Andi Jane is a captivating singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from rural Illinois, whose latest live EP, The Great Peacock Farm, offers an authentic glimpse into her life on the homestead. Showcasing her raw talent and creative storytelling, the EP features three original tracks alongside a bluegrass rendition of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," recorded with her string band in Nashville. At the heart of this collection is the title track, a playful exploration of love and life's busy realities, underscoring Jane's introspective songwriting. With a sound that blends classic country, Dixieland jazz, and bluegrass, Andi Jane's music is deeply rooted in her upbringing, shaped by the natural world around her. As she prepares for her full-length debut album, The Ground Is Changing, her eclectic influences and compelling narratives are sure to captivate audiences.
SJ: Hi Andi! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with us today!
AJ: It's my pleasure, thank you for having me!
1. SJ: You’re a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but how were you first introduced to music? As a homesteader in rural Illinois, how do you make time to write, create, and perform music?
AJ: I grew up on a homestead in Illinois, with no neighbors, so I had to keep myself entertained. My mom played old country cassettes, and my dad had a classic rock record collection which was my first introduction to music. But mostly...I sang all the time, learned to whistle, and played piano from a young age. My parents tell my friends how annoying I could be, breaking out into song at various points during the day. I started writing songs at 15, and it really resonated with me.
Now I live in Nashville, so homesteading is a different kind... I work a full-time job, I'm building a career in music and playing live shows, and I'm trying to keep some sort of a social life, so it feels busier than farm life ever did. When things get really crazy, I just have to remind myself that I was put on this earth to share my songs and bring Joy to the World--that would be from my Dad's record collection. If ya know, ya know.
2. SJ: Your new EP, The Great Peacock Farm, features three original tunes and a cover, recorded with your string band in Nashville. The sound on the EP travels from bluegrass to Dixieland, to Cabaret. Who were your music influences for this record? Drawing from so many areas, how do you keep the cohesion throughout the EP?
AJ: I think a lot of my influences sneak into my music in different ways. The obvious ones are classic country and bluegrass--like Loretta Lynn and Old Crow Medicine Show... then there are modern jazzy singer-songwriters like Feist and Regina Spektor, and I've even been told I have an element of pop and emo (oh, the drama!), which is what I listened to in high school. My Chemical Romance anyone?
Staying cohesive is largely about the instrumentation, but also how you choose to deliver the tunes. Take Crazy by Gnarls Barkley--I play a slow version of this song on the piano, but that certainly wouldn't fit on this EP. So I put a banjo and fiddle in it, and said "Boys, we're making it Grassy!" And suddenly... it all fits together perfectly.
3. SJ: The title track is a quick-witted, and playful tune that highlights your creativity and humor in your songwriting. What was your inspiration for this tune?
AJ: This one came about in a funny way. It was a co-write with my former bandmate, Craig Anderson, back when we played together a few years ago. I used to do tongue twisters all the time, kind of an odd thing for an adult, but I loved the challenge. I learned the "Auctioneer" by Leroy VanDyke because I like to sing fast. Craig took note and thought he would try to stump me. He brought some lyrics to me one day--on the very real topic of my being too busy for the fun things in life, love included. So we sat down and wrote the tune together. A lot of the imagery came straight from my childhood on the homestead, including the lines about tending to the bees (my mom was in the process of getting a new queen while we were writing it) and the line "I gotta run to town because the well ran out, and I'd really like to brush my teeth." That actually happened to me as a kid--a few times!
4. SJ: What does your songwriting process look like? Do you typically work with any musical collaborators?
AJ: In the past, I wrote with Craig quite often. We had a band called Catfish Seminar and were great collaborators. He had a knack for raw lyrics, I gave them rhyme and melody. On this EP, we also wrote Teardrop Island together, another song that came from stories of my childhood. Lately, I write solo more than anything, and my process usually starts with the hook--they come to me when I'm driving, shopping, or otherwise not intending to write. I record them to a voice memo and then take them to the piano to work out the idea. It doesn't always come quick or easy, but I always tell aspiring songwriters--almost every good song starts out as a bad song. You can always come back and make the bad lines better, but you have to write them out first. So that's what I do!
5. SJ: What was your recording process like?
AJ: This particular EP came from live studio recordings. Which can be both more stressful and less stressful than traditional recording, all at the same time. On the one hand, you ALL have to get it right, at the same time, whereas you could normally punch in one instrument at a time if you didn't nail something. On the other hand, you don't have to toil over every part and every solo--when it's done, it's done, and you just accept it and send it to be mixed.
SJ: What is one song you wish Andi Jane wrote?
AJ: "Ophelia" by the Band. It's such a fun, playful song that belongs to no genre. The horns, the lyrics, the chord progression, the whole package...it's timeless, and in my opinion, a perfect song!
SJ: What’s next for Andi Jane?
AJ: I'm already working on a full-length album called The Ground is Changing. It's going to fall a little more into the bluegrass realm and I've almost finished recording it. I'm pretty excited about that one because it has some songs that I've never played live, so it's getting some new (to my audience) tunes out there. I also recorded a Dixieland EP, so that will be cued up to follow it. I have a huge backlog of songs, so I'm ready to start pumping music out pretty fast!
Listen to The Great Peacock Farm below!
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