From the Kiss My Heart website, posted November 2001:
KMH: What type of style is your original music?
L JP: I always said I wanted to have a job when I finished school. To ensure that, I did get a degree from the Univ. of Michigan in both Communications and English... so I can read and write (super). I had a band and a solo career going in Michigan at the time, too. I was working with a guitar player whom I adore, and various other musicians through those years. There were times when it was a 5-piece band, other times when it was just the guitar (we both sing). Then I began to build my own chops on the piano and to write and branch out as a solo artist. I began playing in a piano bar in Ann Arbor and that was the beginning of the show I do now.
KMH: With your day job, it seems that it would be hard for you to travel outside of the Chicago area for gigs. When you have vacation, do you gig or spend time with family and friends?
JP: I try and do both. As a singer/pianist, there are opportunities for me to gig without bringing any of my own equipment. That's the upside of playing piano bars. So when I go out of town to visit friends, I try and find a piano bar I can book. That way, I can write off the trip as business and my out-of-town friends can see my show! I do value my time off as well. There are times when I just kick back...Like the holidays, for instance. I'll be at my folks house for about 5 days. My Dad will make me sing in church (I'm a preacher's kid) but then that's about it. I get to rest, relax, enjoy my time off and my family.
KMH: What is your ultimate dream and/or goal, whether it's music or non-music related?
JP: It's DEFINITELY music related...the ULTIMATE goal would be to "make it", so that I can write music, listen to music, and perform music as much as possible. I know the life is hard and being on the road will be tiring at times but I cannot imagine my life without that goal (I say goal instead of dream because I'm doing all I can to attain it). I want to live in the Rockies somewhere in a beautiful home with lots of wood accents - cedar, oak, cherry...it'll have huge bay windows, especially in the recording studio, so I can feel like I really am out in the mountains all the time. My heart just feels RIGHT when I'm in the mountains.
KMH: How long does it normally take you to perfect an original song? When you write lyrics and music, does the final version sound like the first version?
JP: I would say it takes anywhere from 5 minutes to a week to perfect a song. Mostly I write lyrics first. I am almost always a poet before I'm a songwriter. Usually, I'll write an entire verse/chorus and then I'll sit down at the piano. Now, a melody comes in, if it hasn't already popped into my head (sometimes they come along with the lyrics, sometimes they don't). I begin playing chords, working out different voicing, rhythm, etc. Finally, I end up writing more verses, tweaking words from the original verse, adding a bridge (mostly) and voila! A song is born! Most of my songs are strong starters so they don't change much by the final version.
KMH: When you play out, do you mostly play piano or guitar? Do you have other musicians with you?
JP: Like I said earlier, it used to be that I always had my best friend playing guitar and we would both sing. Then, more and more, I'd play piano, too and sing more solo stuff. There was a drummer that was around most of that time as well...I miss playing with those guys! I ended up moving back to my hometown, Chicago, so I could go farther with music than I was in southeastern Michigan. Alas, that meant I was gonna be a one-woman show for a while. I'm always on the lookout for musicians with a similar taste/style/groove as my music but I haven't found them (or they haven't found me) yet. Now, I'm almost always by myself, singing and accompanying myself on piano. I enjoy the control I have of that situation but really miss the full sound of more instruments. Every once in a while, someone will play and I can just sing. Lately, there's been a guy that comes in and plays harmonica with some of my more blues-y tunes...that's been really fun! I hope that I can get to a point where I have a band behind me and I can just write, sing, and perform, only sitting at the piano when I want to. But for now, I'm a hard workin' one woman show.
KMH: What's the name of your new CD being released in Spring, 2002?
JP: Gosh, I haven't even thought about names yet. I've got about 12 songs ready to go but I should really consider the whole effect of those songs when choosing a title. My first album, Faces, was so named for all the different pictures of me that were around the lyrics in the jacket. That's the first question that I haven't had a easy answer to!
KMH: If you were going to describe your music in one sentence, that would it be?
JP: Powerhouse vocals backed by smooth melodic piano with lyrics that reach universally into people's souls and tell stories that everyone can relate to. KMH: Describe the feelings you feel when you're performing for an audience.
JP: Performance is a rush. Every time it's an outpouring of energy, emotions, ability, and fun. When an audience responds strongly, I become stronger. I actually get more nervous performing in front of an intimate group of friends and family than in front of a huge crowd. I've sung the National Anthem in Detroit and Chicago for as many as 40,000 people and it feels great! Sure, I'm always a touch nervous, but that just boosts my energy level. If I'm in front of friends and family, like when I played last New Year's Eve, I get super nervous. Again, that adrenaline rush is good though - it fuels my desire to perform well...and I've learned over time that an audience isn't nearly as in tune with mistakes, missed notes, missed words, etc. as I am. I just try and relax and let the music flow out of me. It's better than worrying about every little mistake anyway.
KMH: Please add anything else you'd wish to say.
JP: I never thought I could make a living at music without being famous but I'm proving myself wrong as we speak. I'm closer to a career as a musician than I've ever been. It's been hard work up to this point and I know it'll just get tougher to balance the day job and the music for a while. However, the pay off of NOT having a day job is worth every lost minute of sleep, every stressed moment where I say "Calgon, take me away!".
KMH: If you have a quote you'd like listed, please list it here.
JP: "This petite flame haired performer has a soulfully raucous voice and offers a truly unique experience. In between playing her own upbeat compositions, Porter covers rock's current creme of the estrogen crop. If you are longing to hear Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Sade, Stevie Nicks or Tracy Chapman done as well as the original artists, then Porter is your woman! Gentry has truly done audiences everywhere a service by adding Jen Porter to their roster of incredible performers." - Brian Kirst, Music of the Night Column, HotSpots Magazine, Chicago, IL - May, 2001 |
