NASHVILLE BASED DUO GRABS ATTENTION IN MUSIC INDUSTRY
By Charlie Johnson, News Editor
Well-known community volunteer, U.S. Army veteran, songwriter, and entertainment entrepreneur Thomas B. Vaughn is always on the lookout for new musical talent. When he recently learned about "Jesi & Jay", a dynamic new duo of singer/songwriters who met while living in Los Angeles, he was immediately taken by their talent and personalities.
The pair put together a successful tour across the Southern and Midwestern United States, eventually making their way to Nashville. The duo has recorded a CD titled "Tethered", filled with both ballads and up-tempo tunes Vaughn feels are sure to please the public.
Jessica Erin and Jay Denton decided they loved music early on in their lives, and never looked back. "I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was probably around 10," Jay said. "My dad played guitar and used to play James Taylor songs as my sister and I would go to sleep, so I always wanted to play. That just kind of continued and progressed from there."
Jessica's experience was similar in that she began singing as a child, impressing her family with her talent. "I was singing around the house as a little girl all the time", Jessica said. Things from Disney, "The Sound of Music" was a big one. My parents were listening to me and their friend came over and asked "Have you ever really listened to her sing?" And they were like, "She can actually carry a tune!"
Like Jay, music also ran in Jessica's family. "My mom can sing really well and my grandma has a Masters in Music, so that's on my mom's side", Jessica said. "My dad likes to think he can sing like Elvis", she added with a grin.
Jessica went on to appear on stage, performing the lead in the musical "Annie". "Then I started to appear in fairs and festivals, competitions here and there", Jessica said. "Honestly it's like I was born doing it." Her talent has taken her to some pretty impressive venues, including opening for Grammy Award winners Montgomery Gentry, Country star Darryl Worley, The Blues Travelers, and the BoDeans, to name a few. She has performed at the California State Fair, several times to a sold out crowd at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, and at the famous Joe's Bar on Weed St. in Chicago.
According to his bio, Jay's music comes from his experiences. "He writes about the reality of the world that he has seen through living on all seven continents. His songs are written memories of his life, writing a song while camping on the side of a cliff in Australia, suspended 200 feet above the South Pacific waves as the sun rose, to working at an orphanage on the Amazon River in Peru, or running through the hills of East Africa, his relation ship with God and so much more."
Jesi & Jay will be appearing at 12th and Porter in Nashville on Thursday, July 14 at 7 p.m. Vaughn says, while they are in the area, the duo may be able to make their way to McMinnville for an appearance at the Southern Standard's Back to the 60's event at the fairgrounds.
Charlie Johnson, News Editor - Southern Standard (Jul, 2011)
Illinois native Jessica Erin may have the right combination to be a country music star.
Whether she is singing her heart out or just holding a conversation, there is one simple word that can sum up country music hopeful Jessica Erin — Genuine. An up-and-coming singer with a southern-influenced sound and midwestern authenticity, Erin hopes the two fuse to create a lethal combo for the music world.
A native of LaSalle, Illinois, a town roughly 90 minutes from Chicago, Erin knew she wanted to make singing a career at 8-years-old when she started performing in musicals. “Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a singer, a veterinarian, and to save the world,†she said. “I realized I couldn’t be a veterinarian because I couldn’t stand seeing animals hurt and bleeding. And saving the world, it will have to be one person at a time. I guess I hope I can do that through my music.†Erin has had chances to make non-country music a career, but knows things work out for a reason. “When I was 15, I was offered to go to Broadway, but I would have had to move to New York and that just wasn’t possible then,†Erin said. “I almost did a pop album, but I didn’t trust the major people that I would have worked with. It is hard to walk away from something when you want it so bad, but in the end you have to follow your own values. Things happen for a reason. If I would have started in the business when I was younger, I would not have had the respect that I do now for how much work it takes.†Along with her natural twang, Erin said the country scene also fits her beliefs and lifestyle better. “In the pop world, it is more about who is dating who and what magazine they are in. It is not so much about talent, but more about what they did last Friday night,†Erin said. “People in the country industry are more trustworthy and are more down home.â€
Erin moved to Nashville to pursue her career a little more than a year ago from South Florida where she had relocated from Illinois. She released her first album, “Free To Be Me,†which is available on iTunes and www.jessicaerin.com.
Erin’s young, fresh, free-spirited rock sound is evident on many of her songs, including “American Girl", “Just What You’re Looking Forâ€, and “Bad Girlâ€. She also brings a sensitive yet seductive innocence to ballads like “I Can’t Let You Go†and “When Words Won’t Sayâ€. “Say Goodbye,†a heartfelt, love-gone-wrong ballad is a diamond on the album and shows a tender, genuine side of Erin that is as real in her lyrics as in person.
“I was screaming,†she said of first holding her album. “My mom and I were jumping up and down. That is the biggest accomplishment so far in my lifeâ€. Since releasing her debut album, Erin has been working on building a solid fan base and performing for as many fans as possible. After opening for Darryl Worley in November at Joe’s Bar in Chicago, nominated
this year by the Academy of Country Music for best nightclub, she played last weekend at the Florida Music Festival in Orlando. Erin will be home Saturday, June 14, opening for multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated artists Montgomery Gentry at Cedar Point Sportsman’s Club in LaSalle. Tickets are $33 and can be purchased by calling Lou’s LaGrotto in LaSalle at (815) 223-3083. Proceeds from the show will go toward the Illinois Freedom Run to help veterans. The concert will feature a fly-over, motorcycle ride and raffle for a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Merry Noonan, co-owner of Lou’s LaGrotto, said it’s
great to be able to bring Erin in to perform. “She’s a great girl and I’m glad that we can have her perform hereâ€, Noonan said about Erin, a former server at the restaurant. “I hope we can help her further her careerâ€. Erin is looking forward to performing in front of her hometown faithful. “I might be a little nervous because I will know so many people out there, but it is a great causeâ€, Erin said. “I hope a lot of Montgomery Gentry fans take a liking to me. That is how you grow a fan baseâ€. Erin wants to continue building a fan base before approaching major recording labels. “In this business, the labels
want you to have an album, a fan base and everything done before you approach themâ€, Erin said. “It is great to have an album and go out there and say, ‘Here it is, this is what I have done". “I will be meeting with labels but I want to make sure that I have done performances and have a fan base before I go, so that is the next step. â€The Internet era offers artists like Erin a chance to get personal with fans. “It is nice that you can get a personal connection through the Internet. Without fans, you are nothing,†Erin said. “I personally respond to people on MySpace because it is important to interact and have that personal relationship.â€
Reach Jessica Erin via MySpace at myspace.com/jessicaerin1. Erin’s goal is to attract fans nation-wide and knows she
has a good start in Chicago. “Chicago has the best fans for everything. Sports, music, whatever. They are devoted. That is one thing that you can’t get anywhere else. Chicago has heart,†Erin said. “It is a big advantage coming from there. There really aren’t many country artists from Chicago. Chicago is a huge country market with the radio stations, and Joe’s Bar is a great venue to play. “That is a big advantage for me. I would love to move to Chicago, but right now I have to be in Nashville.â€
One of her biggest fans is Mike North, radio personality host of "The Mike North Morning Show†on the Score, WSCR AM670.
Erin dropped a CD off at the Score studios on a whim and North took a liking to it. “I got to work one day and there was a CD that Jessica and her mom had left for me,†North said. “I’ll be honest and admit that I get a ton of those and don’t always get around to listening to them. But I looked at the cover of her’s and she is just a doll, so I put it in the CD player and it was ‘Whoa, she really sounds good.†North admits that he is not the biggest fan of modern country music, but said he knows talent when he hears it. “She is going to be a star,†North said. “She believes in herself and she has a tremendous drive. She wants something and is working hard to go get it. I respect that because I wanted something in my life and I went out and worked to get it. “It was a reach for her to get the CD to me at a sports station. That would be like me sending a sports tape to Ramblin’ Ray (a radio personality at Chicago’s country station, US99.5). But she had listened to my show and she knew that we don’t just talk about sports. “We talk about politics and music and she took a shot. Within four or five years, she will be a big star.†“Mike is a go-getter and he roots for the underdog because he was once in that same situation where he had a lot of dreams and aspirations and he just put his heart into it and I admire him for that,†Erin said. Erin performed at a remote broadcast of the Mike North Morning Show at Riverside Mall in Riverside. “We had her out to perform at the remote and there were a lot of fans there that really liked her,†North said. “She told me she always wanted to perform at U.S. Cellular Field, so I called Jerry Reinsdorf and got ahold of the marketing rep and got her a chance to sing the National Anthem and she rocked the house.†“At the remote, he told me to sing it right now because you never know who is listening,†Erin said. “So, it was like 8 in the morning and I belted out the National Anthem and Mike had the guys from the Sox listening and they heard
me and that got me in to do it.â€
Erin still has dreams yet to be fulfilled, like being a household name and a staple on country radio like some of her influences, Martina McBride, Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban. She understands, however, she can't get upset if it doesn’t happen overnight. “You cannot give yourself a time limit because people in music work on their time and they don't care. It is not something where there is a deadline. “I just hope I can keep getting my name out there.â€
And as she continues to fight to break into Nashville’s inner circles, she will do so with the blue-collar, finger-to-the-
bone work ethic that is in her Chicago blood.
Mark Gregory, Managing Editor - The Prairie Times