wednesday-music favorite jenny lewis is back, this time with beau johnathan rice.  in this musical incarnation, they make up her most recent band, jenny and johnny.  i know it’s wednesday-music’s company policy to only profile a band once, but cut me some slack, the other jenny lewis profiles were with her other bands: rilo kiley and jenny lewis (also be sure to check out her previous projects jenny lewis and the watson twins, and the postal service). 

in 2005 while both in la, they were introduced by conor oberst; jenny working on her solo debut rabbit fur coat, and johnathan just completing his debut, trouble is real.  soon after, they played on each other’s records and began touring together.  in fact, since 2006 when johnathan joined the rabbit fur coat world tour, he has played live with jenny at every one of her shows.

after that, jenny performed and contributed songwriting duties on further north, johnathan’s 2007 sophomore release.  the pair also ended up collaborating with elvis costello on his 2008 lp, momofuku.

in late 2009, at the end of the acid tongue (see jenny lewis profile) tour, jenny and johnny set out to record the new material they wrote while on the road.  “the material was fast, ultra-melodic, and often blended both of their voices into one, creating a completely new sound.”  over nine days, they recorded what they thought were going to be demos with rilo kiley’s pierre de reeder, playing as many instruments as possible.  they were so happy with the results that they decided to start a new band and finish the record.  jenny and johnny packed up a station wagon in december 2009 and drove to omaha, nebraska to record and mix the new tracks with their friend and producer, mike mogis.

they finished the record in omaha, during the worst midwestern winter since the 1860’s, in fact, the front door actually froze shut.  they ended up with an album “tougher around the edges,” much different than the vintage rock feel of the previous work.

according to the label, “the overall result is genuine and original pop music for right now.  this is not a rilo kiley record, a jenny lewis record, or a johnathan rice record.  this is jenny and johnny.  they’re having fun now, and they want you to, too.”

i’m having fun now released august 31, 2010.

don't forget, the album cover image always links to sample songs and the band's image to their website.

check here to see if jenny and johnny have any gigs scheduled near you.

as always, please buy this album from your local independent music store by people who know and love music and not from retailers like wal-mart (soulless, globally-homogenizing, community-killers) or i-tunes (albums should be listened to as an entire composition with album cover and liner notes in hand).  incidentally, these two companies sell more music than any other retailer in the united states.  that my friend, bites.

jenny and johnny are lovely.

if you agree, please spread the word (about the band and this site).

jason

don't worry if you missed the menomena profile from last week: here it is.

warner brothers records


autumn de wilde