes new “Jenny,” Heather Masse, a jazz and folk singer, who replaces former member Annabelle Chvostek in the lineup. Moody said Masse came as a recommendation from a friend. For her unorthodox audition, the three sang in a bathroom stall to see how they would sound together.
When it comes the songwriting, Moody said being in a band has also helped in that department.
“The harmonies bring new dimensions to the song writing,” she said.
The Wailin’ Jennys’ harmonies have led them to Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” eight times, as well as an upcoming appearance on March 1. Although she isn’t sure how the band ended up on the popular public radio show, Moody heard it was because Keillor liked the band’s debut album, “40 Days.”
“40 Days” was also liked by Canadian music critics as it was awarded a 2005 Juno ǃ
Back to the Road - Alaska, the Midwest, Florida, and More!
Hi everyone,Nicky here. We are in the middle of the usual scramble of the last pre-tour week, running myriad errands, making millions of phone calls, discovering that faulty instrument cases can not, in fact, be fixed before the tour, wondering why we took so long to deal with said cases when we had over two months to do so. I am preparing my cats psychologically for my departure by bringing the suitcases out a week in advance and picking them up against their will for hugs (the cats, I mean). I am wondering how to pack for the many different climates we are about to experience over the next month - where will I store my Sorrels when we go to Florida? How is it that once again, Winnipeg is (much) colder than Alaska and touring there is becoming akin to going on a semi-tropical vacation without the sand and unlimited mojitos?Anyway, we are looking forward to crossing these vast distances and singing for all of you. It seems like it's been a long time since we've been on stage! We are very excited to be returning to our spiritual home of BC though we hear Vancouver just received four inches of snow so we are hoping it will straighten itself out and produce some greenery before we get there. Regardless of what the weather does, we're thrilled to be playing the Chan Centre for the first time and sharing the evening with the fabulous Kelly Joe Phelps. After that, we're back in the gorgeous north, home of ice cold oysters, delicious seafood chowder and some of the nicest people you'll ever meet (not that food is more important than people, but you know what gluttons we Jennys are). People wonder why we go to Alaska in the winter and beyond the aforementioned fact that it is often warmer than Winnipeg this time of year, it's truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. And the halibut is also unparalleled.After that, we satisfy our great love of cheese in Wisconsin, return to beautiful O'Shaughnessy in St. Paul, once again tackle the maze known as O'Hare where the gates F1 and F4 should practically have our names engraved on the seats for the amount of time we spend there. And then Florida! Warm, sunny, I really hope you don't have any cold fronts moving in, half of Winnipeg now lives in Florida, Florida. Then, we head back up north to Minnesota for some time with our Prairie Home Companion family (yay!) before moving on to Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma. It's going to be quite the jaunt.See you all soon and thanks so much for your support!Nicky
The Jennys are home for the holidays, but you can still catch their music over the airwaves...
Jennys Live from XM15 Studios
On December 22 at 8pm EST and December 26 at 2am EST, fans can catch an acoustic Jennys performance in the XM Satellite Radio studios. Special to Jennys fans: go to friends.xmradio.com and then enter "MarySue.Twohy@xmradio.com". You can get three months free subscription with a six month commitment through 12/31/07.
Jennys on CKUA
Check out the broadcast of a recent Jennys performance on Alberta's great CKUA from 8-9pm on December 28.
Jennys' Winnipeg Show on CBC Radio 2
The Jennys' October 14 performance at the Pantages Playhouse in Winnipeg will be broadcast on Canada Live at CBC Radio 2 on January 9, 2008.
Lloyd Cole, Crowded House, and Heart - The Live Show Trifecta
Hey all,Wow, it's been a loooong time since I checked in. What a crazy few months this has been, but a great time nonetheless. We've covered some serious ground with much time spent in the U.S., another trip to the mother country and her neighbour Scotland, and a whirlwind cross-Canada tour. Once again, we weren't able to make it to the Maritimes, much to our disappointment, so we tried to make up for it by having the lovely Rose Cousins from PEI open for us at a couple of Ontario shows. Those of you who were there were, I'm sure, blown away by her beautiful voice, heartbreaking songs and hilarious stage presence. We love her. In any case, my childhood infatuation with Anne of Green Gables remains hungry by our lack of presence in the eastern provinces and I know someday we'll make it out there and I'll run along the red roads and treacherous beaches of Cavendish and refuse to get back in the "caaahr".Heather, our lovely Mainiac sometimes sounds like a Maritimer which makes sense, and we had the chance to finally hear the Maine accent for ourselves when we played very close to her hometown of Lovell. That girl is adored by her community, let me tell you. It was a beautiful thing to witness and I believe that I met almost every elementary school teacher she ever had there. I got a strong sense of what a small community is all about and everyone couldn't have been more welcoming and wonderful. Heather's parents were sweet enough to make us an amazing Thanksgiving dinner as we weren't able to make it home for the holidays - delicious!!!I have been taking in some incredible music in our rare down time - I finally fulfilled a lifelong dream to see Lloyd Cole live in concert on my birthday! in London, England! courtesy of Grant! at a venue we were supposed to play that very night but which we lost because Lloyd Cole is a bigger draw! I didn't hold it against him. I did however find myself in a typically British audience (extremely respectful, quiet until the end) who were probably growing irate with the Canadian chick screaming at the start of every song and singing along too loudly all the way through. But I couldn't help myself. My eyes were practically rolling into the back of my head throughout his show. Wow, what a sight. And if that weren't enough, I was home in Winnipeg when Crowded House decided to touch down during their world tour. What a SHOW!!!! There are no words. I could start to get all slobbery about Neil Finn but then I would inevitably be reminded of Jane Siberry's final words to me after I blathered on to her about how much I love her: "that's fine".Finally, (and I have seen more than these three acts but need to get packing for the next tour) I was given primo tickets to see Heart in Winnipeg. Now, I don't need to tell anyone that "These Dreams" was like, the deepest song EVER and that Nancy and Ann Wilson rocked the world in a way that two sisters with 35 inch bangs had never before done. But I will tell you that Ann Wilson STILL has the best pipes in rock/pop/smoke-machine laced music and Nancy, who must be close to 50 can still do scissor kicks like she's a teenaged cheerleader. Didn't she just give birth to twins???? Anyway, though they sang one too many Zeppelin covers and yes, Ann, I know no other woman can sing a Who song like you can, but can't you please play "Never" for me or at least "Nothin At All", I still enjoyed myself. Our friend Rachel and I spent a good two weeks watching Heart videos on Youtube and we laughed about the hairstyles while I secretly winced inside at the fact that there exist photos of me from high school that make me look like I had an exclusive endorsement deal with Final Net and a strong desire to provide birthing grounds for finches.Okay, must run and start getting ready for the Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky. We are very excited to be visiting many of these spots for the first time and we can't wait to see you all!Nicky
The Jennys are featured in an article on the Canadian music invasion on MSN.com right now. Read about it here. Fellow Manitobans The Duhks and The Weakerthans are also featured, alongside the likes of Feist and Sarah McLachlan. Find out more and get all links here from our friends at manitobamusic.com.
The Jennys are playing Woodsongs live on a webcast on Monday, November 5 at 7pm EST. Head to www.woodsongs.com to watch the show for free. It will be archived later in the week as video/audio stream and as a podcast.
Weve got some new videos including live performances of Calling All Angels and The Parting Glass on The Jennys video page.