Ahead of her performance next week at Goodgod in Sydney as part of the Country and Inner Western night, we took some time out to get to know Sydney artist Jenny Queen, talking about how she got started in the music scene, who inspires her, the Americana genre, performing with Shane Nicholson and more!
When did you first know you wanted to be a musician?
I grew up singing in church. My grandaddy was a Southern Baptist preacher, and he had me up and in front of the church from the time I was two. I never thought of writing music, though, until I was quite old. I had moved to Australia and didn’t know anyone, was bored, and started writing music almost as a lark. I had a Casio keyboard in the attic. That it has become my livelihood is a bit of a shock still.
What was the first instrument you learnt to play?
I took piano as a little kid but I have absolutely no competency. I can write on a piano in an emergency, but mostly, I am a failed muso. I write by singing melodies and lyric into my iPhone and having a co-writer make heads or tails of it.
Who and What inspires you as a musician?
I am a huge fan of storytellers in general. So songwriters like Tom Waits, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, are my favorites. I tend toward writers who are able to transport you – take you into a little short story, in musical form. I also get a lot of inspiration from what I am reading. There is a song on my current record called Blood Meridian, which is the title of a Cormac McCarthy novel that knocked me for six.
What can people expect when they see you perform at Country and Inner Western?
I’m really excited about the performance. It’s always a pleasure to play with Shane. We’ll do a song together. And having The Morrisons as a house band is just an insane excitement. I’m really looking forward to the show.
Is Americana making a comeback? Did it ever really go away?
It’s never been off my playlist. Of course it has never gone away. People have been making bluegrass music, tex-mex, blues, traditional ballads, country, and all the elements of Americana since time immemorial. As long as a group of musos gather together in a living room with a bottle of whiskey, that kind of music will flourish. It’s just back on the radio right now.
Is Americana the right term or is it Country music pure and simple? Does the word “Country” carry an expectation?
I have an issue with the term Americana (even as an Ohioan, bred and buttered), because it is exclusive. There are so many artists making amazing roots or indie folk or alt.country or whatever the heck it it is all over the world. Australia has an embarrassment of riches in the genre. The Morrisons, Mustered Courage, Shane, Ruby Boots, Jason Walker, Boy and Bear, Winterbourne. I could go on for days.
What do you think has made the genre last all these years?
Like I said earlier, the genre is an amalgamation of a lot of traditional forms. As long as musicians get together and jam, they are going to go back to that kind of music. There is a deep and atavistic need to go back to traditional forms. People are nostalgic creatures.
What’s coming up next for you?
My record, Small Town Misfits, was released in May, so I’m in mid-promo cycle for that. We’ve got a couple more of these Country and Inner Western nights, which I am very excited about. And I’m getting festival season sorted. Planning Tamworth, which I love. And I’m writing the next record. So, I’m feeling pretty busy, which I love.
Watch her current single ‘Let Her Go’ (feat. Shane Nicholson):
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Jenny Queen is playing Country and Inner Western at Goodgod Small Club in Sydney on 29th October. Tickets are just $10 on the door and the night also features The Morrisons, Ruby Boots, Andy Golledge, Shane Nicholson and some promised special guests! Jenny Queen’s new album – Small Town Misfits – out now.
