Beautiful Music Together: an interview with Jenny Whiteley and Joey Wright

Beautiful Music Together: an interview with Jenny Whiteley and Joey Wright - theHumm July 2020

theHumm is reaching out to members of our Ottawa Valley community to ask how they are finding ways to use their gifts and skills in these challenging times. Today’s subjects are Joey Wright and Jenny Whiteley — an award-winning pair of musicians who are also happen to be married (to each other, no less!). We contacted them to find out how all this togetherness is influencing their art, and what their hopes and plans are for the future as performers.

theHumm: Do you have any advice for couples who never had to spend as much time together before lockdown?

Jenny: We find we are both happier when we are working on a project. I think having a mutual goal is a great way to stay connected.

Joey: Another important factor is being ok with changing your plans if you want, checking in on how each of you are feeling and being open to scrapping all your day’s plans and go for a hike or stay in bed and watch a movie or cook all day.

Jenny: A little trick is to check in like you would with a co-worker: “I’m just going to load the truck up and go to the dump. When you’re done mowing the lawn, let’s have tea and talk about dinner.” I like this because you are creating space to be alone but staying connected.

One funny thing we have noticed, is that we have not come downstairs in the morning in our pjs this whole time, which would be fairly standard normally. We have our two daughters here, so maybe we are subconsciously creating routine by starting the day that way. Plus family yoga at 6pm, which is a nice way to divide the day from the evening.

What plans have you had to cancel, and have you found ways to “pivot” and explore other options?

Jenny: We are finishing a record of original French songs currently. We had plans to be in the studio on Wolfe Island with Julian Brown and Chris Brown (no relation, brothers from different mothers). When that became a no-go, we asked the musicians to record their parts remotely and send the recorded parts to Chris to mix them. The interesting thing is, we realized that while we would have all been listening to the parts these musicians were inventing and asking them to change a note here or there if we had all been in the studio, the truth is we hired these artists to do exactly what they do and now we haven’t even listened to their parts at all! We are waiting for the mixes to be done and then we’ll get to listen to what we have all created spontaneously. We’re really looking forward to it!

What does a best-case scenario look like for you in terms of being able to return to performing?

Joey: The ideal scenario is when people are allowed to gather and feel comfortable being in large groups. I’m happy being creative at home. We both love to perform but we have a list of projects as long as your arm, and to get to those is a strange kind of blessing.

Jenny: We have done a couple of guest appearances on the internet over this time, but we are not that keen on the technology and the sound quality. We have enjoyed some concerts by friends of ours, but mainly seeing them is the fun, the audio is always glitchy here in Elphin. We kind of like it that way (wink, wink).

What kinds of support would be helpful – either from institutions like arts funders or from the community at large?

Joey: It’s always important to have funding to create. When Ken Burns makes a documentary series about this era, it will need a soundtrack. Only music can really capture the essence of what a society is experiencing. Some may not think it’s essential, but imagine Apocalypse Now capturing the feeling of the Vietnam War and the sixties without a soundtrack!

Jenny: Writing and recording are the things that musicians can be doing these days, and in fact some touring artists have not had this opportunity in many years, if ever. Many of our peers are realizing the amount of stress and fatigue constant planning and touring can bring. In many cases, I think musicians will change their old habits after this. Flying all over the world to put on a show loses its relevance a little in this time.

What are you personally most concerned about at this time?

Jenny: The happiness and mental health of our family. Our daughters have been great examples to us. They started keeping journals in March tracking their daily routines and including things like outdoor time, reading, self-care, baking etc. As a family we decided early on that what was making us happy was the priority. We allowed the outside world to recede instead of allowing it to dictate our activities and priorities.

Joey: Knowing that our extended families are all safe and well has been so important.

What are you optimistic about in terms of what happens to our community during and after the pandemic?

Joey: I am excited to see what happens to the “locavore” movement. People are interested more than ever in knowing where their food is coming from and the impact it has on the planet, the land and the animals involved. It seems like everyone we talk to (virtually, ha ha) is building a greenhouse or starting a garden or raising chickens.

Jenny: I also think it’s good time to address guaranteed basic income. I look forward to getting the data about how CERB and other programs affect the wellbeing of the population, even and especially during crisis. It’s a concept I have championed for many years and I hope this can lead to opening more minds to the idea of looking after people’s basic needs, and empowering each citizen with the wherewithal to make decisions about their own lives and futures.

Take a Quick Survey for The Hub! - theHumm July 2020

Almonte Community Coordinators (also known as The Hub) is conducting a survey of local needs and experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey is short (ten questions). Results will be shared with the public (once anything that could identify individuals has been removed) and will be used by community groups to help them know how to help.

Anyone over the age of 13 living in or around Mississippi Mills is welcome to complete this survey. We would like to hear from as many residents as possible so we know how you’re doing and where to focus our efforts to support the communit......

Beautiful Music Together: an interview with Jenny Whiteley and Joey Wright - theHumm July 2020