Jess Klein - Backstage

Had this weekend off, so I went to visit family in Florida, and we spent a hot (understatement) day on a tour at the Big Cat Rescue in Tampa.  We were five feet from Tigers, lynxes, ocelots.  So graceful, and probably willing to eat me for dinner with no thought at all.   

Most of the cats had been rescued after they ‘outlived their usefulness’ as circus entertainers, or from people stupid enough to try to raise them as housepets (I mean, what?!) or from fur farms, where they would otherwise be used just for the fur on their underbellies and the rest of their bodies discarded.  Disgusting to me that anyone would treat a live being this way.

The cats, the sanctuary, and the volunteers have quite a bond.  Each of the cats are given the chance to live as peaceful a life as possible given that they probably wouldn’t survive in the wild given their upbringings.

There was one of only two white somethings (bad with names) there - some recessive gene.  He looked like a taller slender housecat with a defined face - big ears, prominent nose/mouth and strutted back and forth when the people came by, territorially, and perhaps showing off - he was pretty good looking.  Reminded me of being on stage.

 x

j

Hello Summer Lovers,

Every summer I think, “This is the summer I’ll slow down and not do much, just lay in the hammock” but there always seems to be some group of people somewhere I’d rather sing to.  Maybe I’ll start bringing the hammock on tour!

Early in July I played the Summerfest in cobblestoned New Bedford, MA, home of Melville’s Moby Dick.  What I like about Folk Festivals is that although I clearly don’t fit the mold, they seem to accept me as is.  For example, in one in-the-round, I was bookended by Judy Cook, a kind and spirited singer of traditional American and British laments, and John Whelan, an accordion wizard.  There I was in my black boots and eye paint, having just finished belting through Real Live Love, and then John Whelan, who was next in the round says, “Well, I’m sort of a mild-mannered kind of guy…”

Later this month I got to head to Maine to open for my friend Melissa Ferrick, and this time I knew I would fit in without having to tone things down one bit!  If for some reason you haven’t heard Melissa play before, please go to her shows and buy her albums right away — http://www.melissaferrick.com/ — she’s on tour opening for Ani DiFranco right now.  She’s an incredibly passionate singer and a f-ing sh*t hot guitar player — I wouldn’t talk that way unless I needed to make a point.

To round things off I flew up to Canada to play at summer camps with my friend Craig Cardiff - http://www.craigcardiff.com/, who has a voice like an angel waking from its slumber.  We drove our little two person show to places like Camp Wampameo in Algonquin and sang for the counselors on their night off.  It was sweet to be part of their summer experience.  I’m looking forward to returning to Canada, hopefully later this fall.  This time, with fewer mosquitoes biting!

This August I’m really staying close to home, no really…I’m playing 3 shows at my fave hometown joint, Mo Pitkins, and then making a brief sojourn to Schwenksville - yes ‘Schwenksville’, PA for the Philly Folk Fest.

Hope you all have been doing what your heart loves this summer.  See you round my portable hammock soon!

xoxo

Jess

Originally Posted - July 16, 2007, 10:49 pm

SUMMER TOUR NEWS
August Residency at Mo Pitkin’s – New Yorkers have 3 chances to catch Jess at Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction this summer.  See Jess’s solo performance on August 6th, her FULL BAND on August 13th, and Jess joined by drummer girl extraordinaire, Jessie Torrisi, on August 20th.  Visit http://www.mopitkins.com/home.html for schedule and ticket information.

See below for a complete summer show schedule.
CONCERTS IN YOUR HOME
Looking for a cozy night at home…with Jess? Do something different for your next house party and book a gig with Jess through www.concertsinyourhome.com. If you have a living room and a handful of music-loving friends, you can host your own personal concert.  Concertsinyourhome.com is a free service, and your $8-$15/per person donation goes directly to the artist you choose to host.  Jess loves to perform in intimate settings, so visit http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/ and bring her home with you!

****SUMMER SHOWS – **call club/visit club site to confirm times:
8/6/07 New York, NY Mo Pitkins www.mopitkins.com 212-777-5660
8/13/07 New York, NY Mo Pitkins www.mopitkins.com 212-777-5660
8/17/07 Schwenksville, PA Philadelphia Folk Fest www.folkfest.org 800-556-FOLK
8/18/07 Schwenksville, PA Philadelphia Folk Fest www.folkfest.org 800-556-FOLK
8/19/07 Schwenksville, PA Philadelphia Folk Fest www.folkfest.org 800-556-FOLK
8/20/07 New York, NY Mo Pitkins www.mopitkins.com 212-777-5660
9/16/07 Boston, MA Boston Folk Fest www.wumb.org 617-287-6911

Originally Posted - June 14, 2007, 2:05 am

TOUR NOTES from JESS:
Mes Cheris,
J’ai jusqu’a retour de Paris, and oh what a tour. Started off with a brilliant show at the Sendasaal in Bremen, Germany, an acoustically perfect hall, and was able to try out my singular German phrase on the crowd, ‘apfel schorle’, which means apple juice mixed with seltzer, as in ‘Order me ein apfel schorle…’ Then it was off to London for a week of shows in some wacky clubs like the Betsey Trotwood, which was smaller than a New York broom closet, but with perfect sound and a lovely sardine can-style audience. I think Betsey Trotwood may have been the last woman hanged in Britain, but I got that from an ex-pat, so no promises. Thanks so much to my lovely UK fans for keeping me on my toes by attending so many nights in a row! Plus I got to see Wilco at Shepherds Bush on my night off which was fantastic. I love how they alternate restraint and release, but even in the release there is some restraint. They kept me intrigued the whole show. Paris is the one city I have ever visited with the power to make me feel in love instantly (except maybe NY, but we are smug marrieds by now). I am hoping to spend a year in Paris in 2010, assuming I don’t get swept away to the moon first.

Much love to the European crowds-looking forward to seeing you in the fall! And definitely looking forward to the festivals stateside this summer. Also thanks to my brilliant street team for being so devoted!!

Also, if you, like me, drink a lot of water, but are tired of wasting all those plastic bottles, check out SIGG water bottles at www.mysigg.com. I love them!

Happy June,
Jess

Originally Posted - February 9, 2007, 2:09 am

I’ve just returned from a wacky whirlwind tour of the UK (see www.jessklein.com  for all the photo-documentation).  I decided to drive myself to 13 shows in 14 days, which was insane, but I do love a good challenge, and I like to be in that space where I’m just in my work.  Get to the radio station, the interview, the show, and just play.  Sometimes being tired makes me give more to the show instead of less, and I love it.  I went from the sticky Borderline in London, to the Norwich Arts Centre, where they spun the disco light while I sang ‘Make Love’, cold, stark and stunning Aberdeen, resisted the urge to throw a sheep in the boot for a souvenir, spun back through Newcastle, where even I had a little trouble understanding Chris Knight’s Kentucky accent, but I really liked his songs and his sleeveless shirt.  In Brighton I was fed Champagnoise by a chef named Spatz who is recognized by a high powered French culinary board (divine soup!).  It was kind of like European Vacation, but slightly darker and more romantic.  Now I’m back in my cold garden, with some nice duds from Miss Selfridge, and a haircut from Toni & Guy.  I’ll be coming back to the UK in late May, and it will be nice to see it blooming, or…raining.

It’s come time to start writing again and I’m really looking forward to battening down the hatches.  I’ve been reading the Bhagavad Gita, learning about how we have to fight our chosen battles to serve god, but how those have to do with real love, not false idols, hopefully.  Something about touring the UK and being around buildings older than my country gives me a sense of how timeless human ordeals are…I was listening to Robert Johnson, driving from Glasgow to Aberdeen, and thinking, man, we all come to Crossroads – sometimes we get stuck in the roundabout a few times, but eventually we have to choose a path.  And I think what I love most about creating art is some of the work is done just by paying attention.  It’s so natural.  If I let myself resolve things when I’m not looking, then I know where to start writing from.  I used to think I had to have everything figured out before I set pen to paper, but City Garden proved that wrong.  I let down my guard, and everyone stood up and paid attention.  We’re all in the struggle – it’s what keeps us together.

More to come, much sooner than this time!
Xo
Jess

Originally Posted - December 14, 2006, 12:33 am

Hear Jess Klein on NPR’s Studio 360 this Weekend –

IN NYC: Saturday at 10 a.m. on WNYC. 93.9 fm and Sunday at 7 p.m. AM 820

OUTSIDE NYC: See www.pri.org for your local listing or go to www.studio360.org for podcast.

From Jess:

“In March of this year, I received a message on Myspace from a U.S. Marine stationed in Fallujah.  The message was titled ‘coincidence’.  He wrote to tell me that a rocket had exploded about 40 yards from him and when he went back to check what song had been playing on his iPod when it happened, it was “Bombs Are Falling” from my album, Strawberry Lover.

I wrote back to let him know how happy I was that he was ok, and Sergeant Lowy and I became penpals and eventually close friends through our correspondence.  As we got to know each other better, I started to understand more of our similarities as people, despite the fact that he was a soldier at war, and I am a musician, writing songs, making albums and touring.  I realized how short and precious life is, and started to understand on a deep level the power of music to connect and heal.

Sergeant Lowy is safe and back home now.

When Studio 360 heard the story, and the song “Bombs are Falling”, which I wrote in New York after September 11, about the feeling of confusion following an attack, they decided to interview Sergeant Lowy and I.

Studio 360 is a radio program that explores the intersections between the arts, pop culture, and everyday life.   Past guests have included David Byrne, Dolly Parton, novelist Isabelle Allende, Woody Allen, and many more.

If you would like to hear us both speaking about the remarkable coincidence that led to our correspondence, please tune in!”