Wise Jennings Interview
Q: You guys have quite a history. Can you tell us about how Wise Jennings started?
A: We met playing music many, many years ago and had to take a break to start careers, have kids, yada, yada...fast forward to a lovely fall day a little over two years ago, lol! We were at a local bluegrass festival, enjoying the music and atmosphere, and looked at each other and said, 'we could do that'...that started the conversation. We agreed that we needed some sort of creative outlet. We just didn't know what we wanted to do. We agreed that whatever it was, we were going to do it together, just the two of us. With kids and jobs we didn't want the added drama of trying to put together a full band so we started researching music again...what could we do, what style did we like, what songs would we learn, what instruments would we play? We knew we couldn't be a bluegrass band with only two people. We also knew that we didn't want to do the same old tired cover songs that every other act is out there doing. We ran across a duo called Shovels and Rope and they literally blew our minds. Not since the White Stripes had we seen a male/female duo that could rock and create such a full sound. Jeff asked me, 'do you think you could learn drums?’ I said, 'sure, why not.’ Jeff had never played electric guitar, but he thought he'd give it a try. I never played harmonica but I figured, how hard could it be? So we went out and got a used drum kit, a cheap set of harmonica's and a new electric guitar and we practiced…every day, for hours! We were having fun and we knew then that we could be something different as a duo.
During that time we were listening to a lot of Americana bands...Shovels & Rope, The Avett Brothers, Wood Brothers, Old Crow, Lone Bellow, etc. We started out doing covers of the music that we love, most of which nobody knew anyway when we started gigging. Our first show was in our friend's backyard and we were terrified but we got a good response so we plugged away. We started landing a few shows but after a short time, just a couple of months, we realized that we weren't going to like being a cover band. So we tried our hand at writing songs. We performed our first original song at a local coffee house about a year ago. People liked it, so we kept writing...a lot. Once we started we couldn't stop. We opened a creative floodgate that to this day is still wide open.
Q: There are a fairly broad range of styles on The Year Mama Tried. Can you talk about the creative process?
A: It’s variable. We both write lyrics. Jeff writes all of the music, sometimes based off of a simple melody that I come up with, but most of the time he just hears something in his head and turns it into a song. The music usually comes first. We've had quite a few songs where he's been playing something new that he's come up with and I have said, wow, I have the perfect lyrics for that! A lot of the time one of us will start something and the other will finish it or add to it. Every single song is a collaboration between the two of us and it feels so good, like we've really accomplished something together. We have a tremendous variety in our music which I think is a reflection of the mood we were in at the time. To be honest, most of our music is fast...this makes sense because our life is crazy, but we certainly have some songs that a more stripped down and soul-baring. As with most songwriters, the majority of our songs are based off of our own life experiences. Since we are a little older, we have a lot more to write about!
Q: How do you decide who is going to sing which song?
A: Once we've worked out the melody to a song we decide who's voice it fits better as the lead but for the most part we are both singing on all of the songs...except “Love Fix.” That one I sing alone as it just seemed to fit better that way. It's hard to identify at times what part is the lead because we harmonize so much on our music. It usually comes naturally though, as we work out the song it's almost a no-brainer who is the lead on the song and who is singing the harmony.
Q: You mention that “The songs we selected for this EP are some of our 'oldest' songs.” In that case what do the new songs sound like?
A: We wrote fast and furious for a year. When we recorded the EP we had to choose just five songs but we had probably 30 to pick from. We felt that the songs we picked were a good representation of our sound at the time and we're glad we chose them but we continue to evolve. As funny as it sounds, in addition to writing new songs, we have taken some of our 'older' songs and reworked them. The revamped music tends to be a lot faster and louder. Additionally, we have introduced some new elements to our show. Jeff has started playing foot pedal bass which has really filled things out and opens up new doors. We have songs that are pure rock, stripped down Americana, bluegrass-ish and even rockabilly. Our goal has always been to be creative and not limit ourselves to a specific sound. The last thing we want is for anyone to think that all of our music sounds the same. So far, we've never been accused of such!
Q: What are your live shows like? Do you have a full band?
A: We perform as a duo, Melissa on drums/harmonica/vocals and Jeff on guitar/bass/vocals. We have had people say to us quite often, 'I have no idea what I'm watching but it's awesome!' People are always taken with the fact that we have a chick on drums who plays the harmonica at the same time. People also frequently ask how we get all that sound with just the two of us. We really do sound like a full band and it's so fun to see people's reaction to us. We are very interactive with the crowds, we love to talk to the people that have come to the show. It's part of our routine to try to thank every single person in the audience at some point during the night. During breaks or after our set we will walk around and talk to people...try to seal that connection. There is nothing we like less than going to see a band and the band has no time for the crowd. Not cool. Lucky for us, we are still playing venues that allow us to do this...bars, coffee houses and festivals. It feels strange when we perform a show where we aren't able to have the 1:1 conversations with people.
Q: What else can we expect from Wise Jennings? And what else do we need to know?
A: We are working on our next album, as of yet unnamed, which should be ready for release in early 2018. This one is our first full length with nine original songs. There is more of a variety of songs on this one from dirty country to rockabilly and a ballad thrown in for good measure. We have recently recorded a music video to our song “Mosh Pit” which we plan to release as a single ahead of the album release. Yes, the song is about mosh pits and it is a fast and hard rockabilly tune! We shot the video at our favorite bar to play at, recruited our friends and some strangers to join us, even had a Billy Idol look-a-like. We are currently working on the editing of the video and can't wait to get it out there. We are currently booking for 2018 and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us. At the end of the day, we are doing something that we love with the person that we love the most...it's a beautiful thing and we are incredibly fortunate that we met and can do this together.
Q: You guys have quite a history. Can you tell us about how Wise Jennings started?
A: We met playing music many, many years ago and had to take a break to start careers, have kids, yada, yada...fast forward to a lovely fall day a little over two years ago, lol! We were at a local bluegrass festival, enjoying the music and atmosphere, and looked at each other and said, 'we could do that'...that started the conversation. We agreed that we needed some sort of creative outlet. We just didn't know what we wanted to do. We agreed that whatever it was, we were going to do it together, just the two of us. With kids and jobs we didn't want the added drama of trying to put together a full band so we started researching music again...what could we do, what style did we like, what songs would we learn, what instruments would we play? We knew we couldn't be a bluegrass band with only two people. We also knew that we didn't want to do the same old tired cover songs that every other act is out there doing. We ran across a duo called Shovels and Rope and they literally blew our minds. Not since the White Stripes had we seen a male/female duo that could rock and create such a full sound. Jeff asked me, 'do you think you could learn drums?’ I said, 'sure, why not.’ Jeff had never played electric guitar, but he thought he'd give it a try. I never played harmonica but I figured, how hard could it be? So we went out and got a used drum kit, a cheap set of harmonica's and a new electric guitar and we practiced…every day, for hours! We were having fun and we knew then that we could be something different as a duo.
During that time we were listening to a lot of Americana bands...Shovels & Rope, The Avett Brothers, Wood Brothers, Old Crow, Lone Bellow, etc. We started out doing covers of the music that we love, most of which nobody knew anyway when we started gigging. Our first show was in our friend's backyard and we were terrified but we got a good response so we plugged away. We started landing a few shows but after a short time, just a couple of months, we realized that we weren't going to like being a cover band. So we tried our hand at writing songs. We performed our first original song at a local coffee house about a year ago. People liked it, so we kept writing...a lot. Once we started we couldn't stop. We opened a creative floodgate that to this day is still wide open.
Q: There are a fairly broad range of styles on The Year Mama Tried. Can you talk about the creative process?
A: It’s variable. We both write lyrics. Jeff writes all of the music, sometimes based off of a simple melody that I come up with, but most of the time he just hears something in his head and turns it into a song. The music usually comes first. We've had quite a few songs where he's been playing something new that he's come up with and I have said, wow, I have the perfect lyrics for that! A lot of the time one of us will start something and the other will finish it or add to it. Every single song is a collaboration between the two of us and it feels so good, like we've really accomplished something together. We have a tremendous variety in our music which I think is a reflection of the mood we were in at the time. To be honest, most of our music is fast...this makes sense because our life is crazy, but we certainly have some songs that a more stripped down and soul-baring. As with most songwriters, the majority of our songs are based off of our own life experiences. Since we are a little older, we have a lot more to write about!
Q: How do you decide who is going to sing which song?
A: Once we've worked out the melody to a song we decide who's voice it fits better as the lead but for the most part we are both singing on all of the songs...except “Love Fix.” That one I sing alone as it just seemed to fit better that way. It's hard to identify at times what part is the lead because we harmonize so much on our music. It usually comes naturally though, as we work out the song it's almost a no-brainer who is the lead on the song and who is singing the harmony.
Q: You mention that “The songs we selected for this EP are some of our 'oldest' songs.” In that case what do the new songs sound like?
A: We wrote fast and furious for a year. When we recorded the EP we had to choose just five songs but we had probably 30 to pick from. We felt that the songs we picked were a good representation of our sound at the time and we're glad we chose them but we continue to evolve. As funny as it sounds, in addition to writing new songs, we have taken some of our 'older' songs and reworked them. The revamped music tends to be a lot faster and louder. Additionally, we have introduced some new elements to our show. Jeff has started playing foot pedal bass which has really filled things out and opens up new doors. We have songs that are pure rock, stripped down Americana, bluegrass-ish and even rockabilly. Our goal has always been to be creative and not limit ourselves to a specific sound. The last thing we want is for anyone to think that all of our music sounds the same. So far, we've never been accused of such!
Q: What are your live shows like? Do you have a full band?
A: We perform as a duo, Melissa on drums/harmonica/vocals and Jeff on guitar/bass/vocals. We have had people say to us quite often, 'I have no idea what I'm watching but it's awesome!' People are always taken with the fact that we have a chick on drums who plays the harmonica at the same time. People also frequently ask how we get all that sound with just the two of us. We really do sound like a full band and it's so fun to see people's reaction to us. We are very interactive with the crowds, we love to talk to the people that have come to the show. It's part of our routine to try to thank every single person in the audience at some point during the night. During breaks or after our set we will walk around and talk to people...try to seal that connection. There is nothing we like less than going to see a band and the band has no time for the crowd. Not cool. Lucky for us, we are still playing venues that allow us to do this...bars, coffee houses and festivals. It feels strange when we perform a show where we aren't able to have the 1:1 conversations with people.
Q: What else can we expect from Wise Jennings? And what else do we need to know?
A: We are working on our next album, as of yet unnamed, which should be ready for release in early 2018. This one is our first full length with nine original songs. There is more of a variety of songs on this one from dirty country to rockabilly and a ballad thrown in for good measure. We have recently recorded a music video to our song “Mosh Pit” which we plan to release as a single ahead of the album release. Yes, the song is about mosh pits and it is a fast and hard rockabilly tune! We shot the video at our favorite bar to play at, recruited our friends and some strangers to join us, even had a Billy Idol look-a-like. We are currently working on the editing of the video and can't wait to get it out there. We are currently booking for 2018 and can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us. At the end of the day, we are doing something that we love with the person that we love the most...it's a beautiful thing and we are incredibly fortunate that we met and can do this together.