Jane N’ The Jungle – Ocean Creatures

By starrymag | March 15, 2022

By: Kelly Kearney

 

 

 

Q) Congrats on landing a spot at SXSW! How did that opportunity land in your lap?

A) Thank you!!  We have been applying to play at SXSW for many years and it has been a big goal for us.  Our management team, Artist for Artist, is presenting the showcase that benefits the Give A Note Foundation with Sammy Hagar headlining and we were stoked when we got an invite to play!

Q) What was your reaction to finding out you’re slated to play the main outdoor stage at Lady Bird Lake with Van Halen frontman, Sammy Hagar?

A) I was a little in shock and then a bit nervous because this is going to be the biggest show that we have done, but overall, extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to giving the best performance I can!

Q) Any chance your soaring vocals will match up with his on stage for a song or two? If anyone can belt it with Sammy, it’s you, Jordan White.

A) Ahh, thank you. That is so sweet. Unfortunately, we don’t have any plans at the moment to do a SXSW collab but maybe we can team up and do something in the future!

Q) SXSW is one of the most talked-about festivals of the year. As a band always trying to elbow their way into a crowded music scene, what are you hoping comes from this level of exposure?

A) It can be intimidating but I think it’s best to remember SXSW is more so a celebration of many different artists, cultures and styles of music and a fun opportunity to immerse yourself and your music in.  I hope that I can experience new music and meet new friends as well as showcase our band and music in a good light.  We will be playing new music live for the first time and I am really excited to get to rock them sharing the stage with legendary artists at such an iconic festival.

Q) What or whom are you most excited to see or meet at SXSW?

A) I’m excited to meet Sammy Hagar, The Warning and The Dumes that are playing the same showcase as us on 3/18. I am a big fan of all their music!  I also have a list of bands and artists I want to see and meet up with and look forward to popping into a handful of indie showcases.  Do you have any suggestions??!

Q) Your new EP Ocean Creatures is out now. It’s a follow-up to your 11-track album Concrete Jungle. What are some themes we’ll be hearing you explore?

A) In our Ocean Creatures EP we wanted to explore our different genres of rock as a band.  We touch on our alternative, grunge, glam rock, pop rock and hard rock sounds.  In our upcoming EP set to release this fall you will hear us diving deeper into these sounds. Ocean Creatures is a good introduction of our music and gives you an idea of where we are headed next.

Q) What kind of imagery were you hoping to paint with the title track, “Ocean Creatures?”

A) I wanted to create a world from a different universe, a foreign alien-like experience mixed with a grounding water element and rawness of our human emotion of self-loathing.  A mix of ugliness with beauty.  I think fish have an angelic movement and I picture them flying in space and it made me think well maybe they are angels, and I wanted to use that as the theme.  The theme is connected to a car accident I had when I was hit by a redlight driver.  At 100 mph impact, I felt a calming peace and presence of angels with me and walked away without a scratch.  I wanted the song to reflect this out of body experience I had.

Q) Describe your writing process as a band. Do you start with composition and add in lyrics later, or does it all come together in the studio at once?

A) Every song is different.  With most of our songs, the guys will jam on a riff, and I will come up with the lyrics and melody on the spot.  Most of the songs from Ocean Creatures were written in twenty minutes at band practice.  Sometimes I will sit with the song and change lyrics or melodies, but I didn’t do that with “Ocean Creatures.”  I wanted to keep the melody and lyrics as the original intention when they were written and a lot of it was written during the pandemic and during the lockdowns.  “Animal” was the only song from the record that we reworked the bridge while in the studio.

Q) The driving guitars, the smokey soaring vocals; it’s angsty, it’s melodic, and it’s hard to define with one genre label. Who were your musical influences starting because I hear a little Shirley Manson, a little Robert Plant and some theatrical vocals that make me think of famous metal opera bands like Nightwish?

A) I graduated with a BFA in Musical Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and from a young age learned how to sing with theatrical and classical voice lessons.  I love Shirely!  I love 90’s grunge and voices that have character and are unique.  I love rock opera!  I love putting on a show!  I don’t have one influence or artist I try to sound like.  I think I was influenced as a young child listening to a bunch of different styles of music my parents played but overall, I try to create my own sound and vocal flair.  Smashing Pumpkins and Bush were influences for Ocean Creatures.

Q) What’s next, for Jane N’ The Jungle? Are you working on another album or planning for a tour in 2022?

A) We were in the studio at the end of February at Pearl Sound Studios with Chuck Alkazian working on our next EP that will be heavier, emotional and rock driven.  We are figuring out our calendar now and hope to be on the road and playing at festivals this summer and fall.

Q) What would you like to say to fans and supporters of your work, who are very excited to see you hit the stage at SXSW? 

A) Ahh I can’t wait!!  I am so excited to see everyone!!  Thank you for all your love and support for our music and also for supporting LIVE music and a good cause at SXSW.  Please say hello, don’t be shy!  Dream big and shoot for the stars!!

 

 

All Questions Answered By Vocalist Jordan White

 

 

Listen to New Album Ocean Creatures