Great Barrington — The Wailin’ Jennys will appear at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center on November 23 as part of a tour that includes dates in several northeastern states, all of whom have recently expressed their great pleasure in seeing the group perform. Reviews invariably boil down to two things the group is famous for: exceptional harmonies and engaging stage presence.
You would have to have lived under a rock through the early 2000s to be unaware of The Wailin’ Jennys. Early in this century, they came down from Canada and landed almost directly on the stage of Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Fitzgerald Theater, home base of the well-known radio show hosted by Garrison Keillor, “A Prairie Home Companion.”
They made a name for themselves in Saint Paul, and you could say the show put them on the national map. But when you see the steady stream of accolades the group receives wherever they perform, it is clear they have kept themselves on that map through years of connecting with audiences on their own.
A couple of weeks ago, I spoke on the telephone with Ruth Moody, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and founding member of The Wailin’ Jennys, to get an update on the group’s activities and whereabouts. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
EDGE
I remember you guys from way, way back. You were on Garrison Keillor’s show in the early ’80s.
MOODY
No. Not the early ’80s.
EDGE
Early ’90s?
MOODY
You know, honestly, it would have been the early 2000s. I love that you said early ’80s because I was only, five years old.
EDGE
I see. Well, alright then! I heard the Wailin’ Jennys for the first time on that show, along with one of my all-time favorites, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks. Keillor loved vocal trios with tight harmonies, and it seems The Wailin’ Jennys were sort of the archetype for that kind of group on his show around that time. It’s a tradition that’s been around a long time. There was a group of sisters from the ’40s…
MOODY
The Andrews sisters?
EDGE
Yes! The Andrews Andrews sisters. That tight three-part sound wears well in a lot of different genres and eras.
MOODY
Definitely. It’s classic. Timeless.
EDGE
Has the group ever made a record that was not nominated for a Juno award?
MOODY
They’ve all been nominated. We didn’t win for our album “Firecracker.” And then our live record was also nominated but didn’t win.
EDGE
Now that you’re on tour, are you getting inspired to write new material?
MOODY
Yes. We’ve got a bunch of new songs. You know, we’re all mothers now. So we have kind of complicated schedules, and we all live in different places. So, it’s more challenging than it used to be to even get together and to tour. But every time we see each other, we work a little bit on something. And so we have almost a full record’s worth of material to record. Now we just have to lock down a time and get it done.
EDGE
Are there any new songs in your live show?
MOODY
Yes, followed by old favorites. People can expect a show with a greatest-hits vibe, but we also try to change it up, because we want to keep it fresh. So we dig out old songs we haven’t played in a long time. We’re actually… I don’t want to spoil any surprises, but we’re working on a song that we’ve never performed live. I won’t say what it is, but it’s a song that Nicky got excited about, because we’ve never performed it live. We’re all working on it independently to come up with a live version that emulates the studio version, but it’ll be unique.
EDGE
When you tour, who are your side players?
MOODY
We tour with my brother, Richard Moody. And recently, we’ve been touring with a wonderful guitar player from LA by the name of Ethan Sherman.
EDGE
How do your newer songs differ thematically from your earlier material?
MOODY
That’s a good question. I mean, we’re all a little older and, hopefully, a little wiser.
EDGE
Yup. That’s what I’m getting at.
MOODY
Our experience in life gives us more to write about, you know, from becoming parents and navigating this tricky world we live in. So we’re exploring some new themes. But the songs we pick for the Jennys… we always play songs for each other. Some of them resonate, and some don’t feel like Jennys songs right away.
But I think a lot of them end up feeling like Jennys songs because they feel hopeful, or they feel uplifting in some way. Or they feel like they might help people get through tough times in their lives. And I think we’re all kind of gravitating towards that right now. The world needs it.
EDGE
Do you think you have more of a grown-up voice than you did when you started?
MOODY
We were all adults when we started, so I think our voices have always been adult voices, but we’ve all had children in the last several years… Nicky started having kids 14 years ago. I had my boy almost eight years ago, and Heather started having kids 10 years ago. She has two. We definitely have very full lives, and now we all have a bit more time to write about it. So I think some things are coming out that have maybe been waiting to come out for a little while.
EDGE
How would you classify your yourselves differently today than you did when you started?
MOODY
That’s a really good question, because, yes, we’re older and wiser. But we’ve always been three singer-songwriters. The three-part harmonies have always been a signature thing.
EDGE
Yes. But that could come from lot of different genres. Do you think of yourself as a bluegrass group?
MOODY
No. We’ve never thought of ourselves as a bluegrass group. We’ve always been in the folk genre. But somewhere along the way, someone called us bluegrass. And it wasn’t unhelpful because, you know, we are on the bluegrass charts, and I think we kind of got looped in with the “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou” vibe, and that wasn’t a bad thing to be associated with.
Also, the three-part harmony is kind of like a bluegrass sound. And we’ve had instruments on our records that people associate with bluegrass, like mandolin and fiddle. I play clawhammer banjo, but that’s more of an old-timey sound.
Nicky was definitely raised in more of a pop vein than any genre, so she brings a little bit of that to the band. And then Heather is a trained jazz singer. So she brings a jazz element and sometimes a more bluesy element, because her singing is very soulful.
So there’s a little bit of everything. But I think if we had to call it something, we’d call it folk or singer-songwriter. But we’re all probably a little bit bolder.
I think probably all three of us care a little less about doing what people think we should do. Not that that ever characterized our our path.
EDGE
As you get older, you care less about what people think of you. Wait ’till you turn 70! It’s great!
MOODY
I’ll bet! I think it’s starting to happen, and it’s very liberating. You realize, ‘Wait. I’ve spent so much of my life caring what other people think and trying to please people, and I’m just done with that.’ All three of us care about people. And we care about the world. But we’re not going to censor ourselves for other people.
I think it’s something a lot of people are realizing, a lot of women are realizing. And I would say that all three of us are kind of going through that, and it’s very freeing. I’m enjoying it, quite honestly. It’s a really interesting thing. Different pressures and different things at stake. I feel lucky to be in a position where I run my own business and am free walk my own path.
EDGE
What has the group always wanted to do that you haven’t done yet? That includes people you’d like to work with.
MOODY
That’s a really interesting question, and we probably all have different answers. Sometimes we talk about Dolly Parton. She’s a real light for all three of us. But we have fairly modest aspirations.
EDGE
If Dolly is your shining star, she probably eclipses everyone else.
MOODY
We admire her for walking to the beat of her own drum all her life. She is unabashed and bold. And the things she’s done with her energy!
You know, literacy is such a big thing for her, and she’s helped millions of kids by sending them books and all those things. That’s inspiring to us, because, having a bit more time, we’re thinking of ways we can help in the world.
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The November 23 show is currently sold out. Call the Mahaiwe’s Box Office at (413) 528-0100 to be added to the waitlist.