Artist Jenny Reynolds is the kind of musician who brings joy and music where ever she goes. A musician in Austin, Texas, her recent release Willow & Stone has a musical staying power because of her heartfelt singing and poetic songs such as “I’m Not the One” and “In Our Way.” The record is an honest reflection of life, love, and the hope that seems to shape all of us at one time or another in our lives.

Jupiter Index: In the past you have said, once you have the hook for a song, the story can be formed around it.  Yet this new release feels like musical poetry, such as the track "On the Seams".  Can you talk about how this record came about for you? 
Jenny Reynolds: The song writing came about in roughly the same way. Sometimes melodies and hooks inspire poetry. Melodies invoke a mood, which then triggers a thought, which can either begin a story or make me think of something happening in my life.
Sometimes, when I'm going about my day doing whatever, I think of a random line that I jot down in a journal. On this record, one of those lines is "...Moonlight Sinatra..." which is in "Listening to the Rain." I used the line because it fit the song and because I've been wanting to. But the melodies and guitar riffs got the songs started.

JI: What was the recording process like with producer Mark Hallman? 
JR: Fun and inventive! And comfortable. He's a genius and a friend, so I like spending time with him, which is good because recording takes a lot of time. I'm very comfortable taking risks when Mark is producing, like playing or singing a part I've never played before. His ideas never steal energy from the song. The song itself, not me and not him, remain the most important thing.

We break for lunch midday and eat together with engineer Andre Moran and all studio musicians.

My dog Oakley was an essential studio staff member at all recording sessions (director of security, inspector of all cookies). I asked permission to bring her the first time because I knew I'd be away from home all day. I was instructed to bring her always.

When our work is done for the day and we're listening, we have a celebratory whiskey.

JI: Can you say how the song "Listening to the Rain" was written, and what it means to you? 
JR: That one is a post-2024-presidential election rant. Almost all of it was written in one sitting. I came up with the groove that the song starts with about the same day as the election. When the results came in I picked up my guitar, partly out of frustration, partly out of fear, or just needing something to do to accommodate for restless energy that had no other place to go. 
Paraphrasing the song:

First verse: A person who loves fame more than our country won the election. Nobody can save us from this. We have to save ourselves and it's going to take a while.

Second verse: Life as usual? If you think you can live your life the same way you've been living it, you're wrong. "...How could this ever happen, when I keep tappin' to the music in my ears..." Music will sustain us through this and keep us strong. Trust in what we know and we'll all survive.
Third verse: How to we move forward? "...Take a walk, count your steps, make a friend you've never met...." Self care. Seek out and emit your own positive energy. That energy is the key to finding groove in the rain.

JI: Since you began playing music what is it about music that is still special for you? Does it heal or reveal? 
JR: It heals and reveals. 

Heals:
If I know something is bothering me or is just on my mind, playing is always an escape that provides perspective. Music draws me out of my head far enough to see things differently. That allows for healing.

Reveals:
Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling until I write about it. On this record examples of that include "Learning To Be Yours," and "If I Hadn't Waited So Long." 

Music is a super power for real people. A musician can single-handedly change another person's mood, just by playing a song. No cape required.

JI: What places have you enjoyed performing in? And can you talk about your plans to tour in the fall? 
JR: Generally, I love playing venues that are listening rooms where people (audiences) can feel comfortable, where the song, not the musician, is the star.
The Saxon Pub (Austin TX)
Isis (Asheville NC, sadly, no longer open)
Club Passim (Cambridge MA)

I'm going to have a full band show in Austin on September 9 to celebrate the release of the record. Happy to say I'll be returning to Club Passim in October, and will also be in Portsmouth, NH, and Brooklyn NY in the same trip.

JI: In your spare time, how do you relax?
JR: Exercise. I run (which includes occasional walking), scull and walk dogs, hang with my family and friends, including dogs.

JI: Thank you very much. 
JR: Thank you!

by G.M. Burns