The Roses of California

Fridays in the Studio – a new series of videos leading up to the release of our new record – “The Roses of California.” Back in the 1950’s, one of my Aunts went out to California with a fella who thought she looked like a movie star. And she did. And she was glad to escape being a miner’s wife. But, eventually, she ended up peeling potatoes in Idaho. Much of this song is true. I like what Billy’s Dad, Bill Jr, had to say about it: “These things happen.” And they do.

Thanks very much to Peter Knipe, our great friend and chief archivist in Britain, for capturing our process as we recorded songs for our upcoming CD, “Heart of the Mountain.” Here we are last July in All Saints Church, Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire, England, by invitation of Si McGrath of the fabulous band King Courgette.

Trombone

Throwback to fourth grade and beyond: Adding some 11th hour trombone to the record. You know who gets the awesomeness award? Mom & Dad. They were young parents in grad school living 1000 miles from home in a huge, expensive city, yet they still bought me my very own used trombone – a trombone that would be my conduit to friendships across the USA from fourth grade all the way up through college. No matter where we moved, there was always symphonic band, jazz band, or marching band. And yesterday, I got to play trombone on our record. One fat, round, low note. My favorite kind. Thanks Marcella and Greg Hankins. They should have given you a Heisman-sized trophy when you won the “Best Parents” award in the Blue Tornado yearbook!

Merry melodica

Will it be the melodica? Finding Le mot juste of instruments.

Late night thoughts

Sometimes we are supposed to be going to bed, but we get an idea & start moving microphones into place...

Spoken word

Spoken word reading for the new record! 

Engineering Gal

Guess who is engineering the recording session today? Billy is downstairs playing my family piano -- it's first time being recorded. Back to work!

Short Doc of our Recording Session in Barwick-in-Elmet

File under the category of how great you are, friends! Christine and Ian Butler came to one of our recording sessions near Leeds, looking like Valentines in red sweaters, beamed at us as we sang, and then Ian made this terrific short film about it all. I feel practically like I'm in a Pathe film. Thank you, Ian!

Recording in Burbank with The Good Intentions & Rick Shea

Report from Burbank, California: In the studio with The Good Intentions and Rick Shea! Making some country music, Liverpool-style! This is my little patch of studio earth at Paul's which I've already turned into Jeniland with a quilting magazine, sewing projects, postcards, stamps, and cameras. Makes me miss Chris, Ger, Val, Jim, Grateful Fred's, and so many of our friends across the ocean!

Rockabilly Jingle Bells

A Rockabilly Jingle Bells

from Jeni & Billy! 

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Bright New Year

to All of Our Wonderful Friends!!!

  

To celebrate the season, Billy and I dug out this old recording of Jingle Bells we made just after we moved into our new house in East Nashville back in 2011. We can't remember why we were inclined to noodle around with this holiday favorite, but here it is fresh from the dusty trunk of unreleased Jeni & Billy musical doodles.

Thank you for a wonderful year of touring and music-making - our best yet! We are ever so grateful to so many of you for being bright stars along our journey. 

  

We send you love and hugs.

  

Peace and happiness, 

  

Jeni & Billy too

https://m.soundcloud.com/jeniandbilly/jingle-bells-honkytonk-version-by-jeni-billy

Our new recording adventure begins!

Wow! It's early! We must be flying to LA to make a new record. What?????? Yes! Yay!

More campground sessions

In our screen tent control room yesterday. It rained a little while we tracked Billy's vocals. More fun adventures recording while on tour! So excited to discover that we can do this and get super sounds!

More Airstream recording sessions

More from our Buffalo Gap, TX, recording sessions. Billy is in the control room here, also known as The Great Outdoors at Abilene State Park. I am in the vocal booth also known as our galley. This sure is a lot of fun!!! And it's a great way to keep our recording chops while we are touring.

Portable recording studio

From my "booth" in our Airstream recording studio:) we decided to try some tracking on the road during fallow times on this tour. Today's control room is the gorgeous Abilene State Park, Texas.