Jackson Hollow’s Debut Album, Roses
“The album is a love letter to the music that grabs us as artists.”
Tianna, Mike, can you introduce yourselves and your Jackson Hollow band mates, Charlie Frie, and Eric Reed, for new fans?
Tianna and Mike: Sure!
Jackson Hollow is Tianna Lefebvre (lead vocalist and sometimes percussionist), Mike Sanyshyn (harmony vocals, fiddle, and mandolin), Charlie Frie (upright bass and harmony vocals) and Eric Reed (guitar and banjo).
We’re based out of Vancouver, Canada, and we’re a four-piece modern bluegrass band with traditional country roots.
This month, we released our debut album called Roses through Mountain Fever Records!
What is one thing you’ve learned that you wish you could tell your younger selves?
Tianna: I would tell my younger self to curb my shyness. By making an effort to do this in recent years, it has allowed me to build a more positive connection with audiences in live performances by giving them more of myself.
Mike: I would say that time is precious, and you need to use it to your advantage while you still can. It’s important to act on things when it’s the right moment because time isn’t a luxury even when it feels like it is when you’re younger.
Which musicians do you admire most and why?
Tianna: I would say Rhonda Vincent. The first time I saw her live and heard her vocals, it was like listening to a record player. The perfection was unmatched and seeing her live sounded even better than it does at home.
Mike: Al Cherny was one of my fiddle heroes. I remember watching him play on The Tommy Hunter Show, where he was a true entertainer. When I was 8 years old, I met him, and he was really one of the reasons why I chose this career path. Now all these years later, I’ve been able to work with other mentors who have performed with Al, so I like to put forward the same energy in my performances that I remember seeing from him.
If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be?
Tianna and Mike: We would like to see live acts use less reinforcements in their shows.
When we entered the industry, most musicians and vocalists performed live but over the years, we’ve seen more and more acts relying on vocal and instrumental tracks at their shows. This really takes away from the authenticity of the performance and the overall experience for the audience.
One of the main reasons why we went into bluegrass in the first place is because the style of music doesn’t lend itself to the same reinforcements as modern country music (and many other genres). It allows us as a group to focus on making music look and sound genuine, which is something we pride ourselves on.
Remake of Pam Tillis’ 1991 “Put Yourself In My Place,’’ which she co-wrote with Carl Jackson. “Put Yourself in My Place’ is an uplifting heartbreak song. Aside from the literal verses’ figurative meaning in the title, the song seems to call us to take a broader perspective on our problems. We don’t have to face everything alone, showing that the ones we confide in can be a perfect love waiting to happen.” In terms of overall composition, what stands out about this song that led you to record a cover?
Tianna and Mike: “Put Yourself In My Place” was the very first song that we decided to record for the album that was a cover tune.
Pam Tillis was a major influence on us as a group, so we were already drawn to the song because of her, and we had been playing this song in many of our live shows before we ever recorded it. When we decided to record it, it gave us a chance to really break it down and put our Jackson Hollow stamp on it.
When we learned that Carl Jackson was also a co-writer, it added a special meaning to us as artists because of his many contributions to the bluegrass genre.
Debut album, Roses. Along with the co-writer of “Put Yourself In My Place” Jackson — you have a number of songwriters on the new release — including Melba Montgomery, Jerry Salley, and Leslie Satcher, Patricia Conroy, Doug Folkins, Duane Steele, Jake Matthews, and Maddison Krebs. Mike, you shared that, “The album is a love letter to the music that grabs us as artists. We feel that through the songs on ‘Roses’ — which range from happy and joyful all the way to the sad and contemplative — we can showcase the bluegrass genre to those waiting to discover it, while respecting the pioneers who started it.” How do these songs showcase your band?
Tianna and Mike: For us, these songs let us explore many different genres under the umbrella of a modern and contemporary bluegrass sound.
Across the album, there are touches of traditional country, alt-country, Americana, and roots. Some of the songs we chose were more genre-specific in their original forms, but we morphed them to fall in line with the overall consistent sound that we wanted.
We also wanted to showcase our vocal strengths and challenge ourselves musically without being boxed in creatively. The process of creating the album made us better as a group.
From all of this, we feel like we’ve created something that can appeal to a wider range of listeners.
Puppy, Hank. Favorite places to explore with him?
Tianna and Mike: He likes to go to the beach and loves to go outside in general! He loves riding in the car and going with us on family road trips.
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