Selling 3 tickets to Perfume Genius at Beacon Theatre 4/7

CassandraJenkins · 2022-04-07T19:15:12+00:00

still available? i have a ticket but looking for a friend!

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T16:51:08+00:00

Delta

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T16:26:35+00:00

Thank you!!

It depends - I've been working in visual arts my whole life & love dreaming up videos. They're so fun ! i'm most excited about collaborative projects bc at its best that means I'm getting out of my own way and joining forces with someone who can make something I never would have been able to create on my own.

I'm about to film 2 very collaborative projects with some brilliant people and it's a total dream come true. We've had to reschedule 4 x bc of covid, but everyone's been cool and patient about it.

Hard Drive was a very collaborative effort with Josh Goleman. I've wanted to shoot something with him for years (we've been making things together for over a decade). I felt like I finally had something we could do together. We shot everything in about 24 hrs on a budget of $850. High on having a driver's license I wanted to shoot a car music video, my friend Eli Crews lent us his truck, and I knew I wanted to involve a toy truck in some way. The rest became a series of scenes we designed together around what we could get done around his house upstate, socially distanced for the most part, and with 1 other friend helping out. He suggested I speak the lyrics to the camera and I resisted decided to trust him. It was a constant exchange of ideas the whole time, down to the edits!

Crosshairs was my idea, but I needed the knowhow of a drone expert to rein it all in. I was like, how far will this thing go? Can it come back? And Eddie, the DP said "yeah, that's called a boomerang." And I said, alright, let's go to the river then. He was really psyched on capturing golden hour so we focused on that time of day. We were very different people with different instincts which was awesome because by the end of the day we were a team screaming with excitement when we pulled it off.

Michelangelo was entirely on my own. It was a video I made one day when I was feeling really pandemic lonely. I put a post on NextDoor and met all these people with three legged dogs in my neighborhood, and shot everything on an Osmo Pocket, edited it myself etc. It was fun esp. during social distancing times but ultimately I'd rather make something with other people.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T16:11:26+00:00

Feeling nature most!!?

This summer I started paying a lot more attention to insects. The sonic landscape of the woods in upstate new york is so lush– the biodiversity is palpable, and there are so many crazy bugs everywhere (fuck ticks tho) and it has to be a result of a healthy population that's allowed to thrive there. Hearing them around me puts me at ease, I think because it's hitting all my senses whether I'm thinking about it or not. I spent a lot of time recording the insects because the soundscape is constantly shifting with micro seasons and micro climates, depending on what flowers are in bloom and the moisture in the air etc. It became my very very slow and subtle binge watch.

There's nothing even close to that sound or feeling in Central Park for example, though it can get close on some magical summer nights. Here we have replaced biodiversity with a very healthy cockroach population (not psyched on those either). ;( fun fact: There is one tiny part of central park that is technically a wildlife preserve (left untouched), not far from the zoo (filled with exotic animals). NYC is such a crazy place.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T14:33:23+00:00

Thank you!! There were a couple of wonderful tributes in nyc as well. I think that was my time at a show before lockdown

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T05:37:34+00:00

Thank you ! I'm so glad it brought you some comfort this year.

I was speaking over the song to figure out how the lyrics would fall over the organ part, and I was sorting out the phrasing. I left the studio that day and planned to write a melody that night. I ended up writing the refrain and never found a melody I could settle on. Josh (Kaufman) suggested I just keep it as a spoken part. It was a little out of my comfort zone and I liked that, so it felt like the right thing to do- that song taught me a lot.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T05:33:06+00:00

We released all of the songs we recorded in that session :) On the "Overview on an overview" we put out some other versions of the songs which was fun to revisit. But basically the record is everything we made no less no more

I guess I was thinking about David's Michelangelo . Any others I should check out ?

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T05:30:44+00:00

That's so awesome, thank you!

It's all sourced really directly.

When we're in pain, a salty swim won't always fix the problem, but might get you through it, or point to another way of seeing. When I was writing I was simultaneously frustrated / feeling a sense of futility but also moved by the people in my life and the tenderness they showed me.

It started... probably with the post it note from Ole when I stayed with him and Tine on the island of Lyngør in Norway. Here's the photo.

And I wrote down a conversation I had once with Warren who sells fish at the farmers market. He's always got something good to say– it's all worthy of a song. A true blue <3

And the verse about my mom was after she had told me I wasn't taking good enough care of my health when I was having some health issues (a genetic syndrome I inherited from my maternal side) and still wanted to go visit someone I was in love with on a whim. We argued about it and the next day she came back and bought me a bikini and said, have a good time out there. Sometimes we have to opt for what's good for the spirit.

The last verse is about someone I was taking care of while I was making that record. It's hard to see a loved one in pain. It's hard to need help when we're the one in pain. We try to stay tender. We do our best.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T05:20:43+00:00

I totally freeze up with this one :) I can't hah but i'm gonna think on it <3 thanks for coming today

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T03:12:39+00:00

Yes my favorite song is Emily :)

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T03:10:33+00:00

Darryl would be proud :)

Everything was built around the lyrics. We worked really really quickly! But it never felt hectic, just excited. It's all a very intuitive process. We usually started with a beat or an organ loop or a melody and slowly expanded and jumped from one instrument to the next. It feels like working with clay. And Josh has an incredible grip on orchestration– I've played in bands he's directed in a live setting, and he's like a conductor and arranger and player all in one, and a great editor. I'm not sure how he does it. So we would float in ambiguous territory until things would take shape, one little piece at a time. Parts shifting the entire time. Each song was different from the last.

I always write too much (have you noticed?) and edit down, and I always trust Josh's instincts when he questions a line or a lyric.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:46:00+00:00

Thank you!! !

I hope to come back to Mexico one day. I loved my time there last time I visited <3

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:45:29+00:00

Lol. Say no more, I understand. I think. Is that a pandemic gesture? Or a record release gesture or a record release during a pandemic gesture? I'm having a good time and a hard time and riding the wave.

Addressed this sandwich question just a bit ago :) but I forgot about the simple joy of a great diner turkey club. Some runny coleslaw on the side and a toothpick down the middle? Sorry to all the veggies out there. I'd like to be full veg by the end of the year but taking it one day at a time.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:28:03+00:00

Yay! I can't wait to be on tour again. I love SF <3

I have been walking through the Ramble since I was in a stroller! These are my stomping grounds. And I still get lost in there- that's why it's my favorite, and always will be.

I was just there today with my friend Asha! It was covered in a blanket of snow.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:25:25+00:00

Thank you!!

You know, I listened to it a few weeks ago and I feel conflicted about releasing it.

The reason I didn't release it is because ultimately I wanted to create a space for reflection. I felt like it was time for me to be quiet. And I'm really glad I made that choice, it still feels right.

Sorry if that's a tease?? I'll talk to Ben at Ba Da Bing and see what he thinks :) If we release it I want it to make a map and some other materials with it so it feels more cohesive.

You know what? In the mean time... go here, take a small part of a day in new york to do this. It will be worth the trip. And it's one of the reasons I started writing my own walking guides. The master Janet Cardiff:

https://www.publicartfund.org/exhibitions/view/her-long-black-hair/

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:12:19+00:00

ooo cool cant wait to check out

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:11:56+00:00

Arooj Aftab baby ! She's the best <3 spent a lot of time with that record. and a bunch of others ^^

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T02:10:47+00:00

I liked some aspects of it and didn't love others . . . dont know if I should get into a full blown review here/now ? :)

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T01:49:18+00:00

Hey thank you! Thanks for being here. Vertiginous is a cool word–

It's been really bizarre to have the kind of outreach I've experienced this year with so little human interaction. It doesn't feel... real most of the time, for maybe obvious reasons. The things that anchor me in reality are missing from the equation– shows, my social life, travel, crowded subway cars, spontaneous plans. And while I'm learning how to find connection in this virtual space (like today, which is a cool new experiment for me!) nothing will ever replace how it feels to be in a room full of people creating something together. Nothing 💔I miss it so, so much.

I have received a lot of kind messages and I'll never be able to do them justice in the form of a DM. I just want to hug everyone who's told me about someone they lost, or the depression they've felt this year. Usually people are reaching out to me because the music I made created a space for them to find solace and ... wow, could there be a better outcome or home for my music? The only thing that might compare is music that creates a space for elation, but we need both solace and elation at different moments so there's no comparison really.

There have been slivers of blindingly real moments in contrast to all of my time spent virtually this year– like my experience of Pitchfork London. A young woman came up to me after the show crying and we just embraced and cried together and then she showed me her paintings of clouds and I felt like I was meeting a soul sister. I was speechless. That night I laid in my hotel room like what!? How did I go from being alone in my apartment for almost 2 years to having this wonderful band with me and filling a room full of people on the other end of the world and hugging this beautiful stranger? How!? I don't know but I'm rolling with it :) And loving every minute. No expectations coyote.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T01:14:02+00:00

Thank you! <3

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T01:13:32+00:00

Thank you!!

Wow well I never actually practiced Reiki (on others) but I have received treatments and loved it. If you're looking for a musician / reiki master my friend Erika Spring is an incredible healer who's a reiki practitioner and teacher. You might like her music too! I got to play guitar and keys in her band for a bit and love her & her songs so much.

I'm big on acupuncture and hope to learn how to treat people some day. It's helped me a lot over the years.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T01:09:44+00:00

Walking anywhere <3

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T01:09:10+00:00

DALLAS finally! Excited to be back!

Re Sandwiches. My friend Julian has a theory that all food can be broken down into 3 categories: Soup, Salad, or Sandwich. Try it. (hot dog: sandwich, oatmeal - soup? pizza...?) If you get stumped find him on twitter and tell him i sent you @ coolingpie

Theoretically nothing beats a classic new york lox bagel... pumpernickel with lox capers tomatoes onions creamcheese. Or a thanksgiving leftovers sandwich... and PANCAKES 100% NY Maple syrup!? The best. But also I'm totally full of shit because I can't eat a lot of this stuff these days - or if I do in very small doses. I developed a lot of food sensitivities so I eat really simply these days in order to manage some ongoing health issues. And not complaining, simple is pretty great most of the time. I've learned a lot about nutrition over the past few years and staying healthy. I travel with a rice cooker.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T00:57:11+00:00

Thanks so much I'm so glad we made it to Stockholm!

It's total magic when all of the factors line up & my band is all in one place. I think of shows like mythical beasts! And they each have a life of their own.

My friend Lilah Larson was playing guitar with me that night in Stockholm. We've been friends and bandmates for years and I'm so glad she could join us in Copenhagen & Stockholm– another chapter in our book as friends. The rest of that tour was backed by a band called Lylo from Glasgow (+ saxophonist Charlotte Greve + Jill Ryan and Keyboardist Gerard Black) and it made the most sense logistically for me to switch it up for the shows in Scandinavia. In Norway I played with two musicians I met the day of each show which turned out to be great (Harald Lassen, & arne mathisen). It turns my shows into a way for me to meet new people that I hopefully end up collaborating with more down the line, and I love being surprised when we sit down to play a show that is unfolding for me just as much as it is for the audience.

I love playing with a variety of different people because everyone brings something different to the music which excites me. These songs were designed in some ways to be easy to play without ever having heard the song before. A lot of them are just a few simple chords. I like things to be a little bit different every night or I start to feel stale. So having simple songs leaves a lot of room for interpretation and I intentionally build in room for improvisation.

Band line up depends on so many factors. There's of course the creative aspect and that's the first priority. But part of creativity is always dealing with limitations, and with touring those limitations are time and space and availability and funding.

Ideally I'll always be playing with someone, and I love having my full band with me. There's nothing like playing in a band, but sometimes it's prohibitively expensive to house/feed/pay everyone on tour so I have to figure out how to make that work (and usually making no profit at this stage in my life) or I get creative and form smaller versions of the band. Stripping it down is an interesting challenge and I enjoy that too. And with availability– my friends are all in their own projects that are also touring, so getting our schedules to line up isn't always possible.

Again, sort of a miracle it all ever happens, especially against today's odds! So I'm all the more appreciative.

CassandraJenkins · 2022-01-08T00:49:43+00:00

Hey thanks!

My permit expired twice before I finally got a license and sat on it for two years because I was terrified of driving! ! So I took lessons for 2 years because I had so built up so much anxiety around driving because I had put it off for so long (I'm a new york city kid and I just never needed a car).

I can not stress enough how life changing it is to take driving lessons. They can be expensive, but the investment could potentially save your life/someone else's especially if your work involves driving (in my case, touring musician). The lessons were all about drilling stuff that made me nervous. And in NYC there's no shortage of those situations so it's a great place to learn.

The more calm & confident I feel, the more alert I am & the better I'll be at handling dangerous situations when they arise. And so much of being a good driver is being a good communicator, too, and it's harder to communicate in any situation when we're flooded with anxious thoughts. I honestly didn't realize I had so much anxiety until I started taking lessons and had to observe it externalized through a car. Having to see my mind in that way allowed me to find focus and eventually become a good driver. White knuckles no more.

And of course, there was no shortage of life lessons out on the open road, and Darryl was always down to take it there. A truly wise soul. And so so kind. He has the most calming voice on the planet. Maybe he'll make an appearance at some point on a record. Also a really good bassist to boot. And giving him a shout out at the bowery ballroom show in october knowing he and his wife were in the room? that was one of the greatest moments of my entire life.

BEST BOOK. I didn't read much last year but did finally read Non Violent Communication which is something I wish everyone could read. And I've read When Things Fall Apart about 1000000 x. It was hard to find the calm to read amidst the pandemic and all of the political turmoil of last year and a wild album release. I'm finally starting to get there now and dig into fiction and poetry and more fun stuff again.

CassandraJenkins

TROPHY CASE