The Wailin’ Jennys might just have the coolest name in modern music. The Wailin’ Jennys might just have the coolest name in modern music. The obvious but clever pun on country music legend Waylon Jennings’s name is memorable, rhetorically satisfying, and translates broadly across cultural divides. It symbolizes folk music’s ability to span generations. And it was also an accident.
The band’s first gig ǃ
The chorus of “One Voice”, the Wailin’ Jennys’ signature song, serves as a metaphoric mission statement for one of Canada’s best-loved groups. Its composer, Ruth Moody, was actually born in Australia to Australian parents, but has called Winnipeg home since she was a baby. Wailin' Live: Canadian Collective Wailin' Jennys Show Off Their New Member
This is the sound of voices three / Singing together in harmony / Surrendering to the mystery / This is the sound of voices three
The chorus of “One Voice”, the Wailin’ Jennys’ signature song, serves as a metaphoric mission statement for one of Canada’s best-loved groups. Its composer, Ruth Moody, was actually born in Australia to Australian parents, but has called Winnipeg home since she was a baby.
Moody, who plays guitar, banjo, accordion and bodhran, and her sister singer/multi-instrumentalist Nicky Mehta (guitar, harmonica, ukulele, drums) have anchored the group from its inception seven years ago.
Three different girls have played the third jenny role in that time ǃ
They are neither grizzled country singers like their virtual namesake Waylon nor are any of them called Jenny but The Wailin’ Jennys are a Canadian trio making wonderful vocal based music. They are favourites on the international folk festival circuit and have established a following in Australia after a 2006 tour that included performances at The Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Brunswick St Music Festival. They are neither grizzled country singers like their virtual namesake Waylon nor are any of them called Jenny but The Wailin’ Jennys are a Canadian trio making wonderful vocal based music. They are favourites on the international folk festival circuit and have established a following in Australia after a 2006 tour that included performances at The Port Fairy Folk Festival and the Brunswick St Music Festival.
But their fame is spreading. They have won numerous awards in the homeland and in America and have featured on the US Billboard bluegrass charts. The trio consists of soprano Ruth Moody (guitar, banjo, accordion, bodhran) and mezzo Nicky Mehta (guitar, harmonica, ukulele, percussion) who are founding members with the essential third voice, being provided by alto Heather Masse, the newest member.
Although they are originally from Winnepeg it was in Toronto that Ruth Moody was found for a quick chat.
The occasion was the Australian release of their latest album a sublime live set called Live At The Mauch Chunk Opera House. The pleasure was all mine.
A live album was needed to placate the hungry masses and also to document the bands current touring incarnation.
“It really was”, agrees Moody. “We just took a year sabbatical and we really wanted to record the live show before we took that break. We’d been touring steadily with our “Jennys 3.0” configuration for a couple of years. We were feeling really tight as a band and we had developed a really special energy. The fans had been asking for it for a while so it just made sense.
“it was a last minute thing and we only recorded one show so we weren’t sure it would work out. It ended up being a great show to record and so it worked out well”.
The Mauch Chunk Opera House is located in the town of Jim Thorpe in Pennsylvania. It makes for a memorable album title and apparently it’s a beautiful old building with a great “vibe”. It shows.
The Jennys touring regime takes in shows at theatres such as the Mauch Chunk Opera House and a lot of festivals. For Moody there’s pros and cons to both.
“It’s nice to have a balance”, she considers. We like doing shows in concert halls but we also love doing festivals because its such a joyous environment. Also you get the chance to collaborate with other musicians and magical things can happen in that way. In concert halls you have the optimum situation for sound and for the audience to really hear the show. So it’s a trade-off, I like both”
One of the bands most defining songs emerged from a festival. One Voice is its title and for a band whose harmonies are their most recognisable calling card, a song with a title of One Voice was always going to be significant. It’s a good thing that the song, written by Moody is as good as its title requires it to be.
“I certainly connected to something special when I was writing it”, concedes Moody. “ I was at a folk festival and I was so inspired by the idea of people coming together and singing together and sharing music and the sense of community that happens and how powerful it can be. And what a difference that can make in the world.
“I was inspired by that idea and what was happening at the festival and the positivity that was all around me. I had peace and unity on the brain and I started writing the song and right away I knew it was going to be a Jennys song. So I definitely feel that I hooked into the magic at that festival”.
Part of the attraction of the Jennys is that they are willing to combine their own original songs with well chosen covers and traditional songs giving their music a sense of being part of a longer continuum. They are open to re-interpreting songs and the live album contains songs written by the likes of Jane Siberry, Gillian Welsh [sic] and Emmylou Harris as well as some more traditional folk songs. It’s a healthy attitude.
“Obviously we are all songwriters but we are always willing to consider covers and traditional material because as you say ǃ
Run the name of Nicky Mehta's three-piece band through the influential blog aggregator Hype Machine, and among the entries you'll find this title: "Why The F--- Is No On In America Blogging About The Wailin' Jennys." Now in their third lineup, the Wailin' Jennys join voices
Run the name of Nicky Mehta's three-piece band through the influential blog aggregator Hype Machine, and among the entries you'll find this title: "Why The F--- Is No On In America Blogging About The Wailin' Jennys."
True, it's one of just three blog entries Hype Machine can find on the Jennys for the past year, and blog attention often is crucial for relatively new, alternacoustic outfits. But Mehta ǃ
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
Heather Masse, left, Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta play their first gig in the city tonight. Ruth Moody is pretty sure the Wailin' Jennys are playing London for the first time tonight -- and that's not the only reason the gig might make history. Heather Masse, left, Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta play their first gig in the city tonight. Ruth Moody is pretty sure the Wailin' Jennys are playing London for the first time tonight -- and that's not the only reason the gig might make history.
"We're recording it," Moody says of the Canadian roots music stars' concert tonight at Aeolian Hall at 8 p.m. "We're not sure exactly for what purposes yet . . . we're starting to gather material for a live record."
The Wailin' Jennys are just one attraction on a busy weekend in London and we're offering a selected guide to some of the other ones, including rock band Brown Brigade and a jazz concert by London musicians.
Moody and her fellow singing and songwriting Jennys, Nicky Mehta and Heather Masse, are touring to support a pretty good studio record, the Juno-nominated Firecracker (Jericho Beach/Festival). Since Firecracker, Annabelle Chvostek has been replaced by Masse.
"We have a new Jenny," Moody says of Masse, who lived for many years in Maine so "she's practically Canadian." Masse now lives in Brooklyn. She joined the Jennys in March.
"We have a boy Jenny," Moody says of fiddler Jeremy Penner, who plays on a track or two on Firecracker. Moody and Penner were once bandmates in Winnipeg roots band Scruj MacDuhk.
Moody, Penner and their MacDuhk pals are fondly remembered by Sunfest organizers. Back in the day, the MacDuhk gang partied in Quebec into the wee hours and then battled traffic all the way from Montreal just so they could help open the 2000 edition of the world-beat fest at Victoria Park with a Louis Riel reel.
After MacDuhk scrujed off in 2001, Moody moved on. She and Mehta became co-founders of the Wailin' Jennys, a roots trio who kicked butt with sharp, sensitive songs and attitude. A former Jenny, Cara Luft, was just in London on a solo gig.
These days, Masse -- who has a background in bluegrass and jazz -- has become the Jennys' first bass player. Mehta sometimes plays drums. "It's more of a textural thing," Moody says of the Jennys' drums 'n' bass moves.
"It's the same concept and mission statement," she says of all the changes since Firecracker.
Still the same for "the Wailin' Jennys 3.0" -- as fans are calling the new lineup -- is the group's place in Garrison Keillor's public radio show A Prairie Home Companion. The Wailin' Jennys have played the U.S. show seven times already and have a couple of 2008 dates tuned in.
"As Canadians, we didn't realize the extent to which that show reaches people down there," Moody says of Companion. "Garrison Keillor is such an interesting and brilliant person."
The Jennys are adjusting to the fame of keeping company with Companion. "We met Bonnie Raitt on there. We met Meryl Streep. They're a couple of big names," Moody says, joking about the Keillor connection.
Tonight, the Wailin' Jennys meet their London fans. Fine London bluegrass-minded band the Goin' Concern opens tonight's concert. "I think this will be the Jennys' first time in London," Moody says. Who's gonna argue?
The Wailin' wait is almost over.
As job interviews go, this one sounds pretty daunting: A tryout for acclaimed roots-trio Wailin' Jennys, conducted in a backstage bathroom, of all places. Wailin' Jennys add a new member to the sisterhood
As job interviews go, this one sounds pretty daunting: A tryout for acclaimed roots-trio Wailin' Jennys, conducted in a backstage bathroom, of all places.
Despite the unusual setting, newly recruited member Heather Masse appears to have made an impression, becoming the third lucky lady to handle alto duties for the act in as many years.
So just what does it take to be invited to join the Jennys' ranks?
Founding member Nicky Mehta, speaking from a tour stop in Pennsylvania, says it's all about skill, experience, and most of all, chemistry.
"First of all, the (vocal) blend has to be good," says Mehta, who started the Jennys in 2002 with fellow songwriters Ruth Moody and Cara Luft. "That's never easy, so the fact we've found it for a third time is amazing."
When Luft left in 2004, following the release of the trio's debut disc 40 Days, she was replaced by Montreal transplant Annabelle Chvostek, who contributed to the followup album Firecracker.
Then Chvostek made it known she'd be following Luft's lead sometime last year, so when Masse -- a Maine singer who also fronts the N.Y.C. group Heather & the Barbarians -- showed up at a concert in Philadelphia, the remaining Jennys were only too happy to test-drive some vocals in the venue's loo.
"It's been working out beautifully," says Mehta. "She's a fantastic musician and a singer, and she's a really great songwriter as well."
In addition to the aforementioned "blend," prospective Jennys should have some stage experience to draw on, since the trio is a regular fixture in the international roots community, not to mention Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion stage.
She also has to know her way around a song -- all three Jennys write separately, though they're inching closer and closer to a more collaborative process -- and she has to be able to convince audiences what she's singing actually means something to her, Mehta adds.
And of course, it helps if she gels with the other Jennys, both onstage and off. "Onstage, there has to be a camaraderie, and a similar sensibility," she says. "But there also has to be a personal chemistry, because we're essentially living together on the road."
While the lineup changes no doubt go a long way in helping the Jennys rejuvenate their sound, they don't always work out as well for fans -- since any songs written by Luft or Chvostek have to be dropped from the live show set lists.
"That would require us to sing the lead on someone else's song, and we might not do it properly, or do it justice," Mehta explains.
But Masse -- who's also taught herself standup bass since landing the Jennys' job -- is already a contributing songwriter, and Mehta says her compositions are slowly being worked into the act.
In the meantime, the ladies are keeping up a near-constant touring schedule -- one that's seen them crossing continents with a fair bit of frequency in recent months.
"Apparently it's a lot more common than you'd think," she laughs. "And this time it wasn't nearly as dramatic -- just little bursts. Even the people around me were like, 'Whatever.' "
For many Vancouver Folk Music Festival veterans, the 2004 debut of the Wailin' Jennys remains a vivid memoryǃ
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