Herschel Freeman Agency

Heart-Stopping Harmonies

The Wailin’ Jennys have toured three continents, and are enjoying burgeoning international acclaim and a rapidly growing fan base. They continue to garner rave reviews for their album, Firecracker, which has spent over 30 weeks in the Top 5 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart, and has charted in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Top Heatseakers, Top Independent Albums and Top Internet Albums. Firecracker also rose to #2 on the Amazon Top Sellers Chart.

Over the past two years, The Wailin’ Jennys have made many appearances on Garrison Keiller’s ‘A Prairie Home Companion’, sharing the stage with luminaries such as Bonnie Raitt and Meryl Streep.  This February, the band had the honour of performing alongside Roseanne Cash and Phil Cunningham as well as other notable artists at the venerable Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland. 

”…perhaps more beautiful than ever. The Wailin' Jennys are the darlings of the North American roots music arena.” Greg Quill, The Toronto Star, July 2006.
 
“Like three little birds singing softly and sweetly in the early morn, the harmony of the Wailin’ Jennys pleasantly rises from the speakers and greets the listener with a refreshing start to the day.” David McPherson, Exclaim! 

“Fueled by the elemental power and transcendent glory of their honeyed three part harmonies, Firecracker is guaranteed to soothe your soul with its earthy passion and heartfelt compassion.”  

Creem Magazine/Metro Times Detroit

BIOGRAPHY

Three extraordinary voices, two founding singer-songwriters, one singular vision: The Wailin' Jennys continue to evolve into far more than the melodious sum of their individual talents five years after blowing in on a fresh acoustic breeze from Canada's mid-western heartland.

Spurred onward by a growing fan base that swoons at their intuitive harmonies and revels in their engaging stage presence and uplifting repertoire, the Jennys embarked on a giddy blur of activity following the release of their second album, Firecracker, in August, 2006. Numerous head-turning reviews ("quiet, warm, subtle, mellifluous ? almost too good to be true," noted British daily The Independent) greeted a recording produced by David Travers-Smith (Jane Siberry, Harry Manx) and featuring a crew of ace musicians led by guitarist Kevin Breit (Norah Jones, k.d. lang). The trio wooed progressively larger audiences throughout North America while also making successful forays to the U.K. and continental Europe. And foremost among an unfolding series of life moments have been a second Juno Award nomination in Canada, the continuation of a much-cherished relationship with A Prairie Home Companion (Garrison Keillor's popular National Public Radio show) and a memorable date alongside Rosanne Cash at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow.

"One Voice," a live staple and highlight of the Jennys' Juno- winning debut album 40 Days, remains a metaphoric statement of intent that to this day underlines the group's original mandate: three individuals with unique gifts combining seamlessly into a single beatific entity. Soprano Ruth Moody (guitar, banjo, accordion, bodhran) and mezzo Nicky Mehta (guitar, harmonica, ukulele, percussion) are charter members who've anchored the Jennys since the first line-up formed in their Winnipeg hometown. The critical third voice, an alto who fills out the chordal range of the group's vibrant three-part harmonies, has been filled in turn by Cara Luft, Annabelle Chvostek and, now that the latter has returned to her own solo career, new recruit Heather Masse.

Launching what fans are fondly calling version 3.0 of the Jennys, Heather is a New York-based singer and pianist who finds the middle ground between contemporary bluegrass (through her work with roots supergroup The Wayfaring Strangers) and jazz vocals (which she studied at the New England Conservatory of Music). She gelled immediately with Ruth and Nicky during an impromptu audition in a bathroom backstage in Philadelphia. Singing raw versions of "Amazing Grace" and an old Hank Williams song, the three women quickly nailed the essence of the Jennys' exquisite sound while hinting at exciting new possibilities that will flower in the months of touring and studio sessions that lie ahead.

"Heather fits in astonishingly well with us," enthuses Nicky.  "She's got a smoky, enveloping kind of style. People will go nuts when they hear her." Adds Ruth, who first learned of Heather from their mutual friend, Crooked Still's Aoife O'Donovan: "We found a perfect vocal blend the first time with Cara, then we captured it in a different way with Annabelle. So naturally we were thinking, 'Oh man, can it really happen again?' But we have stumbled on such a rich treasure. Her voice is just so round and warm."

Ruth Moody has long understood the power of three. She grew up in an accomplished musical family singing with two sisters, then spent five years fronting Winnipeg's Scuj MacDuhk. When the popular Celtic/roots road warriors broke up in 2001, she again craved what she calls "the sense of completeness and wholeness that can only come with three female voices. The Jennys provide a sense of continuity that threads through my entire life."

For her part, Nicky Mehta was on track for post-graduate studies in communications when she released a buzzworthy solo debut CD and, not long after, signed on as a first-generation Jenny. "The group sort of just happened to us," she says, laughing. "The idea was to present our individual visions in a larger collective, but before we knew it things had taken on a life of their own. We've constantly been playing catch up ever since. What's great is that nothing has been premeditated and we keep being surprised in the most creative, interesting ways."

"Now we've closed another chapter in the Jennys' story and opened a new one," says Ruth. "We're thrilled to be writing it with Heather. She's a kindred spirit. That we can find the magic while laughing and singing together in a dimly lit bathroom says it all really."

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Press Photos

The Wailin' Jennys The Wailin' Jennys Jennys  

 

Tour Schedule

2011

February 3 Myrna Loy Center, Helena MT
February 4 The Ellen Theater, Bozeman MT
February 5 Alberta Bair Theater, Billings MT
February 8  Center for the Arts, Crested Butte CO
February 11 L2 Arts and Culture Center, Denver CO
February 13 The Rialto Theater, Loveland CO
February 16 Wheeler Opera House, Aspen CO
February 17 Ft. Lewis College, Durango CO
February 18 The KiMo, Albuquerque NM
March 17 Messiah College, Grantham PA
March 18 Juniata College, Huntingdon PA
March 19 Arden Concert Guild, Arden DE
March 23 Bergen Community College, Paramus NJ
March 24 Sussex County Community College, Newton NJ
March 25 Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck NY
March 26 Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy NY
March 27 Somerville Theatre, Somerville MA
March 30/31 The Birchmere, Alexandria VA
April 1 Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel MD
April 2 The Weinberg Center, Frederick MD
April 26 Virginia Arts Festival, Norfolk VA
April 28/29 Merlefest, N. Wilkesboro NC
June 17 Anthology, San Diego CA
June 19 Live Oak Festival, Santa Barbara CA
June 21 Freight and Salvage, Berkeley CA
June 22 Freight and Salvage, Berkeley CA
June 23 CSA Auditorium, Sacramento CA
June 24 Manzanita Place, Chico CA
June 25 Kate Wolf Festival, Laytonville CA
June 26 Kate Wolf Festival, Laytonville CA
July 1 Arts In The Park Manhattan KS
July 22 Tupelo Music Hall, Londonderry NH
July 27 Higher Ground, Burlington VT
July 28 Stone Mountain Arts Center, Brownfield ME
July 30 Newport Folk Festival, Newport RI
August 2 Iron Horse, Northampton MA
August 3 Prescott Park, Portsmouth NH
August 4 Flying Monkey Theater, Plymouth NH
September 3 Strawberry Festival, Camp Mather CA

After early September 2011, the Wailin' Jennys will be on hiatus until
Fall 2012.  In the interim, Ruth Moody, the Jennys' soprano singer, will
be touring with her own band, the Ruth Moody Band.  Current tours for
Ruth's group are in November/December 2011 and February 2012.


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