Jenny Woo hat im Februar 2011 ihr Debutalbum „Alberta Rose“ veröffentlicht und tourt seitdem durch ganz Europa und Amerika. Pressure Magazine hat der jungen Musikerin einige Fragen stellen können. 

Hi Jenny, you are born in Canada. What kind of connection do you have to your home country?

Jenny: Hi there! Yes, I was born in Canada, and I have spent the vast majority of my life here. I feel like being a Canadian is an important part of my identity, and I am very proud of where I come from. Canada is a really multicultural country that is built on strong ideals such as equality, democracy, and active citizenry. It is also a very beautiful country, and I have had the pleasure of living on the West Coast, in the middle of the country, and now in Eastern Canada, and I can testify with first-hand experience that Canada’s natural beauty is breathtaking. I would say that Canada is not only where I was born, but it is a part of who I am.

Please explain, how did you get to the music?

Jenny: I started off playing music as a small child by taking piano and classical music theory, but I got interested in the punk scene at the age of thirteen (the beginning of the age of rebellion!) Like most people who get into punk and oi!, I always felt like a bit of an outcast and the punk scene offered me a home, a community, and a sense of passion. It was not long after seeing my first punk show that I was inspired to start my own punk band in 1999. Ever since then, I have never put my guitar down and have always been engaged with promoting shows, putting out fanzines, and of course, playing in various bands all across Canada.

You are inspired by acts like Johnny Cash. What do you think about him and his music and what are the similarities?
Jenny: Johnny Cash is indeed one of my influences, and I consider him to be a musical genius. His songs are special in the sense that he is really able to step outside of himself and tell stories about the lives of others, and he sings his songs in such a way that it is impossible not to believe every word. In other words, his music is really able to transport the audience, and to allow them to live vicariously through the lives of the people he sings about. He is a songwriter who has lasted through the decades and who was not afraid to experiment with his work, and whose voice and style has really changed throughout his life. As much as I love the „glory days“ of Johnny Cash and his top hits such as „Ring of Fire“, and „Boy Named Sue“, I particularly enjoy the last two albums that he put out. I find that he sounds really vulnerable, and really human in his last recordings. I really love the sense of mortality in his voice and in his lyrics.

It is definitely hard to compare myself to Johnny Cash since he is such a legend, but I would say that a lot of my songs are influenced by an acoustic country sound that is really exemplified in a lot of Cash’s songs. I really tried to go for a stripped-down, soulful feeling for a few of the tracks on my last album „Alberta Rose“, which is definitely different from the loud, aggressive, oi! music that I otherwise really enjoy. In terms of song-writing, I try to write songs that I can sing honestly so that they are believable. If I could exemplify anything in Cash’s work it would be that – to be able to sing songs as if I were singing the truth about human nature.

What´s your opinion about the „Way of Life“?
Jenny: I believe that „skinhead“ and the skinhead „way of life“ are terms that are very differently interpreted and lived out depending on the person. Whereas some people believe that there is a very rigid and universal definition of what it is to live as a skinhead, I think that „skinhead“ is something that should be open to discussion, and open to differences of interpretation – for me, “skinhead” is a subculture that is overall supposed to stand for rebellion, so it makes sense to me that it is something that people take as their own and make it a reflection of who they are. I definitely identify as a skinhead, but I am also a lot of other things, and I try to bring different aspects of my identity together by defining „skinhead“ in my own way.

Of course, I think there are boundaries, and I definitely think that there are some essential qualities to the „way of life“ (friendship, oi!, soul, and reggae music, etc.) and some non-compatible qualities (inauthenticity, racism, and the belt & braces combo…) that can’t be included in the definition. In sum, I’d say it’s more „skinhead“ to define yourself and how you want to be, then to live up to a strict definition that others made up for you.

You are a Skinhead-Girl, please tell a little bit about the scene in your hometown.

Jenny: My hometown is called Edmonton, which is the capital of a Canadian province called Alberta. In Edmonton there is a really strong crew of united skinheads who are all friends, and who support each other. There are a number of (past and present) great punk and oi! bands such as Nervous Wreck, The Pezz Headz, The Kroovy Rookers, and The Borderguards, and a great punk and oi! bar called DV8 which is run by a good friend of mine.

Currently, I live in Ottawa which is the capital city of Canada. The great thing about Ottawa is that it is very close to Montreal so a lot of bands travel between the two cities to play gigs. There are some really great people here as well, and an awesome punk venue called The Dominion Tavern. I would recommend checking out The Rookers, which are a long-time oi! band from Ottawa.

Your first album is called „Alberta Rose“. Please give a short overview!
Jenny: „Alberta Rose“ is my first full-length album, and it was just released by Randale Records in February 2011. Inspired by bands such as Badlands, I really believed that acoustic music had a heart and soul to it that could really add to the oi! scene and the skinhead subculture. I included 8 acoustic tracks on the album which talk about the fundamental aspects of skinhead life for me, such as standing up for your friends, fighting life’s battles, defending one’s integrity, and pride in being different. For me, these acoustic tracks are really personal and I think that they really express skinhead life in a way that is really different from the usual „oi!“ sound. The album also includes 4 full-band tracks that are louder and harder than the other songs, and that really are more along the lines of traditional punk and oi! music.

Pressure Tipp: CD-Review „Jenny Woo – Alberta Rose“ jetzt lesen

Is it in the Songs parallels to real life? Perhaps to your life?

Jenny: All the songs I have written have been about situations I’ve faced, people I care about, and my reflections on life. I find it pretty difficult to write songs about things I know nothing about, and I find it even harder to sing these sorts of songs with conviction, so I tend to just write songs about who I am and what I know. In a way, the album „Alberta Rose“ is kind of like an autobiography in that all the songs are inspired by my personal experiences.

Your next album will be a Split-Album with Discharger. How did the collaboration?

Jenny: I am really looking forward to putting out a split with Discharger because I think the musicianship and song-writing abilities of the band are top-notch, and I’ve admired the band for quite a few years. I had the opportunity to go to one of their gigs in Holland in 2009, where I met the lead singer Tim. We stayed in touch and last year I went back to visit and we jammed together and shared some song ideas and it was a great time. Discharger recorded some songs in 2010 and asked me to be on a split album with them, which will be released in Fall 2011. I think it is a good mix because Discharger use a lot of acoustic instrumentation in their music, and we have a lot of similar themes and ideas that run through our song-writing. Of course, it is really an honour for me to have the opportunity to release something with one of my favorite bands, and we will hopefully be playing some shows together in Holland this year to support the release.

What will we hear on the Split-Album?

Jenny: The album will include six songs from Discharger, and six songs by me. The Discharger songs are a mix of catchy, strong, ballads about personal strength, integrity, and honour, and they also have one semi-acoustic track that follows their distinctive „battle-oi!“ sound. I am including two full-band songs and four acoustic tracks, which I am actually recording this weekend.

My vision for the songs is have them recorded in a stripped-down fashion, so that the power of the lyrics and the vocals come through. I think that these are some of the strongest songs I have written, and they are along the themes of working class life, self pride, and love for the subculture.

What are your plans for the future?
Jenny: After releasing the split-album with Discharger in the Fall of 2011, I hope to go to Holland and play 3-4 shows with them to support the release. I have a few shows in Canada lined up for the summer of 2011, and I am currently planning a tour of Germany, Czech Republic, Holland, and Belgium for May 2012. I am hoping to release another full-length album around that time. In general, I am on working harder on my song-writing and my musicianship skills, and I am constantly trying to challenge myself to write and record new and stronger material. I can’t wait to travel to new places and to meet new people, and I have no doubt that the best is yet to come!

Thank you very much, you´ve got the last words.
Jenny: Thanks very much for the interview and cheers from Canada! For more information and updates about my music please visit www.myspace.com/jennywoooiproject, or search for the Jenny Woo Oi! Project page on Facebook. Long live the spirit of rebellion!

Interview von Florian Puschke im Juni 2010

Mehr zu Jenny Woo:

MySpace Seite: www.myspace.com/jennywoooiproject

CD Review: Jenny Woo – Alberta Rose