#jennyo

Jenny O September 13, 2017 at Rebel Lounge, Phoenix AZ [Touring for her Peace & Information album]

Jenny was on tour with Tristen, an artist I’ve been following since 2011. Jenny has been on my musical perimeter for awhile, but just hadn’t really listened to her, so this concert was a nice way to get to know her music.

When she stepped on stage, I felt like I was time warped into the 70′s... and when she started singing, even more so. A lot of her songs and her vocal delivery felt like the female singers of that era.

I really liked the first 2 songs, “High Regard” had this gentle sort of take care of others and yourself was a nice way to start the show. Next she went way back to “Automechanic” which definitely has that 70′s vibe... and that bass line!

She followed that with “Hey Tumbleweed,” which she said what a great place to sing such a song... you know, being in a desert.

Tumbleweed was followed by “People,” which has a chill and almost driving in an old car vibe with the top down in a simpler time.

At some point she did 1 single guitar change which was just how her setlist by chance made it... so she was very excited about that. There was also a point mid show she told a story about how she’d watch these Jethro Tull videos and noticed that she does a similar one legged stance whilst performing.

What I noticed was that the songs sounded so self care and therapeutic. They were like hearing someone’s diary that sounds similar to your own... figuring things out, so of course I gravitated to it. For me, I’m so drawn to story telling in songs whether simple or complex... and mostly prefer lyrical music to instrumental for this reason and Jenny--me being new to her music--had me on her side quite instantly!

The last song, “Intuition,” at times, while Jenny sang, I could her a vocality much like Joanna Newsom’s interesting voice, especially in the chorus where she sings: “Have you the courage and confidence/To defend your intuition...” Its a quiet riot... a delicate roar... a song that asks us to ask ourselves to live. I loved this as the last song of the set. Intuition is a word I gravitate to... Bjork’s “Sweet Intuition” song is a song I often hum to ground myself... I know this is another one of those songs for me.

After the show, I picked up the last copy of her book, ‘Yeah Dog, I Have Your Stupid Bone,’ written in between Automechanic and Home... she said it has a lot of thoughts and struggles, etc. from that time point. She ended up selling it to me for the cash I had on me, which was just shy of the price. Both she and Tristen had written word on sale in their merch line up, so it kind of inspired me to return to both reading and writing. All in all a great middle act to Tristen’s show.