BetweentheBeats
Local visual and performing artist Jenn Rawling. With the help of the illustrious Bailey brothers and their infamous Blue House Studio, Jenn survived a literal hole in the heart to record what is easily her most compelling album to date./Courtesy photo
When life gets epic Quarantine, series of curveballs help shape Jenn Rawling’s newest album by Stephen Sellers
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reetings from the coast of Croatia where I am on the hunt for elusive ex-Yugoslavian communists. Thanks for your continued support as we continue the Telegraph’s insatiable lust for arcane leftist propaganda of yesteryear. Beforehand, I spent a week exploring the hyper-woke-but-still-tolerant-of-assholes paradise known as Amsterdam. No joke, rent is cheaper in Amsterdam – one of the world’s swankiest cities – than in Durango, one of Austin’s most charming suburbs. Highlights include a healthy dose of record store visits, night after night of great music and dancing (to get
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my mind right for the upcoming Durango Bluegrass Meltdown), frites with mayonnaise, and not getting any guff about being an American for once. It turns out western Europe has their own nationalist terrors to worry about, yet again. Ah, the circle of life! Speaking of the Bluegrass Meltdown, it’s going down this year, from April 22-24. I insist you get a ticket, a weekend pass or whatever floats your folk boat. This year will be a celebration like none other as top-tier bluegrass musicians like Bruce Molsky and Tony Trischka descend on our humble, increasingly out-of-state-owned town for a weekend of celebration, community and, my personal favorite, high-energy dance music from 100plus years ago. For more info, check out
www.durangobluegrassmeltdown.com Moving on, for this week’s interview, I recently sat down with local artist and musician Jenn Rawling under a tree at the Smiley Building, drinking feverfew and skullcap tea, talking about her new record. With the help of the illustrious Bailey brothers and their infamous Blue House Studio, Jenn survived a literal hole in the heart to record what is easily her most compelling album to date – and during the lockdown, nonetheless. Local musicians Alissa Wolf, of the Stillhouse Junkies, and Scott Roberts, of La La Bones, lent their talents on fiddle and pedal steel guitar, respectively. The core trio are playing live Sat., April 16, to celebrate the imminent release of the record.
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SS: Thank you for this delicious tea, Jenn. So, tell me everything. How did this amazing new record of yours come to be? JR: When you start a creative project, when you decide to build anything and bring it into the world, you have this idea of what’s going to happen. There’s this naivete where you step into it, and you’re like, “Holy Moly! [laughs] I didn’t see any of that happening!” I’ve been working on this record for almost two years. Looking back, thinking about the story and the circumstances around the record, the personal things I’ve gone through, it’s been pretty epic. When you’re working on a body of songs or a body of art … all of these things get
