When I heard Jenny Woo's debut album "Alberta Rose" for the first time I was sold! I loved the combination of both the acoustic songs and the tracks with a full band. With the new album "My Revenge" and her upcoming tour through Indonesia I thought it was a good time to ask Jenny a few questions.
Hi Jenny, first of all thanks a lot for your time to do this interview. How are you doing?
Jenny: Hello! I should thank you for taking the time to put together the questions and for getting in touch – thanks so much for the great opportunity. I’m doing great, despite the fact that it’s a Monday…
Could you first of all give a brief history of you as a musician?
Jenny: I was lucky enough to start playing music quite young because my stepfather was a very good pianist, and he gave my sister and I lessons as we were growing up. However, when I was thirteen it dawned on me that playing piano was not as rockn’roll as playing guitar, so I did my best to save up enough money to buy myself an electric guitar at the local pawn shop. I started my first punk band when I was thirteen, and have since played in quite a few local punk bands in my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
When I moved into an apartment block with very thin walls, I started writing songs on my acoustic guitar because generally I could keep the volume quite low. I liked the stripped-down sound of these songs, and I thought that there was a different kind of honesty and power that came through them. I tried to find a band that was willing to play these songs with me, or that might be interested in an acoustic project – but unfortunately couldn’t find anyone who was interested in my town. So I decided to set off on my own, and I released a demo of acoustic songs in 2008. I wanted to write songs that related to the values of the skinhead scene, but that were very simple and personal to me.
To my surprise, a few record labels got in touch with me after I released the demo, and since then I have put out a couple of records and have been able to collaborate with a lot of friends and other musicians on this project. I’ve continued to write songs, and have had the good luck of touring throughout Europe and North America. I’ve recently moved to Russia, where I’m now playing with a full-band here and also continuing with the acoustic songs.
You started playing acoustic because you couldn’t find any people to form a band. Now 4 years after your first demo you released 2 full-lengths, a split LP and several EP’s. Did you ever expect this to happen to you as a solo artist?
Jenny: Absolutely not! I can honestly say that every time I get a message from someone writing me about my music I’m genuinely amazed. I can’t believe that someone on the other side of the world would ever be interested in what I’m doing or in what I have to say. Especially since I lack the power of having a full band behind me all the time, I’m continually surprised that anyone would be so interested in a humble solo project. I started writing these songs just for myself and for my friends, and I pushed it along just to see how far I could take it. I never imagined myself playing outside of our local pub or to people who were not my close friends. However, I made a pact with myself to take every chance I could to play and to improve, and it’s been a wonderful path to follow so far. I’m very very grateful for every opportunity I’ve had, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the horizon.
Recently your latest solo album “My Revenge” came out. Just like “Alberta Rose” it’s a mix of acoustic music and songs with the band. How do you decide which song will be an acoustic track and which song will be played with the full band?
Jenny: For me, acoustic songs are far more intimate – probably because they are just stripped down songs that are centered around a voice and a guitar. The acoustic songs I write are far more personal to me, and tell very specific stories about my experiences. On the other hand, the full-band songs usually have a lot more energy to them, and I like them because I think when working with the band our songs have more aggression, speed, and intensity then the acoustic ones. When I get an idea for a song, I generally know what kind of atmosphere I’d like it to have and from there I decide whether it should be an acoustic or an electric song. That being said, however, there are some songs that we’ve adapted from acoustic to electric, and it gives them a totally different feel which is a very cool thing to experiment with as well.
Is there a difference in the writing process? Or do all songs start out as an acoustic track and get build on from there later on?
Jenny: I still do live in an apartment building with thin walls, so I still continue to write songs on an acoustic guitar. However, for songs that I have the intention of building into full-band songs, I usually go straight to writing them with barre chords, whereas with acoustic songs I write them almost entirely using open chords. As I mentioned before, the theme/lyrics are usually different as I try to keep the acoustic songs a bit more personal and a bit more intimate. So I also have a look at the themes of the songs and try to understand whether the theme fits better with a louder, faster beat or whether it would be better as a softer, more thoughtful track.
How are the reactions on the new album so far?
Jenny: The one objective I had in mind when I wrote this album was to put together something that was better than I have ever done before. I wanted to channel all of the experiences that I have had since putting out “Alberta Rose” and all of the lessons I have learned into creating a better piece of work. I think that when a band or a person puts out an album, it’s like a piece of themselves and it tells a story about what they were thinking and who they were at the time they wrote it. I know that no album is ever perfect, but I wanted this album to be a reflection of how much I’ve grown up over the last few years of my life – musically, intellectually, emotionally, personally.
Overall, the reviews of the album have been really good, and a few people have even said it’s been one of their favorite albums of 2013 so far. That’s a huge compliment for me, and it’s very humbling to hear it. However, the one thing that struck me the most in the reviews is that almost everyone said that it’s a huge step forward from the last one. I’m immensely proud of that fact, since we put a lot of heart, a lot of time, and a lot of feeling into this album – something that took years to put together. I guess if I wanted to be overly dramatic, I could even say that every moment of my life led up to making this album and putting it out, since I really put every bit of myself and my energy into it! Now when I listen to the album, I think about all the things I could improve on and the direction I would like to go with the next one.
Unfortunately I have heard only a few tracks from it so far, but when I look at song titles such as “My Revenge”, “I Refuse To Be A Victim”, “Get Out Of My Way” and “Fire Inside” there seems to be some anger in them. Was there more anger in you writing these lyrics?
Jenny: As I mentioned earlier, each album that a person writes or that a band releases tells a different story about what they’re going through during the period when they wrote the songs. I wrote the song “My Revenge” after I had been given some very harsh criticisms and after I went through a period of getting a lot of hateful comments and actions done by people who don’t like my music or the acoustic oi! project. I made the mistake of internalizing these comments, and I was on the brink of just deciding to give up on playing, when it dawned on me that instead of using this situation to motivate me to give up on something, I could use it to push myself harder at doing what I loved. I decided to use the hate to motivate, and to come back with an album that was twice as good as the first one, and that was authentic to what I was living and who I wanted to be. So we decided to call the album “My Revenge” because in the end, the best way to get revenge on the people who try to hurt you isn’t to give up and it isn’t to waste your time trying to push back at them. The best way to get revenge is to have success and to live your dreams in spite of them. So we put a lot of our energy, thoughts, and heart into this album and made it our way of getting revenge and our way of healing this wound.
I suppose overall you could say that the album contains a lot of anger – I wrote a lot of songs as an escape or a way to unleash a kind of aggression that I was feeling. Sometimes when I experience something that really makes me feel anger or hatred, I just write it into a song because I know that it’s a more positive reaction for me then unleashing my rage on the internet or on the streets. That being said, there are a lot of songs on the album that speak to a softer, more intimate part of life like the loss of a loved one (Thank You), gratitude for true friendship (One more Step), and rising above one’s problems (Fly Away).
My favourite song on the album is “Fire Inside” which is a song that starts acoustically, and then switches to the full-band at the middle of the song. I like it because it demarcates the transition I wanted to have on this album between the acoustic and electric sound, and I think it demonstrates that each sound can be very powerful. The song is about having a passion in your life, about having a fire that can grow inside and that can spread. The idea is that passion, like fire, is something that you can use to warm your home and light up your life, or it is something that you can use to burn and to destroy something. It has a very positive and a very negative potential. I tried to get at both of these ideas in the song, and to focus on the fact that having passion in your life can burn away the negativity there, make room for growth, and can also provide a guiding light. For me, personally, the song is about my passion for playing music and for the skinhead scene – two passions that both created and saved my life. However, the song can be interpreted as a song about the role of passion in life in general.
In between “Alberta Rose” (2011) and “My Revenge” (2013) you moved from Canada to Russia. Big step! How is Russia treating you so far?
Jenny: Although I was a bit surprised when I found out that I was getting transferred to live and work in Russia, I am really glad that I followed through on this adventure. It’s been a really incredible experience so far – I’ve met a lot of great people, seen a lot of beauty in every sense, and have been able to start up a band here which is more than I could ever ask. It’s pushed me a lot as a person to question my own perspective, to open my mind, and to understand how big the world really is and how small we all are in comparison.
Is the scene over there much different as it is in Canada?
Jenny: Although there of course is a common heart to the skinhead scene throughout the world, there definitely are some regional differences. From my small town in Canada to Moscow, I’ve experienced a lot of changes that I’ve learned to adapt to. Generally speaking, the scene in Russia is a lot newer, a lot younger, a lot bigger, and a lot more divided then at home. Also, for some reason it’s considered cool skinhead style to wear a fanny pack here in Russia – I can get into borscht and Russian rocknroll, but I really can’t get into that!
Besides your solo stuff you also have a band called Birds Of Prey who actually released their first full-length as well this year. What made you decide to do a band besides Jenny Woo? What is the main difference between your music solo and with Birds Of Prey?
Jenny: When I wrote the songs for the Birds of Prey I was listening to a lot of Mod Revival and Power pop music. I wanted to put together an album that was really melodic sounding, and that touched on lighter themes then the Jenny Woo project. Basically, the idea was to get together with a few friends in Montreal and release an album that was fun to make and fun to listen to. I didn’t think that these songs had the same sound as the songs for my solo project, plus they were songs that had to be played with friends or not played at all – so that’s why I decided to form a side-project and release them under this name. I’m really glad in the end that we did it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the band going after I moved to Russia, but every time I hear those songs I’m brought back to the good times we had rehearsing them while making barbeques, and our chaos in the studio.
Are the other members in Birds Of Prey Canadian or Russian? When Canadian, how much do you guys get together? Can you introduce the band members for both projects to us?
Jenny: The guys who I played with in Birds of Prey are French Canadian, and the guys I’m playing with now in my band are Russian. From the Birds of Prey there is Jonathan who played on drums and who is really into mod and mod-revival music. He sang and played guitar in a very influential Canadian psycho band called The Gutterdemons. He’s one of those chameleons who can rock out on any instrument, and is also incredibly talented in the song-writing department. Alex played bass in the Birds of Prey, and he’s mostly into oi! and rockn’roll type stuff. He’s playing bass in Buddha Bulldozer now which is a great Quebecois oi! band. Alex is one of the best guys in the world to party with and is a great friend of mine. I was really proud to have created something with these guys and to have a memory of all the good times we shared together.
As for the guys in my Russian band, we’ve got Dima (Dmitry) on bass. He’s really into early American hardcore and of course some modern oi! and UK 82. He’s an excellent bass man, and he’s got a very cool and easy going personality, and knows how to drink vodka like a pro. Igor is our drummer, and I can honestly say that he’s one of the very best musicians I have ever had the pleasure of seeing let alone playing with. He’s got the perfect mixture of genuine natural talent and dedication to what he’s doing. We played a festival in Germany last May, and pretty much everyone I talked to could not stop commenting on how impressed they were with his musicianship. I’m really proud to play with these guys, and I think the increase in quality of the last album was really because of their drive and commitment to the project. Great friends, great people, great musicians.
Soon you’ll head over to Indonesia for a small tour. Excited?
Jenny: Absolutely. I am leaving for Indonesia in a couple of weeks, and I’m more than excited for this great opportunity. I was contacted a few times by some promoters in Indonesia who were interested in putting a small tour together. I had heard through my contacts there that there are a lot of skinheads and punks in Indonesia and I really also wanted to explore it and see it for myself. From what I saw in the footage of Last Resort’s live show there and the gigs of the Oppressed in Jakarta, I was really amazed and I never saw that kind of enthusiasm before in my life. So I decided to save up money and make it happen! I love the fact that the skinhead scene is such a global phenomenon, and that we are all connected – no matter what our nationality or our religion – by the love and power of this movement. So I’m truly looking forward to making new friends, seeing some new bands, and living this experience.
What do you expect of the shows and the crowd out there?
Jenny: Honestly, at this moment I don’t have any expectations other than hoping that someone will come to meet me in the airport when I arrive! I’ve heard a lot of incredible things about the volume, enthusiasm, and intensity of the scene there but I don’t want to go into it with any specific expectations. I am looking forward to seeing some Indonesian bands like The End perform, and I’m looking forward to meeting some people and overall just taking it all in.
Okay, that’s it! Thanks again for your time! If there’s anything you’d like to add feel free to do so!
Jenny: Thanks so much for your well-researched and interesting questions. It’s really been a pleasure. Like I mentioned before, I feel extremely grateful for every chance I’ve been given, and I just keep hoping to push myself to get better and better at doing what I love – so please stay tuned, ‘cause the best is definitely yet to come!
