Jenpet Records

Recording continues on CHELLE! and Friends’ new album, Voodooville, and friends, it is sounding great. Michelle, Rhonda, and Jay have laid down some astonishing vocal tracks at Infinite Studios.

I can’t share the tracks, of course. There’s a lot more recording to be done before anyone gets to hear them. But I can give you a glimpse into how it all looked.

The fabulous Michelle Jacques, leader of the band ready for action.

Handsome and hilarious Jay Lamont kept everyone in stitches between takes with his spot on Barrack Obama impression, but took his singing seriously.

Rhonda Crane sings like an angel and is always kind to animals, including studio dog, Cayenne.

Later this week, the work will move back to Alameda Digital Recording. More details as they become available.

Yesterday was a great day for music lovers. Why? Because CHELLE! and Friends laid down the first tracks for their upcoming second album Voodooville.

Due to a variety of circumstances, producer J.J. Jenkins moved the session from the usual homey atmosphere of Alameda Digital Recording to another great island studio, Infinite Studios. Owner Michael Denten and his incredible crew (chief engineer Deegan Mack Adams and three talented and enthusiastic interns who saw to the every need of the band members) made the best possible use of the best equipment in the business to create a series of bass and drum tracks that are great by themselves. Seriously, I could sit down and listen to these tracks and have a good time. When was the last time you said that about the rhythm tracks of any album?

Arranger and bassist Sam Bevan and drummer Adam Goodhue were seriously in the groove as they laid down tracks for nine songs in one day! If you’ve ever been around a recording session, you know what an accomplishment that is.

The good news? A solid base for an album sure to please and move music lovers all over the world.

The bad news? The rest of the album hasn’t yet been recorded.

More good news? If things continue to go this smoothly, the album will go together quickly and joyfully and become available by early spring.

In the meantime here’s a shot of Adam in action, courtesy of Michelle’s marauding blackberry:

Stay tuned for more details and more great music!

You may not know this, but in addition to being talented musicians, singers, impresarios,  and composers, JJ Jenkins and George Petersen of Ariel fame are also published authors.

Their deathless tome is a collection of songs entitled Crazy Camp Songs. It’s full of delightfully deranged comic songs of everyday modern life that you’ve never heard, but already know how to sing. How? Through the wonder of the patented Tune Swapping Method.

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If you’re looking for something to do this sunday afternoon, why not drop by The Jazz School (2807 Addison St. Berkeley 510 845-5373) and check out CHELLE! and Friends as they give a lecture with demonstrations about the Creole musical tradition in New Orleans? They’ll cover everything from Swamp Pop to Mardi Gras and relate the music to the people and the culture of an ethnically diverse world.

But hurry up and get your tickets! The site is intimate and the band is hot. Oh, and $15.00 is not much to pay for this much fun.

Thursday night was the fortieth anniversary of The GAP and the launch of their new 1969 line of jeans, and Ariel was there to join in the celebration.

Actually, seven hundred bands played in seven hundred GAP stores for the biggest ever one-day musical event in American history. Ariel had the honor of playing the flagship store in Corte Madera, and I have to tell you they rocked the house!

From old favorites like International World and California Girl to new tunes like Paying the Price and Mercury’s in Retrograde, the guys got both staff and customers alike dancing in the aisles. At the same time, they showed everyone how great those 1969 jeans look, because the band was wearing them.

If you were there, you know how good the show was. If you weren’t, well, the footage is being edited as I write. In the meantime, I’ll let GAP Corte Madera manager Josette’s smile speak for everyone:

No, it’s not the fortieth anniversary of Ariel! Thursday is, however, the fortieth anniversary of the opening of the very first GAP store and the launch of a new line of jeans, and Ariel is going to be part of the party.

Every GAP in the nation is going to have a live band playing in it, which is cool. What’s even cooler is that Ariel will be playing the flagship Corte Madera store (1554 Redwood Hwy, Corte Madera, CA 94925) on Thursday evening, August 20 from 7 – 9 pm.

There will be free refreshments, and the guys will play a mix of their original songs and hits from 1969. The lineup for the evening will be: J.J. Jenkins (rhythm guitar, vocals), George Peterson (percussion, vocals), Walter Bush (bass, vocals), and Dan Daly (lead guitar, vocals).

So drop on by, hear some great tunes, get a nibble or two, and take a look at GAP’s latest line, the 1969 Jeans. In fact, you’ll be able to see them on the band. Enjoy! I know I will.

Music fans will have another chance to check out the lovely and talented Opal on thursday night at Rythmix Cultural Center in beautiful downtown Alameda California (2513 Blanding Avenue).

Be sure to catch this one, folks!  Those of us lucky enough to have caught Opal’s act thus far can tell you it’s a wonderful experience. As for the space, Rythmix is a gorgeous space with brilliant acoustics run by imaginative people. Oh, and while you’re there, be sure to check out the art displays, performance schedules and class schedules.

The show starts at eight pm. Contact Rythmix for tickets. You can give them a call at 510.865.5060 or email them at info@rhythmix.org.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

On sunday, July 19 the British Marine Boatyard was rocked in a big way. Jenpet recording artists Ariel and Opal put on an amazing show, which was enjoyed by an enthusiastic crowd of fans, boat owners, and dogs.

The event, Rocking the Boatyard, was the brainchild of John Blakemore and Soul of Berkeley Liberation Radio (104.1FM, or you can catch the streaming broadcast here), who hope to make this the first in a series of waterside concerts. Judging from the reaction this one got, I think they’ll have no trouble making the music keep happening.

Ariel started off the show with some audience favorites, many off their most recent album, Sure Thing, You Bet. As you might imagine, the audience was ready to rock as soon as the band hit the stage.

Opal was up next with some great cuts, mostly off her album Pienso Distinto. Keep an eye on this space, because we’re working on getting it on iTunes for your downloading pleasure.

Ariel finished off the afternoon with a second set, featuring a couple of new songs. New songs, you ask? Why yes. As a matter of fact, the new songs (Mercury in Retrograde, Sometimes Karma Needs a Helping Hand, Nick Fury) will be going on their next album. Stay tuned to this space for more information as the guys go into the studio.

Good music, sun, water, lots of happy people…all in all, it’s hard to imagine a better time. Those of you who were there can back me up in this. As for the rest of you, well, you’ll just need to come out to the next one to see what all the fuss is about.

I will never forget the first time I met Michelle Jacques of CHELLE! and Friends. She’s a warm hug wrapped in a whirlwind of energy. She’s a Pied Piper leading us down a path to a beautiful place full of music, peace, and gloriously expansive good humor.

She also just happens to have put together one of the most exciting, joyful, invigorating ensembles it’s ever been my pleasure to hear. Between the intricate harmonies, the soulful instrumentation of drums, bass, percussion, and woodwinds, and the warm personalities of all the performers, it’s just about impossible to leave without a smile on your face.

Chelle and her band (Rhonda Crane, Bryan Dyer, Jay Lamont, Sam Bevan, Donna Viscuso, and Adam Goodhue) concentrate on promoting the musical heritage of Chelle’s native New Orleans. In fact, when Chelle sings Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans…I absolutely do, even though I’ve never been to Louisiana at all, let alone the city itself.

Oh, and if you have little ones to entertain, this is a great way to introduce them to great live music. CHELLE! and Friends feature a lot of audience participation, which is always a hit with the kids.  In fact, that photo at the top is from CHELLE! and Friends’ appearance last year at Yerba Buena Gardens. I have to say it took everything in me to keep my seat and not join the kids in the parade.

Now it’s your turn to share in the fun. CHELLE! and Friends have two FREE outdoor concerts coming up this month.

July, 22 2009 6:30 PM
Menlo Park Summer Concert Series

Menlo park, California – Free

July, 24 2009 12:00 PM
Yerba Buena Gardens

Children’s Concert Series
San Francisco, – Free

Great music in the great outdoors gratis? Why wouldn’t you go?

There’s nothing like a good woman singer/songwriter. Jenpet is proud to announce their association with one we think will be a very hot property all over the world. I speak, of course, of the Spanish singer/songwriter Opal who is set to make her US debut right here in the East Bay.

Opal has been singing since before she could talk, according to family members. This should come as little surprise since she is the daughter and sister of musicians. After all, musical ability often shines from an early age. In fact, this is what she has to say about music:

Singing always has been my passion, it is the most important thing in my life.  Singing for me is like the blood that runs for my veins, it is as the air that I breathe and without that I would die.

Head on over to her MySpace site, listen to a couple of tunes, and I’m sure you’ll join with me in wishing her a very, very long life full of music.

So now that you know how good she is, when can you see her? I’m so glad you asked. Opal will be appearing in the East Bay for a very limited time. Here’s the skinny:

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