More than a decade ago the Jenny Thing probably would've been signed
to 415 Records, the late, lamented San Francisco label which offered
New Wave treasures such as Translator, Wire Train, the Red Rockers, and
Romeo Void to an uncaring public. Considering how fickle music buyers
are, the Jenny Thing deserve to be more than just a passing
infatuation.
Sweet and Somber
- Not just another of the many thrash and funk bands typical of the
East Bay scene, The Jenny Thing cleverly blends complex guitar riffs and
refreshingly intelligible vocals.
- "We are tying to build dynamic songs with melodies, rather than the
canned grooves often found in today's modern rock," lead singer Matt Easton
said in a recent interview.
- Thoughtful, ironic and sometimes humorous, the band's songs focus
on innocent relationships and personal struggles.
- Comprised of vocalist Matt Easton, guitarist Shyam Rao, bassist
Ehren Becker and drummer Mike Phillips, The Jenny Thing began late last
year and has steadily progressed. In addition to college parties, the band
has headlined at the Berkeley Square. Other club dates are scheduled for
this summer.
- Currently, the band is working on a recording to be released this fall.
- "We started as a 15-pieces soul band called the Potatones and as
members fell away, all that was left was the horn section... and that was
us," Easton said.
- The band got started like a lot of others did. "I met Ehren in
Junior High and I have known Mike since I was born, but it wasn't until I
met Shyam last year at Cal that we started playing as The Jenny Thing,"
Easton said.
- The name of the band, The Jenny Thing, is to some extent ironic,
considering the band has no female members, but the guys say it refers to
infatuation.
- "What guy hasn't had some sort of jenny thing," Rao said.
- The songs are the dual effort of Easton and Rao.
- "Shyam and I write them together," Easton said. "I write the words
and melodies..."
- "And I work on the musical framework," Rao added.
- "We write separately, then bring the music and the lyrics together
using acoustic guitars or the Macintosh," Easton said. "Not like a techno
band, though -- just to temporarily fill in the bass and drums."
- The band, weaned on 80's pop, does not however reflect that
deadening musical era in its songs.
- "The Smiths, Duran Duran, The Police, The Cure," Easton listed.
- "When I was little, my parents listened to Simon & Garfunkel, Bob
Dylan, Peter Paul & Mary."
- "U2, Trash Can Sinatras and Lloyd Cole," Rao continued the almost
biblical recital of pop icons.
- "When Shyam and I first met, we wanted to play acoustic modern rock
-- but we're using more electrics than acoustics now," Easton concluded.
- The music is bright, generally, but still offers listeners enough
emotional and lyrical intensity to carry them through. It's this tension
between happy music and somber lyrics that creates the dynamic which makes
these tunes successful.
- "We try to set the songs to happy melodies," Easton said. "But
there are a lot of low points. Like 'I'm Still Trying.' A lot of what I'm
thinking these days is about isolation and helplessness -- but I'm not
hopeless, I haven't given up yet."
- Simon Dang & Kylie Kalogopolis
taken from The Daily Californian, May 22, 1992
Student Bands Rock Local Scene
- While many UC Berkeley students are known for their achievements in
science, literature and athletics, some are gaining recognition for how
well they "rock out."
- Student rock bands are formed all the time on college campuses
nationwide. Many survive only a couple of friendly jam sessions, but at UC
Berkeley some rock their way to fame.
- One of these more successful student bands is "the jenny thing,"
which lead singer and UC Berkeley junior Matt Easton said plays in local
clubs regularly and has developed a relatively large following.
- The one-year-old band includes one other UC Berkeley student,
guitarist Shyam Rao, also a junior, along with drummer Mike Phillips and
bassist Ehren Becker.
- "We play alternative guitar pop. Our music in the genre of modern
rock is based on the Clash and the Police, but we don't imitate them,"
Easton said.
- The jenny thing performs only original songs. The group says their
music can be understood by everyone, because listeners can "easily grab
onto" the easy melodies and simple lyrics.
- Phillips said new songs are usually the result of collaborative
brainstorming in the studio, where all members try to bring in something
new.
- "We write about innocent relationships, nothing erotic or sexually
explicit like some popular songs today," Easton said.
- Easton said the band is hoping to sign a contract with a major
record label in order to get their first album produced by December and
then distributed. But in the meantime, the jenny thing is drawing crowds
at the local club Berkeley Square.
- "We are getting a new crowd we don't recognize, which is nice,"
Easton Said.
- But Easton said the lure of the stage can make studying difficult.
- "We had a hard time handling the excitement of playing on stage and
recording new songs, but I've just gained a new interest in school because
I can handle school work and band better now," Easton said.
-Ucilia Wang and Brian Thompson, contributing writers
taken from The Daily Californian, October 13, 1992
The Interview Thing
- I was decently pissed because I had to work late (the guy I work
with flaked yet again), and the discussion on the bus ride to Berkeley
Square concerning the proper nomenclature of bus drivers ("Operators," the
driver insisted) didn't help to soothe my grumpiness.
- At the Square, Matt was off with the largest roadie I've ever seen,
getting the last of their stuff. It was a good 4 hours before show time,
but, I was later to discover, the band had a little problem once getting
their stuff out of storage. They ended up playing an acoustic set -- with
no drums. The show was nowhere near as good as the time they played in
their friend's kitchen. "The P.A. was great."
- So this is them, Berkeley's own Jenny Thing -- Matt Easton on lead
vocals and some guitar and keyboard, Shyam Rao on guitar(s), Mike Phillips
hits drums, and Ehren Becker plays bass (and mandolin, according to the CD
liner). John, from San Diego, is their "manager" (translation: he paid for
the CDs). Mike is the one with the Venom (Spider Man's evil twin nemesis)
white spider painted on his leather. His brother did it, "and made me pay
for it." He likes Nine Inch Nails and agrees with the rest of the band
that a really stupid thing to do in an interview is list the favorite bands
of the musicians. He also agrees that the band, if it was any vegetable,
would be a potato -- versatile. NOT a big phallic carrot, as Shyam
suggested. Bachelor #2 is Matt, who's known Mike all his life, and more
(their parents were high school buddies or something, I didn't quite catch
that part). His hair is sort of like Robert Smith's only a little
mellower. Mike and Matt met Ehren in junior high and have been goofing off
ever since.
- Frosh year here at Berkeley, Matt and Shyam, who hails from
Pittsburgh ("The scene is sweaty old blues guys"), lived in the same house
and started playing around and writing songs. On their first drummer:
- "He was too good. He liked playing jazzy -- fills and stuff, too
much for us."
- So they got Ehren and Mike, and the Jenny was The Thing. "It's sort
of an idea -- pseudophenominal (Matt's an English major) -- every boy has
had a thing for a girl named Jenny."
- "It's male bonding."
- At this point we began talking about BH 90210, and how Jenny Garth
was in the last Sassy and was way cuter than Shannen Doherty.
- Ehren: "Ever notice how her eyes are crooked? She's ugly."
- John jumped in to say, as their manager, that he did NOT want BH
90210 discussed in the interview, for fear of soiling their image. Too
late.
- Mike was saying something about just wanting to be a drum machine
(we were sort of still talking about their first drummer; Shyam was trying
to rectify his past comments), just playing solid beats -- no crazy fills,
when this homeless guy crosses the street towards us (we're sitting on the
sidewalk on University Ave. outside of the Square). "This guy does too
much crack," Matt comments as we recognize this guy as the one who does
backflips and James Brown splits for change.
- "I'll give you change if you say thanks, last time you weren't
nice," continues Matt. What a heart. We spend a few moments fishing out
coins as the guy goes on to assure us he's always nice.
- Shyam describes himself as "Hate in the purest form" but I think he
was kidding. It was the carrot comment.
- Matt goes on to exclaim "Seattle rules!" to which Mike rambles
"NONONONONONONONONO!" and shakes his head.
- It was time to sound check, so they did. And then they ate some
Subway sandwiches and I went down the street to the supermarket for dinner.
When I came back it was just about show time.
- They played marvelously. This was my fourth time seeing them, and
tonight they seemed tight as always. By the second tune, Cookie Crumbs
("We always play that song second") the crowd was bouncing like it was on
springs. Matt told us to get up if we weren't, and we did. Not a head
wasn't bobbing nor a foot not tapping to their "Mom-inspired alternative
guitar pop" music, as Matt describes it. His vocals are clean and the band
is just melodic. You don't drown in a sea of distortion as Shyam keeps
everyone stomping. Ehren and Mike drive thumping happy bass lines and
beats that keep you on your toes, literally. Cap it off with Matt's
acoustic guitar or keyboards and you're in a popjumphopstomphappyfunfrolic
of a good time.
- Mailing list, stuff, and info is available from Kendall Swim School
Records (that's John) at 2301 Cedar Street, El Cerrito, CA 94530. Four
Stars, Ren sez check 'em out!
- Ren Fienstien
taken from Zum 'Zine, June 1993
"These four musicians have set out to prove that they're not just another
alternative college band"
THE JENNY THING
- Matt Easton's moppy hair and earrings could be passed off as on
homage to Robert Smith, rock singer in one of his favorite bands, the Cure.
But Easton isn't just another UC-Berkeley student well-read in alternative
music.
- It's hard to find a telephone pole around campus that doesn't
advertise an upcoming concert for his own band, The Jenny Thing.
- The Jenny Thing -- Easton on vocals, guitarist Shyam Rao, bassist
Ehren Becker and drummer Mike Phillips -- is doing pretty well for a new
band. They're playing four gigs a month and turning down an equal number
for lack of time. Plus they sold 300 of their CD's in the past month.
It's currently available at Rasputin's in Berkeley.
- "I think nearly anyone with songs that start and end can play at a
club," Easton, an El Cerrito native, says. "But to keep coming back, you
have to improve and draw some kind of a crowd."
- A sign that their local fame is spreading: the Jenny Thing held a
CD release party Feb. 13th, performing at the Bear's Lair on campus.
Easton's following, made up mostly of Cal students, sang along with many of
his songs and mimicked his pogoing, hopping up and down to the rhythm.
- It's a versatile band, mixing thrash with acoustic folkie-type
songs. Easton's voice, alternatively abrasive and plaintive, rides
effectively above the mix. At the lair, "The Ox Song" proved that
alternative music can be effectively injected with pop and folk melodies,
while "Cookie Crumbs" include rap-like recitation.
- Rao, Becker and Phillips looked amusingly casual as Easton's voice
hardened to pump up the crowd and inspired stagediving, a rock concert
ritual banned at many clubs. Within the push of the students crowding the
stage, an overzealous fan would club the platform in front of Easton and
dive into the arms of cheering friends.
- Easton's pogoing -- a twist on the rock concert cliché, slam
dancing -- had the crowd bouncing off each other with friendly abandon.
- Despite his loyal following, Easton hasn't been besieged by amorous
groupies. Being a local rock star does have its advantages, though.
- "Some guy I had never met gave me a free ticket at a movie theater.
'Jennifer 8' was the movie," Easton says. "Even though I hated it, it felt
good being recognized."
- Easton, a junior majoring in English literature at UC-Berkeley,
earned the highest grades of his academic career -- A's and B's -- while
performing the most gigs last semester.
- "I think you have to set big goals for yourself," Easton says. "If
I make a laughably big goal like the Coliseum, then reaching it only
halfway is cool."
- Easton learned to play piano at age 7 while growing up in El
Cerrito. He listened to the Police, U2 and the Cure, and played keyboard
for several rock bands while attending El Cerrito High.
- It wasn't until he went off to Cal and met dorm-neighbor Shyam Rao,
a genetics major, that Easton started singing his own songs. The two
students began experimenting with a drum machine and a four-track recorder
-- Rao on guitar, Easton on vocals.
- "I like acoustic writing that becomes more electric. We have a
folk base in the writing stage," Easton says. "We often use hip-hop beats
-- a combination of bass and drums."
- With Rao, Easton developed a sound that was a kind of hard-driven
pop -- alternative music more rhythmic than most.
- The band got started in October 1991 when Easton got longtime
friends Mike Phillips and Ehren Becker to join in on drums and bass.
- How did they come up with a name? "Every boy has had a thing for a
girl named Jenny," Easton says.
- Soon after, the foursome landed gigs at clubs such as San
Francisco's Bottom of the Hill and the Berkeley Square. A good draw has
paid at most $300 -- not enough to pay the rent or tuition. Once the band
was praised by a San Francisco club owner for putting on a great show --
then ordered to leave for being under age.
- An independent label, Kendall Swim School Records, heard so much
potential in The Jenny Thing that it paid $7,000 to make 1,000 copies of
the band's first CD, "Me".
Easton sings on the recording:
'And if I feel alone tonight I'll dance the shadow girls tonight.
They're close enough to breathe on me
Cold furies never leaving me
... and I feel so much better now.'
- "I like the music to be involving so it's not just a catharsis for
me," Easton says. "I like it to be funny -- maybe even a little airheaded so
it's not melodramatic."
- But Easton isn't melodramatic when it comes to business.
- He hopes The Jenny Thing makes it big -- but plans to get a
teaching credential in case it doesn't.
- "You can't treat this as a hobby," he says of The Jenny Thing,
"just like you can't treat school like a hobby."
- Scott Foster, correspondent
taken from the West County Times "Time Out" section cover story: April 20, 1993
METAMORPHOSIS
- The transformation of singer-guitarist Matt Easton's hair during
a JENNY THING performance mimics the band's energy: it's wildly spiky at first,
then mid-set a lock or two drops for that moody, introspective feel. For the big finish,
Easton peers from behind the shock of hair that's now covering his face, his emotive
voice, ably backed by a strong rhythm section, in full throttle. The band has been
hard at work on new material for a third release, and from what I've heard it strays
farther away from the gimmicky bubblegum rock the Jenny Thing has become known
for. And that's a good thing."
- Howard Myint
taken from the SF Bay Guardian: Arts & Entertainment 01/31/96
"The band began in 1992 when Matt and Shyam met at UC Berkeley. The pair began
writing songs and performing now and then as an acoustic duo. That fall, Mike and Ehren
made The Jenny Thing four.
