#jennie walker

[vinylespassion]

Jennie Walker et ses amies écoutent un enregistrement de la voix de Jennie sur un tourne-disque à l'école de charme de la National Urban League à Brooklyn, New York, 1948.

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: i don’t know how but they found me

The phrase I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME might seem full of paranoia, but the musical enigma comprised solely of Dallon Weekes is anything but. Showing up in Portland, ME to show off, they brought an undeniable energy that carried all the way through their set and into the next artist - Silversun Pickups, for those who are curious. 

I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (shortened to iDKHOW) feels less like an artist and more like a time traveling message about the best and worst of humanity. In their music videos, they channel the orange color scheme of the 70s with passion while also pointing towards an automated, technological future. Live, iDKHOW channels this duality with ease, switching between talking to the crowd in Weekes' gentlemanly drawl and the hauntingly mechanical nature of their songs. 

With friend Ryan Seaman by their side as a tour mate, iDKHOW is able to create something imperfectly unique. It's not easy being an opening act - something iDKHOW cheekily referenced in their opening track "Nobody Likes The Opening Band" - but they immediately established a presence with a repetitive robotic recording of "I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME" that transitioned into the a capella version of the aforementioned track. 

iDKHOW made sure to dot the show with surprises. After the first few songs, they treated the crowd to some covers (Beck's "Debra" being one of them), and made sure to interact with the crowd to the point of goading. "We heard you were quiet like little church mice. Are you little church mice Portland?" I can say with confidence we were not. Sure, many people were learning about them in that moment, watching them perform with quiet curiosity, but many people on the rail were belting out lyrics, and others all around the crowd raised their hands to show support. We sang, we danced, and nowhere was that more true than in the last two songs. 

iDKHOW started off strong and finished even stronger. The second to last track was the infectious "Do It All The Time," and the final song was their most popular "Choke." Both are catchy, with an upbeat dancing tune and dark lyrics. Boldly proclaiming world domination and desired death isn't for the faint of heart, but I DON’T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME's songs are earworms, designed to have you tapping your feet when you least expect it. If drawing people in and keeping their attention is the first step to world domination, then iDKHOW is certainly well on their way. This shouldn’t be a surprise though - after all, they do it all the time. 

Check out I Don’t Know How But They Found Me Online:

https://twitter.com/idkhow?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://www.idkhow.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPeiIDYMwZQpL7aocblfqtQ

https://www.facebook.com/IDKHOW/

Photos and review by: Jennie Walker

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: Alexandra Savior

        On a steamy basement stage at Café Du Nord in San Francisco, Alexandra Savior’s show was a spooky and sultry Valentine’s Day romp. In the heart of the Castro district, the night was an expressly intimate venue, date, and aesthetic.        

       After an excited line outside the venue, the sold-out audience filed down a staircase to view a classic bar, blue curtains, and bright red neon Café Du Nord sign over the stage. The friendly, if a little tipsy, crowd included romantic partners, friends, and a wide range of ages freely chatting before the opening act, Al Harper, took the stage at 9pm. After their performance, the buzzing room was treated to Valentine’s cards in the intervening break as communal anticipation set in.

        Featuring a haunting bass and synth combination, Alexandra Savior took the stage a little after 10, and immediately set the tone for her show opening with “Vanishing Point” from her 2017 record “Belladonna of Sadness.”

The twenty-four-year-old Portland, Oregon native fronted a five-piece band with bright blue eyeshadow, drooping doll-like mascara lines, and black hearts painted on her cheeks. The theatricality of her look extended to the sometimes-comedic quality of her performance in “Shades” from the same album.

        With a sardonic “Happy Halloween!” to the crowd, Savior introduced “Howl” from her 2020 album “The Archer.” The song featured an instrument change from lead guitarist Mel Guéreson to a violin, which would routinely be utilized throughout the night, adding to the self-described “feminist angst horror film feel” Savior commits to. “Mirage” included a lyrical call out to the painted-on teardrops, or tonight hearts, Savior characteristically adds to her bright pink cheeks.

There is a dazed theatricality to Alexandra Savior’s entire band, allowing them to avoid the too-cool attitude of similar artistic sad-girl pop acts. This allows them to stand out, but it is not an affectation or a front, the music truly backs up every inch of their performative quality. In “Saving Grace,” keyboard and synth player Lily Breshears’ lilting backing vocals dreamily mixed with Savior’s over a driving bass line, and her upbeat synth and keyboard combination in “Can’t Help Myself” continued the other-worldly fun tone of the night. Guéreson’s guitar and drums by Alex Fitch brought together the bridge of “Crying All The Time” to make the despair anthem a rallying cry for the singles in the room. The unsung hero of the night? Bassist Theo Craig, who’s prominently featured basslines belie the harsher, angrier, and gleeful undertones of Savior’s songs. Blink and you might miss the edge to her often soothing and sweet vocal quality, but her caustic lyrics break down expectations of a soft response from women in “Audeline,” “The Archer,” and many others during the night.

In her dreamiest and most popular single, “Girlie,” Savior revamped every middle-school slow dance to take on the indifference toward and exploitation of women in the music industry, before transitioning into “But You.” Ending with her creepiest bop, “Mystery Girl,” Savior culminated with the best breakdown of the night successfully blending a ghostly keyboard motif, a hard rock guitar line, and an anguished cry of “Don’t you try to calm me down!”

Sweltering heat broke down any chances for an encore, but the crowd hummed as concert goers filed up the stairs, out of the basement, and on to less eerie portions of their Valentine’s weekend.

Article by: Jennie Hewitt

Photos by: Jennie Walker

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: parcels

Check out Parcels online:

https://soundcloud.com/parcels-music

https://www.parcelsmusic.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2as7PrmUgmdZAkMIWNY6EQ

https://www.facebook.com/parcelsmusic/

Photos by: Jennie Walker

[smolwritingchick]

Just like BTS have their own individual playlists, here is Jennie's on Spotify

Reposting again, Jennie's Playlist <3 I think this was made back in 2017 when I was working on the story.

I didn't want to go overboard and put a bunch of songs but it looked like I did lmfao. Around 60 or so is more than enough in comparison to them having like 20 something songs.

I want to edit the JenKook playlist too.

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: joan

Check out Joan online:

https://www.facebook.com/songsbyjoan/

https://www.instagram.com/songsbyjoan/?hl=en

https://songsbyjoan.com/

https://soundcloud.com/songsbyjoan

Photos by: Jennie Walker

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: austin prince

Check out Austin Prince online:

http://austinprincemusic.com/

http://austinprincemusic.com/blog/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Y5eqdPFfp_MrA-kAPl0VQ

Photos by: Jennie Walker

[tonguetiedmag]

concert: penthouse boys

Check out Penthouse Boys online:

https://www.facebook.com/thepenthouseboyz/

https://soundcloud.com/penthouseboys

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3JIQAkVpqYGKBMvlRry5el

https://penthouseboys.bandcamp.com/

Photos by: Jennie Walker