We are excited to announce that our new album, Fifteen, will be released on October 27, 2017. The album is a celebration of our time together as a band and features nine of our favourite cover songs. Billboard has posted the first song from the album, a cover of Tom Petty's “Wildflowers,” for your listening pleasure. Enjoy it at Billboard Online and thank you for your continued support!
Manitoba Bands Take Home Hardware During Junos - Winnipeg Free Press
By Rob WilliamsKEN Mode made it into the Juno Awards history books on Saturday.At the non-televised gala, the Winnipeg band's album Venerable was named metal/hard music album of the year, beating out sentimental favourite Anvil.The category is a new one and KEN Mode is the first band to win it."This one's for Winnipeg," vocalist-guitarist Jesse Matthewson said on stage during his acceptance speech.Backstage, the trio -- Matthewson, his brother Shane Matthewson (drums) and bassist Andrew LaCour -- said the award was a validation of the genre and the long hours they've spent on the road."It means a lot for us... The Juno, we never thought we would get. It's kind of an acknowledgment of the work we put in to working on the record," Shane said."I feel Canada has a metal legacy that has gone unnoticed in the mainstream media; that bands like Voivod have not been recognized by the Junos is a shame. I think it's time Canada woke up to the less savoury styles of art," Jesse added.KEN Mode was one of two local acts that won awards at the affair Saturday with the Wailin' Jennys taking home the roots & traditional album of the year: group for their third album, Bright Morning Stars.It is the second time the Jennys have won the award -- they took home the prize in 2005 for their debut, 40 Days."We're completely shocked. It was a really amazing list of nominees. We're in great company. It may sound clichéd, but it really is an honour to be in that company," said Ruth Moody."The roots scene in Canada is so incredibly strong. To get a nomination at all is an honour. To actually win is amazing," Nicky Mehta said.The Jennys -- which also includes Heather Masse -- held the audience at the event spellbound with a haunting a cappella version of Light of a Clear Blue Morning during the In Memoriam segment honouring people who have died in the past year.
The Decade of The Wailin' Jennys
Written by Nicky Mehta for the Red House Records Blog
It’s hard to believe we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary as a band, and yet, there’s so much to look back on, so much of which to be proud. I’m proud that we’ve thrived as an independent band for this long, working at a grassroots level with other smaller organizations (our agents and labels – yay, Red House!) and proud that we’ve worked hard to produce music that is true to our hearts. That our music has been embraced so lovingly by our fans all these years is such a thrill.
During the last decade, we’ve seen much of the world, had the great fortune of playing alongside musical heroes (Roseanne Cash, Bruce Cockburn, Bruce Hornsby, Jerry Douglas, to name a few exciting examples) and become better writers and musicians along the way. We’ve learned from each other all the way along and learned how to weave our different styles together to bring out all of their individual strengths – it’s an ongoing process as we all mature as singers, writers and players. I think we could all say that we’ve made each other grow and challenged each other to move outside our comfort zones. Being in this group has brought a wealth of experience and learning opportunities that I might have missed as a solo artist and it’s been a significant journey for me.I think what has also been profoundly significant for all of us are the stories our audiences tell us. People thank us for staying after shows to sign CDs but we hardly think of it as a sacrifice. It’s there that we hear about the various ways our music impacts our fans, helps them deal with loss, gives them joy and inspires them to create in their own lives. Considering that we all do this for a living in part to help and connect with others, this feedback means so much to us, it inspires and energizes us. Writing and performing is important to us all, but I think that our fans’ stories are part of the creative equation. Ten years later, time spent communicating with our fans is every bit as important as it was in the beginning.So what’s next? Well, stay tuned! Part of what makes a band successful and ensures longevity is allowing for all members to be creative and fulfilled outside of the band’s parameters. That means solo albums and tours, family life and rest. So that’s what we’re doing and soon we’ll come together and map out the future as best we can. We thank everyone for being here with us these last ten years and we invite you all to keep an eye on our website for news of the next chapter!
~Nicky Mehta of The Wailin’ Jennys
The Wailin' Jennys Have Nothing to Cry About
The Martlet - University of Victoria Student Newspaper - CanadaBy Dylan ToigoSweet and soulful harmonies will ring through the rafters of Alix Goolden Hall on Sept. 18, when Juno Award-winning trio The Wailin’ Jennys wrap up nine months of touring with a stop in Victoria.The critically acclaimed roots and folk group, based out of Winnipeg, has been busy touring North America since the February release of their new album, Bright Morning Stars. Made up of soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta and alto Heather Masse, The Wailin’ Jennys sing with the kind of seductive grace that can silence a crowd in an instant. Since the release of their 2005 Juno-winning debut 40 Days, the band has been a fixture in folk circles around the world and has gained international recognition for mesmerizing vocal harmonies and adept songwriting.On his website nodepression.com, Michael Bialas suggests “[The Wailin’ Jennys’] melodies rate with that higher profile trio of Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt.”The group’s latest record, which is featured heavily in their live performance, hit the top of Billboard’s bluegrass chart within weeks of its release and has remained in the top 10 ever since. The album has been praised by media and listeners alike, and the girls could not be happier about that.“It’s been amazing,” Moody says, speaking on the phone from her home in Winnipeg. “We constantly feel so lucky to have the fans that we do.”Summer tours consist of playing at various music festivals, a practice that can be taxing at times.“Because it is festival season, it’s a lot of criss-crossing back and forth [across North America] and so it ends up feeling really busy with lots of travel,” Moody says. She is quick to point out, however, that despite the heavy travel schedule, playing festivals is “so rewarding.”Other rewards on this tour have included playing at the prestigious Newport Folk Festival, infamous for being the event at which Bob Dylan went electric, as well as spending time with legendary blues and gospel singer Mavis Staples.For long-time fans of The Wailin’ Jennys, there is a nice mix of songs from all of their full-length albums included in their live shows, says Moody. For the most part, however, the evening will feature tracks from Bright Morning Stars.“We’re always growing as musicians and always pushing ourselves as writers, and I think we did push ourselves on this record,” says Moody. “We sort of wrote outside our comfort zone a bit … it is at times really celebratory and joyous, and then at other times sort of intimate and introspective.”
Newport Folk Festival Combines Trad Style with Acoustic Post Punk
GoldmineBy Bruce SylvesterExcerpted: The Wailin’ Jennys opened the three-stage event with meticulously arranged three-part harmonies. Their “Bring Me Little Water, Sylvie” came from Leadbelly, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” from Dolly Parton. There was little concern for purism here (unlike at the ’65 festival, where Bob Dylan controversially went electric and Seeger tried to chop his power line with an axe). Conservatory-trained Heather Masse — a Maine native among the trio’s two Canadians — lent jazz touches, while backup violinist Richard Moody (brother of the Jenny’s Ruth Moody) provided classical grooves to the pristine Jenny sound. (And no, the Jennys haven’t heard from the family of Waylon Jennings.)
Team Effort
London Free Press - CanadaBy Greg BurliukNo one can accuse The Wailin' Jennys of not being egalitarian.On each of their three studio CDs, each of the trio has contributed four songs.And everyone is encouraged to pursue a solo career apart from the group. This has been accomplished despite inserting a new member into the lineup for every album.The Winnipeg-tied group with the heavenly harmonies plays Aeolian Hall on Sunday -- Mother's Day -- at 8 p.m. London singer-songwriter Pete Denomme is also on the bill.In February, the Jennys' latest CD, Bright Morning Stars, was released. Joining founding members Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta of Winnipeg, is Heather Masse, a native of Maine.And why the equal split of songwriting chores?"We're all songwriters and we never started with the intention of being a band," says Mehta, who lives with her husband and baby twin sons on an organic fruit farm near Santa Cruz, Calif."We were a band of soloists who all had solo careers going so we just stuck to the formula where we each contributed four songs to an album."The original trio had Mehta and Moody with Cara Luft for a one-off concert by a Winnipeg guitar store owner. It was so successful they decided to stay together and jokingly chose a band name, a play on the name of the late country singer Waylon Jennings.They won a Juno Award for their first full-length CD, 40 Days, in 2005. After a second successful album, Firecracker in 2006, a year later Masse took over from Luft's replacement, Annabelle Chvostek.You'd think finding a new recruit wouldn't be easy, given that exacting standards were required. "First of all their voice had to blend in with ours," says Mehta. "Then they had to be able to write their own music, play on a couple of instruments and be available to tour.""We put feelers out to the musical community and we were talking to Aoife O'Donovan (from the Boston alt bluegrass band Crooked Still), who mentioned Heather. She came to see us when we were in Boston and auditioned with us in the bathroom of the concert hall."It may have three songwriters but Bright Morning Stars is a seamless garment that seems to have been sewn by one hand. It also seems timeless as if it could have been written anytime in the last 50 years."We all do have similar questions about the world and how we see it," says Mehta. "We like to refer to nature and other timeless themes in our writing."Still, there are subtle differences in their songwriting styles."Heather has a jazz bent," says Mehta. "Her song Cherry Blossom Love on the new CD, I could never have written in 100 years.""Ruth and I are more similar in style. She is a very hooky writer and has a knack for writing very catchy and memorable tunes. I come from more of a pop background. My song Last Goodbye (which closes the album) is pretty poppy I think."A song that is special to Mehta on the new album is Away But Never Gone."It started out being about a friend who died," she says. "Then I got pregnant and after I had the twins, I finished it. We are all born and then die. There's the mystery of where we are when we're not on the planet. It's a kind of lullaby."Between the babies and the Jennys, Mehta hasn't had time for her solo career these days."That's especially been the case since we started managing the band ourselves," she says."But we do think we'll be healthier and happier if we do have the space to pursue solo careers if we want to."Denomme is making his Aeolian Hall debut with the Acoustic Music series concert. He released his first full-length album Nice To Be Home in December.Denomme owns and operates the London Music Club, a listening room that is a favourite of musicians from across the country. He won the 2011 traditional folk/roots Award at the Jack Richardson Music Awards gala last month.Among the songs Denomme is expected to sing on Sunday is Hyland, about the repertory movie theatre not far from the Denommes' Old South London home."This song was inspired by our Sunday afternoons spent watching movies at the venerable Hyland," Denomme says of the song.
The Wailin' Jennys: Riveting and Fantastic
Ontario Arts Review - CanadaBy Serena WilliamsonAs part of the National Arts Centre’s Prairie Scene, singer-songwriters the Wailing Jennys took the stage Tuesday night. What a performance!The Wailin’ Jennies are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse—three distinct voices that together make a gorgeous sound. Hailing from Winnipeg and New York, their album 40 Days won them a Juno Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year in 2005. Frequent guests on Garrison Keillor’s public radio show A Prairie Home Companion, the Jennys perform to packed venues across the Canada, the U.S. and throughout the world. They blew us away with show-stopping harmonies, impressive instrumental prowess, and breathtaking songs that were a blend of their original work, traditional folk, blues, and even jazz.The Jennys had us riveted from the first chord. Their voices blended perfectly as they accompanied themselves with Ruth on the banjo, Nicky on the Irish bodhrán hand drum and Heather on upright bass. The second song continued the fabulous momentum, but all the instruments changed. Throughout the show, Ruth added guitar and accordion, while Nicky added guitar, drums and ukulele. Their professional training and experience was evident throughout their performance. Soprano Ruth is a classically trained vocalist and pianist known as an accomplished, versatile singer of traditional and Celtic music. Mezzo Nicky is a trained dancer raised on classical music and heavily influenced by alternative pop, and Alto Heather is a Jazz Voice graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music and an incredible blues songwriter.This reviewer is rarely at a loss for words, but there is really not much more to say. They were fantastic, possibly the best group I have seen this year. We listened eagerly to every word of every song, were enthralled throughout the performance, and could have stayed and listened till morning! If you get a chance to hear these women, either on CD or in concert, you are in for a real treat.
Wailin' Away - Canadian Folk Band to Perform in Frederick
Gazette.Net - Maryland, USABy Jordan EdwardsGreenwich Village in the late 1950s. San Francisco in the ‘60s. These are places American audiences associate with folk music. They are communities where friendships and acoustic guitars blended to make memorable songs.Folk is also big up north. In Winnipeg, Manitoba about 70 miles from the point Minnesota becomes Canada, the Wailin' Jennys came together to form a trio known for its harmonies and eclectic songwriting. Nearly a decade after the genesis, Ruth Moody, Heather Masse and Nicky Mehta are some of the most respected folk musicians in the business."One of the great things about Winnipeg is there is a lot of resources for musicians, which helps a lot of cross-genre pollination," says Moody. "[That is] probably why Nicky and I met in the first place. We were in slightly different scenes, but we were both singing backup for a mutual friend. Nicky had a great voice and was a great songwriter."They weren't even supposed to be a real band."We talked about getting together with the other founding member, Cara [Luft], for one show to sing together on each other's tunes," Moody recalls. "It sold out right away, so we added a second show, and that sold out. There was a chemistry and, before we knew it, we were getting offers from folk festivals around the country."This Saturday at the Weinberg Center in Frederick, the audience can hear the Jennys sing music from their latest album, "Bright Morning Stars." The show comes a night after a sold out performance at the Montpelier Arts Center in Laurel. Throughout the 13-song "Stars," the album dips into roots country, bluegrass and jazz. None of the tracks, however, stray far from the tight earthy sound that fans have grown to love on their first two releases."We didn't go in to make it deliberately sound different," Moody says. "I think there's actually a continuity there that is really nice. I think fans will feel that it's a real Jennys record."Part of the album's success is owed to producer Mark Howard, who has previously collaborated with Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris. The songs on "Stars" are polished, but maintain an organic feel somewhere at the intersection of Alison Krauss and Neko Case."He had a really light and relaxed presence," Moody says of Howard. "He was very into creating a vibe and letting those special moments happen. And they did."In 2007, Heather Masse joined the group, replacing Annabelle Chvostek. Masse brought in jazz influences and a formally-trained ear. A native of Maine, she studied jazz at the New England Conservatory of Music. It didn't take long for Masse to blend with Mehta and Moody. She was flexible, too. To add bottom to the Jennys' sound, the multi-instrumentalist learned to play bass."She was just a perfect fit musically and personality-wise," says Moody. "We sang together in a bathroom at a venue where she came to check us out. It felt great. We knew from right there that it was going to work out. It wasn't really a change in direction. It was just sort of adding to the pallet."In Canada, the Jennys have achieved a high level of success, earning multiple Juno (Canadian Grammy) nominations. The Billboard Charts have been kind to the band, too. Both "Firecracker" and "Bright Morning Stars" made noise on the Heatseekers, Bluegrass and Folk charts. Upon its release last month, "Stars" became the No. 1 folk album in America.When they're not contributing to the Wailin' Jennys, all three singer-songwriters work on their own material. Mehta's song "Begin" appeared in the feature film "The Cake Eaters" and the Lifetime Series "Army Wives." Masse, who lives in the Catskills region of New York, has released the CDs "Many Moons" and "Bird Song." With many instruments— banjo, guitar, piano —at her disposal, Moody released her debut LP last April.Despite all the side projects, Moody says the Jennys have no problem balancing both aspects of their careers."The Jennys are my number one priority. While we're touring on the road, it's full time for everybody," she explains. "I try to do solo shows when I can. I made my record when we were on hiatus. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to do that."With a new hit album and a tour bus driving across North America, don't expect the band to break up the harmonies anytime soon.