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Jenny Dalton: The Lady and A Piano Series
Women in music are not so numerous. Women in rock even less, in this world dominated by males. But there’s always an alternative to the alternative: the piano. The movement began in the 30’s with musicians as Nina Smone and then knew a revival in the 70’s with artists like Kate Bush. Her heirs today are slowly making their way to stardom mixing sensitivity with a rare sense of audacity
To inaugurate the series: we start with US artist Jenny Dalton
1) Hi Jenny. It’s a pleasure for me to do this interview being an huge fan of yours and I hope that after that one, you’ll gain many more. First of all we all want to know who is Jenny Dalton
Thank you so much! Oh my goodness...who am I? I'm a girl from the cold midwest who has decided to get ideas out of my head and into recordings. I feel like I hang back in the shadows in order to observe of the world around me, and those observations become fuel for words and music.
2) When and where did you learn the piano?
I first laid hands on the piano at a neighbor's house when I was a little girl. My feet couldn't touch the pedals, but I thought it was the most beautiful sound to bang on those keys. I was never taught how to play, so I would pick tunes out by ear. When my parents got our first family piano, I think "Chariots of Fire" was the first thing I picked out. Then I started coming up with my own songs
3) What we notice when listening to you first is your voice of course. A very aerial and moving voice that express so many emotions and able to move you. It’s almost haunting. Did you take singing lessons?
Oh that's sweet, thank you. I didn't take singing lessons, but I was in choirs growing up. I had a solo part for an elementary school play, and a choir director from "Angelica Cantanti" was in the audience. She sent my parents a letter, and that was the first choir I joined. I still feel nostalgic for choirs.
4) Do you sometimes, as some artists such as Tori Amos said, feel chained to your piano?
Chained, never. But it is a constant companion. It's a relationship. If I ignore it at all, I feel horrible and unbalanced. I hated being in college because I didn't have a keyboard for a long time, and I was too busy to focus on music. While growing up, I'd go directly to the piano after school because I loved it. It took me a bit to realize that it was the absence of playing that made me so unhappy in college. So I love the piano. I'm grateful for it.
5) You’re considered as an indie artist. If a major wanted to sign you, would you go for it, or just refuse not to sacrifice your art? Do you see this evolution as a sacrifice?
I would probably sign to a label if the right situation came around. Indie bands and musicians look at labels with a lot of negativity, and there are plenty of horror stories to justify that. But it would indeed be a career evolution to get set-up with a team and infrastructure. There's no doubt about that. My main concern would be boards of executives making artistic decisions. Maintaining artistic integrity is the highest priority in any situation because it's audibly obvious to me when music is made for the wrong reasons. It sounds souless and assembled - like Frankenstein music. So no matter what happens, I'd have to always be in tune with the way the songs need to work themselves out.
6) What, in your opinion, makes you different from artists like Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, or even Beth Waters and Kerstin Hersh also in that piano/voice genre?
Oh I don't know. I guess it's apples and oranges. I have a ton of respect for those musicians and their fearless expression, hard work and success. But when I go to the piano, it's just me and the piano, and nothing else comes into my mind. I just do what I do and leave it up to others to compare or contrast, like or dislike. I feel like it isn't my business to judge or analyze what comes out - it's everyone else's.
7) You released three albums so far. Is it painful for you to compose music or lyrics? I have this sentence in mind from "Bad Day” that was on your " Fleur de Lily " Album:” I go back to your place cuz you seem to understand, you know where it hurts babe.” That pretty intense. Where do you have your inspiration from ?
The lyrics and music are definitely personal and autobiographical, but they're also metaphoric and evasive at times. In any case, it's never painful, and I never feel self-conscious about what comes out. The whole reason I go to the piano in the first place is because it helps me. It's a solace. A safe place. I feel like I can take the worst of what I feel and channel it down into a song. And when I do that, the feelings are less intense and more manageable. I can shrug things off because the worst of it is now contained outside of myself and inside of a song. When I record or perform that song later, it doesn't stir those feelings anymore. They've already been excorcized.
8) I think each album has a different concept and atmosphere, even if you still get the haunting voice and lyrics, moody piano: Fleur de Lily had a very retro atmosphere, Carbon Lily, a more edgy and electro one. How would you describe Rusalka’s Umbrella?
Maybe Rusalka's Umbrella is a little more primal. While writing these songs, I kept thinking of roots, ancestry, basic elements and the fluid nature of the person and the world. Kind of these all-encompassing broad strokes coming out of a primordial sea. I think some of the percussion, strings and meditative repetition brings that out especially in songs like "Looted Fires" and "Bad Seed."
9) Your current projects? Any upcoming gigs in Europe?
I am working on the next studio album right now which I am approaching a little differently. I will be engineering most of this one myself and using my own equipment instead of doing a lot of studio time. I'll have more freedom this way. Although no dates are on the calendar as of yet, I am itching to get over to Europe to play some shows. I'm itching to tour.
10) What’s your relationship with the fans?
I feel like fans are more like friends. It's a nice little community, and I constantly update my sites with photos, videos and status updates of what I'm currently doing. I've been slowly putting up demo versions of the new songs which are very raw, but I'm kind of eager to let friends in on the behind-the-scenes production of the upcoming project.
11) Fame: a curse or a blessing? Do you feel trapped?
I guess I never thought that I'm famous - I just feel humbled and happy for recognition of what I'm doing. It's always nose-to-the-grindstone with me, and it's a sweet surprise to look up and realize there are people there who like what I'm turning out.
12) 3 words that describe you most.
Hmmm. Maybe diligent, inspired, and gracious. I'll go with those.
13) What would you like to say our magazine readers that know you? And to those who don’t?
By the very fact you're reading this, you are an appreciator of music. So thank you! These are exciting times for music and all arts and entertainment in general. It's fun to see the foundations being shaken, to see people doing what they love and to be able to find these amazing little pockets. We get to be a part of it all.
Thank you so much Jenny for your time and enthusiasm. I know you currently have a busy schedule and don’t do a lot of promotion.
These are the links and some clues to enter Jenny Dalton’s world
Links & Web
Web site: www.jennydalton.com/
Facebook: ww.facebook.com/JennyDaltonMusic
Myspace www.myspace.com/jennydalton
http://twitter.com/jennydalton
Listen some of the songs
http://listenseefeel.blogspot.com/2009/07/jenny-dalton.html
Discography
Fleur de Lily -2006
Carbon Lily Remixes-2007
Rusalka’s Umbrella 2008
Anne Callypyge for Bizarre Music Online
November 2009.
If you reproduce this material in any from at any site the link to www.bizarre-music.net is necessary!
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