The Wailin' Jennys to Perform at the Lucas Theatre

After a yearlong hiatus, acoustic roots group the Wailin' Jennys After a yearlong hiatus, acoustic roots group the Wailin' Jennys is once again taking their show on the road.

They will return to the Lucas Theatre on Friday.

The female trio is known for their inspiring three-part harmony.

"We play folk music but it's colored by pop and Celtic, bluegrass and jazz," said soprano Ruth Moody. "It's really quite diverse but what threads it together is this three part harmony."

Those harmonies earned the Canadian based group a Juno Award - the Canadian version of the Grammy award - and several appearances on the public radio show Prairie Home Companion.

The Wailin' Jennys include Moody who also plays the guitar, banjo, accordion and bodhran, mezzo-soprano Nicky Mehta who plays the guitar, harmonica, ukulele and percussion, alto Heather Masse who plays the upright bass and instrumentalist Jeremy Penner who plays the fiddle and the mandolin.

In the year away from the group each "Jenny" - as they call themselves - had a project of their own.

Moody's new solo album, titled "The Garden," is due out Tuesday, Masse released a solo album "Bird Song" in November and Mehta concentrated on a non-musical project - she had twins.

The eight-months-old twins will be joining the group on this tour, which has the Jennys criss-crossing the country and performing 15 shows in 18 days.

Before the hiatus, the Jennys put out a live album, "Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House." The album gave their fans a little taste of the Jennys while they weren't on the road, Moody said.

"It's a very true representation of what we do on stage," she said. "It's the four of us, no bells and whistles - just basically our acoustic show."

After the break, but before hitting the road, the Jennys returned to the studio working on their fifth, as yet untitled, album. It is expected out in early fall, Moody said.

The newest album will include 12 songs, four from each Jenny.

Moody said the album will be recognizable to their fans, but with a flavor of its own. It showcases some jazz influences from Masse who trained as a jazz singer at the New England Conservatory of Music and a few pop tunes from Mehta along with more pared-down acoustic songs.

"It takes things in a new direction in some ways, but in other ways it's true to what we've done in the past," Moody said. "It has tons of three-part harmony but at the same time it does go in some interesting new directions."

Harmonic Blend

The key song in the Wailin’ Jennys’ repertoire, “One Voice,” The key song in the Wailin’ Jennys’ repertoire, “One Voice,”was written by founding member Ruth Moody. When the three ladies are onstage, singing this a capella, you’ll learn everything you need to know about why they do what they do:

This is the sound of voices three
Singing together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three

Moody and Nicky Mehta put the band together in 2002. The third founder, Cara Luft, has seen been replaced by Heather Masse, but three criticallyǃ

Smooth-harmonizing trio to be in Greensboro

This is the sound of voices three/Singing together in harmony/ This is the sound of voices three/Singing together in harmony/Surrendering to the mystery/This is the sound of voices three/ This is the sound of voices three.

This is the sound of one voice/One people, one voice/A song for every one of us/This is the sound of one voice/This is the sound of one voice.

So goes a trademark Wailin' Jennys song, "One Voice." When the Jennys sing, it can be hard to tell where one voice ends and another begins.

It's the Canadian folk trio's signature sound -- clear, warm and honeyed three-part harmonies laid over old and original tunes, ballads and traditional songs.

The Jennys frequently turn up as musical guests on American Public Media's A Prairie Home Companion. They'll be in Greensboro on Wednesday for a show at Guilford College.

For Nicky Mehta, the group's medium-pitched mezzo voice, singing with her band-mates -- Ruth Moody as soprano and Heather Masse as alto -- is as much a physical experience as it is an artistic one.

"You can feel it when it really blends," Mehta said in a recent interview. "It feels right physically. It just kind of settles in you somehow. When things are not blending well ǃ_ you feel like you're a bit on edge physically.

"It's hard to describe. The analogy I've used before is if you're on a really snowy road and you kind of get into the ruts in a street, that's what it feels like. Like you sort of just slide into the ruts and you're on rails in a way, and when you're veering off you can feel it, you can feel it physically that you're off the tracks. It's not just about your ears and it's not just about what's in your throat and your diaphragm."

In this age of Auto-Tune and digital manipulation, the Jennys' sound feels familiar and fresh at the same time.

"You can't manufacture that," Mehta said. "It's just the voices. Nobody can take credit for something like that, it's just the quality of the voices and it's getting lucky with having them match."

All three of the Jennys had -- and have -- solo careers, too. Mehta started singing with Moody and other original member, Cara Luft, while she was in the midst of taking a year off between college and graduate school to work on her singing and songwriting and promote her own solo album.

"(Moody) just wanted to sing with two other women and we were just lucky that the voices worked together," Mehta said. "I hadn't a lot of experience singing three-part harmony alone. I have done choir stuff and I had done two-part harmony, so that was a new experience for me. I think the signature sound comes from the voices just blending well."

Today, Mehta and Moody live in Canada, and Masse lives in New York. Masse is the group's third alto -- Luft and later Annabelle Chvostek left to pursue their own musical careers.

But through the years, the group has continued to garner accolades and success. In 2005, the Jennys won a Juno (Canada's equivalent of a Grammy) for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year.

The trio are so in synch that Mehta won't even single out one favorite song off the Jennys' new and yet-to-be-titled album, which will be released later this year. "I'll pick a favorite of all of ours, then, because I can't just pick out one person," she said diplomatically.

So that would be: "Cherry Blossom," a cheeky jazz-inspired song, by Masse; "You Are Here," by Moody, and "Away But Never Gone," a lullaby Mehta wrote when she was pregnant with her twin boys. She originally started the song a few years ago when a friend died, put it down and then picked it up again. "I realized that it was kind of about both things. It ended up being about that world where people go and people come from that we don't know a whole lot about."

The Jennys will likely play all three during their Guilford College performance next week.

They also favor covers old and new -- their last album, Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, includes Jane Siberry's "Calling All Angels," jazz standard "Summertime," and Emmylou Harris' "Deeper Well."

"On albums, the majority is original. In shows I would say it's a 60/40 split, originals being 60 percent and covers and traditionals being 40," Mehta said. "We love to re-interpret traditional music. Anything from something that's actually field music, that's sort of public domain stuff, to a standard like ǃ

Musical Storytellers

At the heart of The Wailin’ Jennys’ music is good storytelling. At the heart of The Wailin’ Jennys’ music is good storytelling. Through harmonious voices or banter with the audience, group members often share the stories behind their award-winning songs, said mezzosoprano Nicky Mehta.

“We love to talk to the audience and tell stories,” Mehta said. “That’s a huge part of our show.”

The Canadian folk trio won a Juno Award in 2004 ǃ

Wailin' Jennys to bring three-part harmonies

This is the sound of voices three Singing together in harmony Surrendering to the mystery This is the sound of voices three This is the sound of voices three
Singing together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three
- "One Voice"
Ruth Moody

From the Wailin' Jennys' Juno-winning debut album, 40 Days, one voice is what it's all about for a trio of singer/songwriters who weave their individual gifts into a seamless and harmonious sound that is guaranteed to stir and soothe your soul. Friday, May 7, the Wailin' Jennys appear live on stage at the Quadra Community Centre, 8 p.m. Please check your ticket: concert day is Friday not Saturday.

An extraordinary group of two Winnipeggers, Ruth Moody and Nicky Mehta, and New Yorker, Heather Masse, the Jennys are picking up awards and audience recognition around the world for their collaboration on an uplifting repertoire which cuts across musical genre to include folk-roots, alt-country, blues, traditional, and pop/rock. They've travelled extensively, performing in hundreds of venues inspiring critics to pen compliments such as: "...a timeless quality, the songs could have been written last week or at any point in the last two centuries." (PopMatters) "Some of the most pitch-perfect gorgeous harmonies you're likely to hear." (Review M Magazine, Australia)

The Wailin' Jennys musical sensibility and vocal prowess is no accident. Soprano Ruth Moody (guitar, banjo, accordion, bodhr__n) is a classically trained vocalist and pianist who came to the stage as the lead singer for the Juno-nominated roots act Scruj Macduhk. As a songwriter, she is known for her moving and haunting ballads. Mezzo Nicky Mehta (guitar, harmonica, ukulele, percussion) is a trained singer and dancer whose solo album Weather Vane was nominated for a Canadian Music Award in 2002 for vocal ability and poetic songwriting. Alto Heather Masse, (upright bass) a jazz graduate and singer/musician with the Wayfaring Strangers, brings a jazz/bluegrass background to the group. Together, these three women deliver inspiring lyrics and good, old fashioned melody "...in harmonies that could melt a Manitoba February." (Boston Globe) "The three-part harmonies of Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys should be considered some kind of national treasure." (The Hamilton Spectator)

The Jennys have two award-winning discs to their credit: 40 Days 2004 (Juno Award winner, Roots and Traditional Album of the Year, Group 2005) and Firecracker 2006 (North American Folk Alliance winner, Best Contemporary Album, 2007.)

Come hear the Jennys for their great songs, their musicianship and for "the sense of completeness and wholeness that can only come with three female voices." (Ruth Moody)

Tickets are $20 and are on sale now at Quadra Crafts and Hummingbird Office and Art Supply on Quadra and at the Music Plant in Campbell River. For more information, call 250-285-2580 or visit the Jennys' website www.thewailinjennys.com

Wailin' Jennys: Tour de Force

No matter how good the body of work is on an album, it’s seemingly impossible to ǃ

Wail the night away with Wailin' Jennys

Ruth Moody can't wait to get on the road again with The Wailin' Jennys. Ruth Moody can't wait to get on the road again with The Wailin' Jennys. The all-female folk trio of Moody, Heather Masse and Nicky Mehta took about a one-year break from touring because Mehta gave birth to twins about eight months ago.

"The break has been really good and now we are recharged," Moody said in a phone interview Tuesday from her home in Toronto. "We are rejuvenated and have a new and exciting energy to what we are doing."

The Wailin' Jennys perform at 7:30 p.m. April 9 at the Kent-Meridian Performing Arts Center, 10020 S.E. 256th St. They open a nationwide tour April 8 in Portland. They play in Mount Vernon and Friday Harbor after Kent and then head to North Carolina.

The trio has had several Bluegrass hits. The group often is featured on "A Prairie Home Companion," a popular National Public Radio show hosted by Garrison Keillor.

In fact, The Wailin' Jennys were in Seattle March 27 at the Paramount Theater for a live broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion."

"We had a great time," Moody said. "We've done a bunch of shows with them over the years, probably over a dozen."

Concertgoers soon discover what makes The Wailin' Jennys so entertaining.

"We are known for our three-part harmony," Moody said. "That's our thread throughout the show."

The trio mixes a little bit of pop, Celtic, country and jazz to give audiences a variety of songs. Many of the songs are original, since all three women are songwriters. They also perform cover songs.

"We do a lot of acapella and a little humor," Moody said. "But people really like the harmony and we do a very healthy dose of that."

In addition to singing, Moody plays guitar, accordion, banjo and bodhran (a Celtic drum). Mehta plays guitar, harmonica and a drum kit. Masse plays the upright bass. Jeremy Penner, a fiddler and mandolinist, also tours with the group.

"We call him our boy Jenny," Moody said.

The variety of instruments played by the women and Penner gives the group plenty of options.

"We're pretty diverse," Moody said. "We cover a lot of different sounds. It keeps things interesting for our fans when we can change it up."

The name of the band itself draws a lot of interest. It's a pun on the name of country singer Waylon Jennings, and one of many names suggested by a friend of Moody and Mehta when they formed the group in 2002.

"We just wanted to use our names," Moody said. "But a friend was convinced we would go beyond that one show and said we should have a name. A lot of the names we rejected."

But Moody, Mehta and Cara Luft, who later left the trio, didn't really think they were forming a group when they got together to sing for what they thought would be one show at a Winnipeg, Manitoba guitar shop. The solo artists were such a hit as a trio that one show sold out as well as a second show and all of a sudden the group got bookings and started to tour.

"We've had a couple of lineup changes over the years but it's been an amazing journey," Moody said.

The group's most recent album is "Live at the Mauch Chunk Opera House," recorded in 2008 at a concert in Pennsylvania and released in 2009. They plan to release a new album this fall.

"We all love performing and connecting with the audience," Moody said. "It's a powerful experience. We're all writers and it's rewarding when people respond to a song you wrote. And we all love singing in harmony. That's what keeps us going."

One Voice

At times, we all need to have someone else express our thoughts and feelings, as the words will not come, or once they do come, we cannot speak them. At times, we all need to have someone else express our thoughts and feelings, as the words will not come, or once they do come, we cannot speak them. And, if it’s true that music soothes and stirs the soul, then the world needs more conscious and aware singer/songwriters who are also musicians, for their work has the potential to be the voice of our heart and soul, in essence, the voice of Man’s truth. Meet The Wailin’ Jennys, a Juno Award-winning Canadian trio of women from Winnipeg, Manitoba and New York, consisting of soprano Ruth Moody, mezzo Nicky Mehta, and alto Heather Masse who are certainly using their talents and gifts to move humanity in a beautiful and uplifting manner.

Currently on tour to promote their newest release, Live at the Mauch Opera House, an 18 song collection that captures the magic of their live performances with show-stopping harmonies and dynamic instrumental solos from all three of the women and their sideman Jeremy Penner, The Wailin’ Jennys are stopping in Pasadena for a show at Caltech on February 27th.

Interview with Ruth Moody, singer/songwriter/musician and member of The Wailin’ Jennys (www.thewailinjennys.com)

Jerry: You and Nicky Mehta are the founding members of the trio. Where did you meet, and from where did the idea for the group originate?

Ruth: Nicky and I knew each other through the music scene in Winnipeg. She claims that we met before I remember us meeting for the first time. Her different hairstyle threw me off.

Anyway, Nicky had released a solo CD. I had been in a band full of boys, and I wanted to start a girl band. I’d grown up singing with my sisters. So, I approached Nicky, and we started working together. We played our first show to a packed house, and we liked the energy of the show, and we did another and then another.

Jerry: And the group name?

Ruth: A friend at the guitar shop kept coming up with a list of names for us, and most of them were awful. Then he came up with The Wailin’ Jennys, and we thought it was funny, and it stuck.

The name has done us very well.

Jerry: Heather Masse is the third member of The Wailin’ Jennys? She’s the latest person to fill that third spot in the group, right? Have the change ups affected the dynamics of the group?

Ruth: Both of the previous Jennys ended up wanting to pursue their solo careers. Once the word got out that we’d lost another Jenny, a friend said that Nicky and I had to meet Heather. At one of our shows in Philadelphia, Heather came, and we went into the bathroom of the venue and sang together, “Amazing Grace,” and an old Hank Williams tune. We loved Heather’s voice, and she instantly felt like a kindred spirit. It didn’t take long at all for us to start working as a cohesive unit.

Jerry: What’s the creative process like for The Wailin’ Jennys? Besides the obvious of more people involved, how is creating in a group different than creating alone?

Ruth: Well, when you’re recording and writing and singing on your own, you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission. But the collaborative energy is wonderful. Each of us comes to the table with songs that we’ve written. Then we play and sing the song until it feels right. We don’t write together, but we arrange together. Though on our upcoming album, Nicky wrote a few lyrics for one of Heather’s songs.

Jerry: How would you describe the type of music that comes from The Wailin’ Jennys?

Ruth: We call ourselves folk roots singers and singer/songwriters who sing three part harmony. You can hear different colors in our music, whether it’s traditional, folk, pop or jazz and blues.

Jerry: What impact or effect do you hope your music has on listeners?

Ruth: You can’t control how they react or respond, but you hope it goes out and touches people in a positive way and has a positive influence on them. And I don’t always associate positive with happy music. A sad song that moves me and makes me cry is a positive thing for me. I get to move through my emotions and have a release.

Jerry: With the song One Voice, a personal favorite of mine, the song seems to have a double meaning. It’s apparent that “one voice” refers to the three of you, but the message also seems spiritual and worldly and a call for unity.

Ruth: That’s exactly right. I wanted to write something that is unifying, and I wrote it with the Jennys in mind. But you hit the nail on the head with the greater significance. We’re all coming from the same place. It’s disturbing how many people don’t get it that we’re all one. It’s important for people to spread that message.

Jerry: Do you prefer performing live to being in a recording studio? Any rituals the group does before going on stage?

Ruth: I love both. Exploring in the studio is wonderful, but I’ve missed performing live. We’ve been off the road for a year, since Nicky had twins. As for rituals, we don’t really have any.

We warm up vocally and instrumentally, and we try to get together to talk about the show and to discuss what our intentions are and what our message is.

Jerry: How do you decide what songs to record, your own songs versus covers of Neil Young’s “Old Man” or traditional songs such as “The Parting Glass?"

Ruth: There’s no decision. It sort of just happens. We were asked to learn a Neil Young song for a tribute, and the next thing you know we’ve recorded “Old Man.” Wherever we are sometimes inspires us to do a particular song.

Jerry: Speaking of covers, you all perform Jane Siberry’s “Calling All Angels” beautifully. Have you gotten any feedback from Jane Siberry? What about Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings for “One More Dollar?” Neil Young for “Old Man?”

Ruth: We’ve never gotten any feedback from the artists whose songs we’ve covered. But I think that’s pretty standard. We did hear that Jane Siberry was glad that we recorded “Calling All Angels.” Nicky’s voice works really well on that song, and she really connects with it. No matter how tired she is from touring, that song brings her back.

Jerry: Your most current CD was recorded live at The Mauch Chunk Opera House in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania? Other than it being live, how is this recording different from your two previous CDs?

Ruth: This current one is way more pared down. It’s our stage show, and we tour as a pared down trio with a fiddle player. So it’s not as produced as our studio recorded CDs. We wanted to give our fans a recording of the way we sound at our shows.

Jerry: Ever thought of The Wailin Jennys doing an all a cappella album, a Sweet Honey In The Rock type album?

Ruth: I love Sweet Honey In The Rock. We’ve talked about that idea. We’ve also talked about a covers album and a Christmas album. It’s just finding the time to do them all.

Jerry: What would you say to aspiring singer/songwriters who keep hearing the negative messages that no one is listening to their kind of music or that the music industry is dead?

Ruth: Ignore it. The music industry has changed. Now, it’s probably working more in the favor of independent artists. Big record labels are dead more than the music industry is dead. I say go forth with no fear and write and perform.

Jerry: Who are your personal inspirations, and who are the group’s inspirations?

Ruth: I always go back to singer/songwriters: Towns Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, John Prine, Joni Mitchell and Lucinda Williams. I love the Beatles. I love Ron Sexsmith, Leonard Cohen, traditional music, pop music, old-timey music. For the group’s inspirations, it’s hard to speak for the other Jennys. I know Nicky is somewhat influenced by British pop, and Heather has a jazz and blues background.

Jerry: The group has had a lot of success in Canada, even winning a Juno Award. Do you feel that you’re developing a loyal following here in America?

Ruth: America has been really good to us. We’ve gotten a lot of exposure, because of our connection with A Prairie Home Companion radio show. We’ve toured a lot in America, and there are more places to play in the States than in Canada.

Jerry: I’m curious as to why Canada produces so many good female singer/songwriters. You’ve got Joni Mitchell, k.d.lang, Sarah McLachlan, Alanis Morissette, Jane Siberry, Jann Arden, and the list goes on. I include you on that list, too.

Ruth: Thank you. I don’t know why it is, but I’m glad it is.

Jerry: How do you feel about singers and musicians using their voices as a forum to promote political or social causes?

Ruth: I think it's very important, and I have huge respect for people who do it well. I think that it is a gift in itself to be able to speak out on behalf of issues or causes. It's a tricky thing because in the context of performing it involves a balance. Some people come to see you perform and only want to be entertained, or want to forget about the troubles of the world. So you need to be able to find ways of sending messages without totally alienating your audience or turning people off who just came out to hear some music. Having said that, the Jennys as a band will never think twice about saying what needs to be said when it's important.

Jerry: Many are now proposing that in order for the world to survive and get back in balance the feminine and maternal energy needs to rise up and maybe even rule. Your thoughts?

Ruth: I totally agree with that. It often occurs to me that you don’t see women starting wars. I think the feminine force is definitely lacking in making higher level decisions.

Jerry: Are you looking forward to performing in Pasadena? Are you planning on driving down the road to L.A.?

Ruth: Yes. I can’t wait. We like performing in California. If we have time, we’re planning on getting to L.A. We’ll maybe stay an extra night. Mark Howard, the guy who produced our upcoming album, lives in L.A.

Jerry: Thank you for your time, Ruth. I’ll see you in Pasadena on February 27th. Ruth: Thank you. Come up and say “hi.”

*Ruth Moody of The Wailin’ Jennys. Hear more music by The Wailin' Jennys here and at www.thewailinjennys.com