I stumbled upon Jacob Jenni through some messages or through recommendations for the local 956 Spotify playlist. Either way he is a musician of the valley making really cool music. The first song I listened to was "I know Ur Sad." What I really like are the vocals, the art cover for the song especially, and well I just enjoy everything about it. For sure I recommended it and just listen to the other songs as well. The final feature for this week is Jacob Jenni, @jacobjenni.
Sharing a little bit about himself Jacob shares what he's been recently into "right now when I'm not doing music, I like to relax by doing regular shit, playing video games (right now The Witcher 3). And for TV at the moment I've just been sticking with older shows I've already seen, but only because they're so good, a lot of replay value. The top two at the moment are The Larry Sanders Show and People Just Do Nothing. " You had me at The Witcher 3. I've spent so much fun time on that game along with the DLC. Especially just playing gwent and trying to finish my deck, but once I started new game plus majority of my cards were gone. Well anyways I also haven't seen those shows, but when it comes to being able to replay something I stick to some movies and just older anime for sure.
Jacob starts us off by sharing what got him into/interested in creating music "over the last 6 years of me making music, more and more do I remember times where it has impacted me even before I knew it. Growing up the youngest of 3, I was definitely soaking up all the music my brothers and sister listened too. More so by brother who was goth in high school, so when he'd leave for that, I would sneak into his purple painted room filled with various posters and pieces of graffiti to watch his Marilyn Manson Gods Guns and Government tour on DVD. At the time I didn't know it, but I think it heightened my tolerance for the unorthodox very early, being so close to my brother and seeing him live that life was immensely helpful growing up I think." I can relate to the DVD since I remember buying an old Slipknot VHS tape of one of their concerts from a pair of elderly women. I thought it looked interesting and when I remember playing it at home it was something else. It had my attention. My music was gated behind my parents and whatever they listened to. So I do it does help from my experience. He continues by saying "also VH1's Top 100 songs of the 90's, which was pretty much a mainline of all the stuff I missed. Fiona Apple, Jamiroquai, I even think that was the first place I saw the Buddy Holly music video too. I was always surrounded by guitars as a kid thanks to both of my brothers but I was more into just playing Halo 2 and watching WWE. It definitely involved less work! But on Christmas Day 2014, my brother Blade gifted me a telecaster and as I looked at it in amazement he said 'Now you don't have an excuse to not play anymore!' and that's when I really started." Oh man I remember the VH1's music videos. There was so that I will always remember and always wish they would replay. My first time listening to Kanye was on MTV and I remember it was "Good Life" and that also took me by surprise. I remember recording it on my cellphone to listen to it on the way to school. Very interesting music experiences Jacob had along with what it came to be leading to where he is now.
When it comes to listening to Jacob Jenni from songs like "I Know Ur Sad, Avalanche, Don't Answer That" what genre would this be? He says "there are times where I describe it as 'MUDPOP', which to me are just catchy songs with a veil of dinginess over it, and sometimes things that on second look which aren't the usual perspectives in pop songs, like yeah I have a song about unrequited love, but not based on me being to scared to talk to her, It's from me being a total piece of shit, somewhat ruining our relationship, and sleeping in the bed I made." I do see the "catchy songs" as he mentions in the some songs, but behind it being "catchy" there's clearly something else as he mentions. If you pay a closer ear to the tracks you'll be able to catch it.
Has Jacob worked with any other musicians? "At this moment I've only done 2.. The first official one was doing backup vocals on song for Pillowsnake on his last album, and the other is for this local artist Julio., which was fun. A nice change in the middle of the stuff I was doing on my own. For the longest time I didn't think I was on a level good enough to do collaborations with people but those guys really helped me realize I have more to offer than I think. If I could collaborate with anyone, it would probably be with this Dutch musician Benny Sings, he is probably my favorite artist at this moment, I feel like I would learn so much even just watching him work. Maybe one day..." I mean having 2 collaborations is very good! He does great work and it pays off for sure. Who knows when the next collaboration will be, but I'm sure it'll be great!
With the latest song being "Avalanche" is there anything else in the works? "Surprisingly yes, right now I'm taking my time with these ones, I've had a tendency to rush songs out and regret it later, but this batch of songs are fun. When the rollout for these begin, I definitely wanna do more than the average 30 second Instagram video. Hell, maybe even a whole minute." I'm looking forward to these songs are reading "this batch of songs are fun" which just means a lot knowing that Jacob is enjoying himself creating these songs.
Wanting to know more about his process behind creating music using "Avalanche" as an example what can be said? "Avalanche was one of those instances where I had the chords for a while, and I just came back to them one day. Sometimes ill say random gibberish while playing, eventually the line 'I stop the ground, I stop the Avalanche' came out, and it didn't really have any meaning on it right away, but while getting the rest of the lyrics down, the connotation grew more personal. In the recording part, I started with the drums, then guitar, bass and finally did the vocals, and I would say the vocals are the thing that takes the longest because sometimes ill rewrite a verse or hear them back after a day and think 'Yikes.' and rerecord them. I dunno, I try to make sure the words flow nicely on the song if that even makes sense. I think it's more for me though." As he mentions his process and ends it by saying "I think it's more for me though" well it is his song. It is his creation and as long as he's satisfied with the end result that's what should matter. Interesting to know as well how it begins as "gibberish" to a much more "personal" process.
With the amount of work Jacob has produced does he have any favorite songs created? "I don't have any favorite songs of mine, they're probably my favorite while I'm making them, but when I'm done, It's on to the next one." Onto the next batch of fun songs!
With everything how would Jacob like to grow alongside his work? "I really want to show off the other sides of my head, through producing or even writing songs for other people, because yeah I can have 37 songs about me missing a girl under my name, and oversaturate my discography with sad bastard music, or I could give one song to a person who could actually sing the music and the lyrics, and if it all works out, it could be on the Billboard Hot 100. I think great music comes from people who are honest with themselves, and aren't thinking too hard about whether whatever they're singing is corny or not. I mean don't get me wrong, there are some corny fuckin' songs out there, but if you do it right, is it really that bad?" You never know what can appear on the "Billboard Hot 100" or be randomly placed in one of those genre type playlists on Spotify. This kinda reminds me of the time DJ Khalid was upset when Tyler took his spot on the board saying "I make music so people can hear it. You go to the barbershop and you hear it there. Not no mysterious shit and you never hear it." Because this "mysterious shit" makes it to the top 200-100.
Mentioning "MUDPOP" was his work always this genre or was it something else? "The more and more I make music, there are fewer times where I hear things back the next day and be like 'Nah that's shit'. DEFINITELY still happens but not as much. To me I don't hear a certain style that pokes out in any of my music, other than whatever is in the forefront. MUDPOP is pretty much at this point whatever I end up churning out. These songs I'm working on now are a mixed bag, maybe with these I'll probably see which ones people like the most and branch off of that, but I could make something in between then and completely devote myself to that style. That's honestly the biggest perk of no one giving a fuck, can't alienate your audience when you don't have an audience!" This is the first time I hear about "MUDPOP" and I'll count Jacob Jenni as my first experience with "MUDPOP" and I look forward to more and what is to come with these new batch of songs as well.
Jacob shares his thoughts on the local scene,
"When I first started going to shows in 2016, I didn't realize there was much of a scene, my brother was a guitarist for a pop punk band called The Early Release in like the late 00s, so I knew bands were around, but going to Galax Z Fair seeing not only people like The Garden and Mitski, but also my first time seeing the awesome local acts like Jesika and Idle Vision, and that told me that there is so much talent here, and it was only a matter of time until someone gets recognition on a major level. I've been telling people that when the shows are in full effect again, there's gonna be a whole-ass renaissance, and I want to be on the forefront for that. And I don't even mean as a musician, I would be just as happy watching it all go down in front row."
He sales his final thoughts as well,
"I really want to put a date on the stuff I have planned but I can't. At this moment I am kind of fine with taking as much time as I need to get what I have in my head out the way I want. It will be worth it though, might even submit these to a Spotify playlist or two...shit, I'll spend a whole year on a song if it gets me in a Journeys store playlist."
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