In a town of constant construction, there is a refreshing bit of musical de-construction and restructuring that goes on when Kate Jacobs and her musician friends play cover tunes at The Goldhawk.
“The rule is that everyone can bring in everything they want,” Jacobs said.
And they do. The result is a repertoire that includes jazz standards, 1920s blues, and classic 60s pop and country.
The group, which Jacobs’ husband dubbed the “Eve of Deconstruction,” after the Barry McGuire apocalyptic protest song, also includes Hoboken musicians Gene Turonis and Dave Schramm. This week they will be playing their versions popular songs – both obscure and not obscure – at the Goldhawk on Thursday, April 19.
Her friends and neighbors
After graduating Oberlin College, Jacobs sailed into the Mile Square City in 1981, on the wave of artists and bohemians that moved in during the early 1980s. She lamented that the city is no longer as fertile to artistic forces as it was twenty years ago.
“I imagine it’s not the cheap artists’ refuge it was when I first came,” she said.
Being part of the close-knit creative community in town, Jacobs has made many connections that she has kept over the years.
“There are certainly a couple of people that I met years ago that I continue to play with,” Jacobs said. Turonis and Schramm are among them.
She has them over to rehearse a couple of times a month and they set up in her living room and practice with only an acoustic guitar, a snare drum and a small bass amp. But nowadays, instead of worrying about waking the neighbors, it is Jacobs’ elementary school-age children they don’t want to disturb.
“We rehearse in my house just after the kids get in their beds,” Jacobs said. “They lie awake and listen, and tell us the next day which songs they liked.”
New album?
Jacobs is primarily a singer-songwriter. With four albums under her belt, she has been writing for over two decades. She had never done covers until forming the group a couple of years ago, she said. Now more occupied with parenting than touring, Jacobs said she doesn’t travel much as a musician any more, but adds that she will probably hit the road again if and when a new album comes out.
Her last album, You Call That Dark, came out three years ago, in 2004, to rave reviews in publications such as The New Yorker.
Her previous album, Hydrangea, was called a “work of impressive depth and breadth” by Billboard Magazine.
Jacobs’ music blends the story-telling traditions of the great folk and country singer-songwriters. Her high, sweet-sounding voice is a soothing guide to listeners on a musical journey of the different places and people that she has encountered throughout her life.
A mainstay of the Hoboken music scene, Jacobs has also played with her own band for many years. “They all lived in Hoboken until one had the nerve to move to Amsterdam,” she said, laughing.
She added that her bass player would be back this summer, and that they would record some songs she had been writing for an album that may come out in coming years.
A little bit country
Jacobs names Loretta Lynn and Hank Williams as musical inspirations and said that country music is a big influence to her style.
“I loved the directness of the music,” she said. “It’s direct story-telling, with no metaphors.”
Her music is similar. “They’re short, hook-y songs with narrative story lines,” Jacobs said.
Her understanding of musical and narrative forms found in the different genres is what makes her an excellent musician. As a child, she said, her parents primarily listened to opera and jazz at home. As a dance major in college she was also exposed to a lot of classical music.
And whether she’s telling her own stories through her original music, or telling other peoples’ stories through her cover band, Jacobs’ melodic narrations and mellifluous voice are a treat to listeners.
Catch “Kate Jacobs and Friends” at the Goldhawk on April 19 at 8:30 p.m. Jacobs’ original music is available on ITUNES and on her website, www.katejacobsmusic.com.