The FAQ's of The Jenny Thing

The Jenny Thing's

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Compiled by TJT and other sources
Last updated: March 1, 1999

Ehren Becker -- Bass
Matt Easton -- Vocals and Guitar
Mike Phillips -- Drums
Shyam Rao -- Guitar

What is there to know about The Jenny Thing?

What is The Jenny Thing? Who IS Jenny, anyway?
How and when did the guys meet?
What's the story between KSS?
Why hasn't TJT signed to a major label yet?
Why is the first CD called Me?
What is the '808 programming' on "Christmas"?
What the heck is that last little bit on the second cd?
When is the new CD coming out?!? AUGH!!
Why does TJT play so many 21 and over shows?
Why hasn't there been many shows lately?
Has TJT been on any tours?
Has TJT made any TV appearances?
What are some of TJT influences/favorite bands?
What are TJT connections to other bands?

What is The Jenny Thing? Who IS Jenny, anyway?

The Jenny Thing is a four-piece "alternative pop" group from Berkeley, California. The short version of what the name means: just about everyone has had a Jenny SOMEWHERE in their life at one time or another. There, good enough? If not, read some of their news articles.

How and when did the guys meet?

Matt and Mike have known each other since they were born, literally - in fact, they once had neighboring cribs in the nursery at First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley. They both met Ehren when they attended Adams Junior High in Richmond, during the '84- '86 span. Shyam met up with Matt during the pair's stay at UCB, and began writing songs, at first as an acoustic duo. Mike joined in when tryouts with another drummer didn't quite work out, and later suggested Ehren as a possible bass player. And the rest is history.

What's the story behind KSS?

Kendall Swim School is The Jenny Thing's label, independantly run by John Kendall, a longtime friend of the band who had enough faith in them to put up enough money for both of the band's cd's.

Why hasn't TJT signed to a major label?

Frankly, because no one's asked them. They have absolutely no reservations about moving to a major, unlike a lot of local acts who believe that would be "selling out." From the beginning, TJT has been trying to get their music heard by as many people as possible, and signing with big-name company would be the best way to do it (AND to still earn a living at the same time).

Why was the first cd called Me ?

Rumor amongst the band members is that it was named Me because M.E. are Matt's initials and he is totally and completely self-absorbed. Which is true, of course. Actually, after rheems of paper had been exhausted attempting to come up with a decent name for the first disc, Mike was the one who came up with the name Me , and everyone agreed since it wasn't too lame.

What's this '808 Programming' thing on "Christmas"?

For those who aren't quite sure, the drums on this song were actually programmed, by Mike, on a Korg 01/Wfd keyboard. The pattern was just supposed to be something cool for Shyam and Matt to play to in the studio when they recorded the song, but everyone liked them so much that they were left in when the final mix was done.

What the heck is that last little bit on the second cd?

It's a sample of part of the guitar solo from "Sky Will Fall," looped backwards and repeated, and was totally Shyam's idea.

When is the new TJT CD coming out?!? AUGH!!

It's been a long, long wait....BUT the new CD, Nowhere Near You is now available! What are you waiting for? Go to www.thejennything.com and order it!. Or you can get it at the next show on March 13, 1999 at Blake's!

Why does TJT play mostly 21 and over shows now?

The sad truth is that there aren't nearly enough all ages venues to perform at in the Bay Area that:

San Francisco in particular is chock-full of clubs, but around 90-95% of them are 21+, or they cater to only very specific kinds of music.

Another sad truth is that the Berkeley Square -- where TJT played their first gig EVER -- has been shut down. This was a real blow to the local music scene in general, and as a result it is even more difficult for any band to play all-ages shows anywhere in Berkeley, unless you like really tiny, stinky, smokey dives (even more so that the Square was).

However, there isn't any definite news on this, but it seems that the Berkeley Square may rise up from its ashes and come back into the limelight. So those all-ages shows may come back.

Why haven't there been many shows lately?

Well, Shyam is currently attending Med School at UC Irvine. The Jenny Thing has gone on somewhat of a hiatus with playing live, but The Jenny Thing will try to work in any shows that can fit in with Mr. Rao's schedule. However, the new cd WILL come out soon, regardless of the currently weird situation.

Has TJT been on any tours?

Yes. They've done several mini-tours of Southern California, including dates at So. Cal colleges and clubs - even one at a high school. Most of these were well-received, some were okay, and some were a little scary. But the real excuse for touring in L.A. is that the band almost always gets to go to Disneyland!

Has TJT made any TV appearances?

Yup. Here's a brief list:

"Sidewalks" (1992)

TV show filmed in El Cerrito, CA, and dedicated to spotlighting local talent. TJT did a brief (and slightly uncomfortable) interview, and videos for demo versions of both "Too Long" and "When You Hold Her." For those who don't pay attention, Shyam was only present for the interview, NOT the videos, which were filmed while he was visiting family back east.

By the way, if your cable provider is Bay Cablevision, you may still be able to see bits from this show in Sidewalks' opening sequence. They still occasionally show the videos as well ("Too Long" was seen during the first week of October 1997).

"Straight Talk n' Teens" (1994)

Teen show on KGO-TV (Channel 7). TJT performed "Even If" and "Too Long." And no, they didn't get to meet Hillary Clinton -- she was actually filmed on another day -- but the band did get to see the baby tiger!

"Star Search" (1994)

That's right, Ed McMahon's Star Search. The show was taped in Florida and Martha Quinn hosted the band segments at Pleasure Island in Disneyworld. TJT won their first show (with four stars!!) over a band called Tin Roof with "Too Long", and then came back and lost miserably to Chris Eddy (related to famous guitarist DUANE Eddy, whose playing was featured on the Art of Noise's remake of the infamous Peter Gunn theme) with "Spin." All that hype, and the band never even got to meet Ed McMahon. But *Martha* Quinn was enough to inspire a song all by herself.

"Stage-Diving Brazil!" (1993?)

No one really knows what this was all about. There was a raving lunatic with a video camera backstage one night at the Berkeley Square who wanted TJT to do a very quick interview with him for his show in Brazil. The whole time he spoke to the camera, it was in Portugese, and the only comprehensible words were "stage-diving brazil" and "jenna tings."

What are some of TJT's influences/favorite bands?

This list could go on and on, but here are a few of the major ones: Lloyd Cole, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Oingo Boingo, Pet Shop Boys, The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, Stray Cats, U2.

What are TJT's connections to other bands?

All the members of TJT have been involved with brief musical projects in the past (including high school and/or college bands), but most of them didn't produce any noteworthy results. However, some of the members are connected to a few side projects.

Ehren's older brother, Jason, has worked with Megadeth's Marty Friedman in a band called Cacophony, and ex-Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth. Jason has his own album out as well, "Perspective," which arose out of his own personal experience in dealing with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Jason is a very accomplished musician, but ALS debilitates the body so it is no longer able to carry out the instructions the mind gives it. Most of "Perspective" was programmed one note at a time by Jason, using a Macintosh computer with a MIDI keyboard interface. The rest was performed by other musicians and several of Jason's friends and family (including Ehren), working with the material he had already written. There is no other way to describe the album except as being really majestic and beautiful, and a must-listen for anyone who appreciates music in general.

Mike sings vocals in another local band, FineLine, with longtime friend Ed Clare. Their sound could best be described as "technopopdustrial" - synthesized music and hard dance rhythms without the harsh, grating vocals that are signature within the industrial genre. He also occasionally filled in as drummer for Murder-Death-Kill, which disbanded for various reasons, but Ed has recently revived this project under the name Burning Down. In the meantime, Mike can be reached through email at venom@silcon.com.

TJT recorded the majority of Closer and Closer to Less at 'Smooth Papa's Greasy Groove House' in Oakland, with Bob Coover at the engineering board. "Coov" (as he is known among his friends) has his own band, Semideluxe, and TJT has often traded both supporting and headlining shows with them -- once, Matt even provided backing vocals for a song during their set at Blake's. Mike also had a short stint with them as drummer, and his handiwork appears on their cd, "The Ministry of Chemistry" (track 3, "You Don't Want the Truth"), which is available through the band at their shows or mail order.

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This FAQ was compiled by TJT and several others.
This page is maintained by Elaine Wong, who can be reached at orchid@california.com