Page 38 - Cityview_July_Aug_2015

AROUND TOWN
Jenna and Her Cool Friends
July 25, 2015
Star of Knoxville Riverboat
Powerhouse songstress Jenna Jefferson can’t help but sing the blues—she amplifies every lyric with the rich, sultry grit of her voice—and with such talent, it’s no wonder the city’s coolest musicians want to be her friend. Jenna and Her Cool Friends have now played together for five years—and the band remains as popular as ever.
The euphonic ensemble consists of musicians Jenna Jefferson, Keith Ford, Detroit Dave, Michael Crawley, Ben Maney, G. Glyn Lloyd, and Kevin Redding.
Interview by Hanna Lustig
Cityview: You’ve been part of several projects and groups during your career. What sets Jenna
and Her Cool Friends apart from previous endeavors?
Jenna Jefferson: They’re fun loving. They respect music. They have fun with music. They love performing. They truly love the entire process
of writing original music and collaborating. Everyone brings his or
her own style. We all have different interests and what has influenced us through the years is quite different,
so it’s a melting pot when you put all these people together. It augments the original work—what I call the “root” of a song.
CV: What has kept you interested in music for so long?
JJ: Music is like breathing to me—it’s always been just as necessary. But I just absolutely love forming the bands
and performing for people. I love that I’ve been doing this for 30 years and still touch people through music. I come from a family of musicians, so part of my philosophy of life is “better living through music.”
CV: Tell us the story behind your new album, I’m What You Get (2014).
JJ: It was like giving birth to a very large baby. It was a yearlong process. You have to write the music, and then you have to fine-tune the music.
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36 CITYVIEWMAG.COM JULY AUGUST 2015