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It’s time to wake up to a very different Janine Wilson.
Her third album since releasing the debut The Blue Album
Once the writing was complete, Janine approached maverick recording artist Blake Morgan, founder and president of NYC’s Engine Company Records, in the hope of having him produce the album. Morgan proceeded to do one better, putting together an incredible band of top-flight New York musicians for the recording sessions—Jonathan Ellinghaus on drums, John Turner on bass, Melissa Giges on backing vocals, and even providing Wurlitzer, Hammond B-3 organ, and backing vocals himself. Together with Evans playing guitar, Janine’s powerhouse vocals have never been in front of a more solid or sophisticated sound.
The album opens with another award-winning track, “It Should Be Me
The opening guitar licks of “Just Kiss Her
With the pseudo-title track “Wakin’ Up in Texas
Janine sings about the urgent need for green living during today’s hard times (‘When the markets crash and the headlines flash / That there’s no end in sight / You’ve gotta learn to live with less I guess / And make the wrong things right’) in the alt-country-tinged “The Grass Is Always Greener
Recorded with Blake Morgan at the helm of Engine Company Records’s studio in NYC and at Philadelphia’s Studio 4 with Grammy Award-winner Phil “Butcher Bros.” Nicolo, Wakin’ Up proves to be yet another step in Wilson’s continuing evolution. So how should we feel wakin’ up to this new Janine Wilson? With a newfound confidence behind her eyes, she smiles and answers by quoting from the last song on the album.
“Hey—in the end, ‘It’s just you and me . . . like always.’”
How do you describe your music to people?
The term "Roots Rock" can generate a lot of "what's that?" it seems. I usually follow it up with "Rock." Singer songwriter/Roots Rock is probably more like it. I have so many influences, it's hard to say who I and the band most sound like for comparison's sake. I would say Sheryl Crow meets The Wallflowers and Springsteen with sprinklings of others.
Tell me about how you originally got into your craft.
I suppose it was a combination of my Dad's Dixieland and Jazz records and watching musicals with my Mom - not to mention long drives in the car constantly punching the radio buttons and wondering how The Beatles made it so fast from one station to the other that led me down a musical path. No one in my family is particularly musical, but I recently learned that my Great Aunt Veronica (I took her name as my confirmation name - yep, I'm a bad Catholic girl!) played the organ and sang in church so that must have been where I got "it." I also worked as an usher at Vets Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, Ohio, as a teenager and was exposed to everything from Parliament Funkadelic,Tammy Wynette, Springsteen, The Greatful Dead and Frank Zappa. I knew I had to be a part of that scene!
What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
I have a lot of favorites so I lumped them into my perfect day: Waking up early in the morning and baking blueberry muffins for breakfast with some iced tea and hitting up a really big and cheap flea market where I find loads of stuff for practically nothing. Then in the afternoon I find out that, Wow!, this flea market has a Black Crowes and Springsteen concert and they are selling PBR in bottles and vanilla buttercream cupcakes (cake and beer is good!) and I get to be at the front of the stage and then both the Black Crowes and Bruce invite me onstage to sit in. Then I find out that Nathan Fillion is back stage and wants to meet me. Then he asks if I'd like to go to Paris for breakfast the next day. I say, um, yes!
Other than thinking up day dreams like this I do love to (not in any particular order) bake, hang with my friends, write songs and perform, go to thrift stores and flea markets, grow vegetables in my back yard, and strive to be a kick ass singer/songwriter and Martha Stewart, Jr.
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your business?
The biggest challenge is finding time to do the artistic and fun parts of being a musician. Booking, promotion, etc can certainly take up a good portion of your day and making a living as a musician can be a challenge but I would rather do this than just about anything else!
When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
Wanting to be in music seemed to be more of a dream that probably wouldn't come true for so long until I started blindly taking steps to make it a reality. I never would have believed as a teenager that I would have just released my third album, written songs and won awards for doing so. I am ecstatic that this dream came true!
In what way has your community impacted your development as a musician?
The music community in the DC area is amazing. There is a very rich musical history here which I think a lot of people are unaware of - not to mention all the great musicians here currently. We have several music organizations, an awards ceremony in it's 25th year this coming February and a DC chapter of the Recording Academy. I have made so many friends and contacts which have resulted in fun collaborations, support and encouragement among peers. A very nurturing place to flourish as a musician.
What other artists out there do you love?
My favs are Bruce Springsteen, The Black Crowes, Shelby Lynne, Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair, Adele, Patsy Cline, Elvis Costello, Annie Ross, Bette Midler, especially her early stuff, AC/DC, Allman Brothers, Astrud Gilberto, Dixie Chicks, Tom Jones, Iggy Pop, Mel Torme, Keith Urban, Nick Drake, Sarah Vaughan, The Pretenders, Phoebe Snow, Herb Alpert and so many others!
What does your future hold?
Early next year we are doing a live recording/video taping. I'm learning guitar so hopefully you'll see me soon performing with one and on new songs. SXSW - I love Austin. A trip to France for a family reunion with some gigs here and there as well. More touring, lots of new adventures, much love, peace and baking!