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