Courtesy of Thealbumproject.net
Certain things in life were just made to go together, sometimes so much so that you wonder what the world would have been like without them. For instance, what would fill the tremendous void in the candy aisle if chocolate and peanut butter were never brought together? What could possibly replace funnel cakes at circuses and annual county festivals? How would we continue to survive if Tivo hadn’t been introduced to each of our family room entertainment systems? And can you imagine just how bleak and utterly hopeless the world would be if the film industry never even heard of John Williams?
Some time ago I attended a concert some place far away to celebrate my girlfriend’s mother’s birthday. It was a tremendous struggle getting there and even more of a struggle not to scream when I realized I had left the card I had picked out for her on my desk at home and somehow needed to come up with a new one using the random bits of material strewn about my car. Once I finally walked through the doors of the venue, however, with make-shift card in hand, all my troubles were immediately washed away by my girlfriend’s adorable smile and then permanently buried underground by the incredible music submerging the entire room.
It was warm and welcoming; my mind suddenly diverted course and began relaying memories of my childhood when I would play for hours in the snow, making forts and ice sculptures till my fingers and toes turned various colors and then return home to find a freshly dry-cleaned blanket and hot chocolate laid out for me near the fireplace. I felt warm. I felt relaxed. I felt at home.
I honestly hadn’t looked much into the band that would be performing that night prior to attending the show. The only thing I knew was what my girlfriend had told me the night before: “They’re a married couple and they play music together.” After my initial hope that the White Stripes had gotten back together to play one last show had dissipated, I promptly fell asleep and forgot about the whole thing until the following day. Had I only known just how incredible their performance would be, I probably would’ve dragged a few more friends along with me to listen to them play.
Instead, after spending a delightful hour or so listening to Jenny & Tyler perform their beautifully-arranged, emotionally-charged set list, I decided I would do whatever I could to help spread their incredible music to others. Thus, my reason for writing this article and compiling a brief interview with Tyler, revealing more on their music and lifestyle.
Jenny & Tyler were pretty much made for each other, and their music proves it. That’s just about all I can say. I think their talent speaks for itself and I don’t wish to keep you any longer when you could be listening to their music right now rather than reading my arbitrary description of it.
Simply put, their vocal talent is impeccable, and their instrumental skill is raw and it’s emotional. Now go listen for yourself by clicking on the link below. Once you’ve done that, you can read this interview.
Q: Who are your top musical influences?
A: Jenny grew up listening to a lot of bluegrass music. Alison Krauss is definitely a big influence. She listened to a lot of Sixpence None the Richer when she started singing a lot in junior high. Other influences: Jennifer Knapp, Nichole Nordeman, Amy Grant…
Tyler’s dad is a jazz pianist, so he grew up listening to a lot of jazz. He also listened to Simon & Garfunkle and James Taylor. He discovered Jack Johnson in high school.
Q: Where else do you draw inspiration from to write your music?
A: We draw inspiration from real life experiences, our relationship, other relationships, our relationship with God, what we’re reading or learning, all sorts of things really.
Q: How did you make the decision to become a band and start writing music together?
A:We met at the University of Delaware in the fall of 2004. We started writing together almost immediately. We backed each other up at shows for a few years as solo artists Tyler Somers and Jenny Appel. In the summer of 2006 we went to Nashville together. We decided that we made more sense as a duo than separate artists, so we made an album together. At that point in our relationship, we knew we were going to get married. It just made sense.
Q: Could you describe a bit of the process of writing/ recording/ releasing your first album? i.e, how long it took, what it was like in the studio together, what it felt like to start selling your music to other people for the first time, etc.
A: That first project took a lonnnggg time. We basically picked our 10 best songs and decided to record them. The process began in Nashville over the summer of 2006 and didn’t end until after we were married in June of 2007. The record itself wasn’t even released until December. We didn’t know what we were doing. Honestly, we work really well together. That’s not always true of husband/wife teams. It can be really difficult to accept criticism from your spouse. We definitely have our moments, but overall, we have a really good time together, and we push each other to be better musicians. I think it’s still weird for me to know that people are paying for our music and listening to it in their car or dancing to our songs at their weddings. It’s an honor and a privilege.
Q: What are your plans for the future of your band?
A: Honestly, we’re not sure what we’ll do next. We want to continue our focus on Faint Not. We may put together a new Christmas album this year or begin work on a hymns project, but we don’t want to rush into anything. For now we’ll continue writing and touring.
For more information on Jenny & Tyler as well as free samples of their fantastic music, check out their website: http://jennyandtylermusic.com/
Great little article! I really dig Jenny and Tyler. I’ve also heard rumor that a few big names in Nashville are looking into them. I predict that these guys are gonna get big, fast. Thanks for writing about them and spreading the love!