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Thank you.

Hi, I'm Scott Brocato with KRWG Public Media and I'd like to welcome you to this episode of Music Spotlight.

Jenna Ivey is an El Paso-based actress, singer and songwriter.

She has toured across the region with her folk rock family band, The Iveys, and now plays her original music under her own name, with Anna Maria Rosales on electric bass and harmony vocals.

Their sound is a blend of alternative, folk, indie pop and jazz.

We are pleased to welcome Jenna Ivey and Anna Marie Rosales to KRWG music spotlight.

Well, Jenna, let's start with you.

We were talking off camera.

You grew up on a farm.

Still live on the farm.

That's right.

Growing up, what spurred you toward the arts?

Because you're a multi-facted.

Like I said, actor, singer, songwriter.

Probably leaving something out.

But what spurred your interest?

I think it was being surrounded by it.

My parents were both artistically inclined.

My dad has a great voice.

He played the piano.

And then my mom was an amazing, prima ballerina in El Paso and taught in Germany.

And I think being surrounded by these people that already had so, so many artistic interests and then really good music taste that and really good film taste old classic films, TCM.

I think I was just surrounded by it, so I kind of fell into it without really having to make a goal of it.

It just existed for me.

It was just something that I loved.

What was there great taste in music that you grew up?

Oh, like the Beatles?

One of my dad's favorites.

My mom loved Neil Diamond but it ranged across the spectrum.

So we grew up on classical music and then a bunch of classic rock.

I always loved Cat Stevens.

That was one of my favorites, but pretty much any artist you could name, I would probably recognize their music, but unfortunately, I don't really know all the names because I just heard it literally since I was a toddler.

So I just was exposed to it.

So did you have, as you got older, were there any additional musical influences besides what your parents?

Oh yes, there was a website.

I think it still is around called Blast-FM and they had a program on there.

This was way before any A.I.

algorithms where it would recommend artists to you based on like one song, kind of the way Spotify now does.

and from there I found First Aid Kit, a Swedish sister duo, and they're, they're amazing, very old school kind of folk.

And then other little odd artists like King Charles, who's done stuff with Mumford and Sons and a bunch of the sort of people in the alternative folk kind of category.

those were huge inspirations for me.

Well, when did you decide to break away from the Irish family and strike out on your own, so to speak?

It was sort of happenstance.

It wasn't necessarily, we never officially disbanded or anything like that, but, the.

You're still in your family?

Yeah, they're still my family unfortunately, just kidding.

But the pandemic really shifted things.

and so it was just kind of life, you know, my brother had a kid, my sister had a kid.

And then I started getting invited to perform, and I said, yes.

Okay, well, Maria, let's let's, go over to you.

Let's talk about your musical journey.

You spent your formative years playing bass near and dear to my heart in bands in your native El Paso.

Talk about that.

I did, I was not even old enough to play in bars, so I just kind of a lot from past snuck in, holding a guitar case.

basically, I would sit with at the bar with all the wives and girlfriends and cheer on the band and, they would have too much of a good time and not be able to finish the night.

So I learned all of the songs, taped them on a cassette, bought a little pink bass, and sat there and figured everything out by ear and just waited until I was able to jump up because they couldn't play anymore.

I said, well, let me finish the night with you.

And, because the lead singer, you couldn't, you know, was a little bit too intoxicated.

And so I was able to help them finish out the night.

And then they came with some money and said, here's your here's $50 for you for helping us finish.

And I was like, when you get paid for this and then I just started to play.

It's a wonderful thing to get paid for it.

Well, let's, let's you get set up to perform your music, and let's start with the first song.

The first song is called The Fly Song.

That's right.

Real quick, tell me, tell me about that.

The origin of that.

Well, this.

So a lot of songs sort of just happen, and this was one of those songs.

It kind of just came out in one fell swoop.

it's a little bit of an odd one.

It has different kind of movements throughout it, but, I don't want to give away why it's called The Fly Song.

It's not the most creative title necessarily.

But yeah, it's kind of a song about sort of mental health and the ways that we're all connected or could try and help each other out.

All right.

Well, let's let you perform it.

Jenna Ivey and Anna Maria Rosales performing The Fly Song on KRWG Music spotlight.

Hi, everybody.

My name is Jenna Ivey, and we're going to play some original music for you.

This one's called the Fly Song.

Hello my darling.

Wanna know what the answer is?

And if you ever think about the good inside of the bad.

How can we separate the ugly from the beautiful?

When all that we are is all that we would damn.

Hmmmm.

Oooooooo.

Oooooooo.

Hope is a fleeting nod to devotion.

A bomb that we stare at waiting to explode.

Hold your breath and count with the rhythm of the ocean.

Time she will find you and tell you when she blows.

Mmm, Oooooo.

Mmm, Oooooo.

Ooooo.

Ooooo.

Ooooo.

I don't know where I'll go.

dont wanna be alone but I wont pick up the phone.

Im meant for love I'm not meant to get by.

And try as I might.

I'm not built to survive.

But I can't die.

Hiiiiiii.

Hello, How are you?

I'm sorry to avoid you.

But there's a weight upon my mind.

And it gets heavier all the time.

And there's a fly that's trapped behind the iris of my eye and its invasive like your like your mother when she wants to see you cry.

Well damn you fly Iiiiiiiii.

Iiiiiiiiii.

Iiiiiiii.

Oooooh.

Whup.

Ohhhh whup.

Ohhhh whup.

Ohhhh whup.

Ohhhh whup.

Oooooohhhhhh.

I thought I would leave last night but the man had other plans.

When he placed me in his pocket I said “ my thats a big ol hand.

Everyones been telling me that I should get some sleep but from this crater in my heart calls out “my love, Ive got you beat.” Ive got you beat.

Beat.

Beat.

Beat.

Ohhhhh waup.

Ohhhhh waup.

Ohhhhh waup.

Ohhhhh waup.

Ohhhhh waup.

Ohhhhh waup.

The comforts of home are absent again the notebook and the pen beginning and the end.

But on I go falling to and fro a lover and a madman the fighter in the badlands.

But I fight so I might never have to know the damage of these aging hands.

the child playing in the sand.

Castles crumble from the weight of an ill placed stone.

Ohh, ooh, ooh.

Ohh, ooh, ooh.

Ohh, ooh, ooh.

Little babies cry for help when theyre left all alone.

Ohh, ooh, ooh.

Ohh, ooh, ooh.

All right.

That was the fly song.

Now were gonna play some more music.

So we played the fly song, and now we're going to play the train song.

See how good I am at my titles?

This one's called the Train Song.

1, 2, 3, 4.

Oh, oh, oh.

Oh, oh, oh.

Oh, oh, oh.

Oh, oh, oh.

Is there writing on the wall?

Is there a sign in the sky up above us you and I. Is there writing on the wall.

Will you check for me.

While I go and rest my head.

Somewhere something grows.

Somewhere something dies.

You see a girl she's running fast over fields and over glass.

Do you know her?

Can you catch her?

All her friends are in the earth.

And in the trees shes known from birth.

Watch her climb them, watch her fall.

Will she find men who stand so tall.

Somewhere something grows.

Somewhere something dies.

On the ground she hears the birds up above her and the earth, feels a tremble with the sound of a dying baby dove.

Tears are nimble they belong to the ones we love.

Somewhere something grows.

Somewhere something dies.

Oh, ooh, ooh.

Oh, ooh, ooh.

She hears the train coming through the valley.

Oh, ooh, ooh.

It fades away to a future that she wants she won't say.

Oh she cries, oh she cries.

Wondering why wondering why, wondering why, wondering why.

Please come back for me I will not hide.

I will not hide.

Hide again.

Umm, hmmm.

Umm, hmmm.

Ooooooooooh.

Run away train.

Run away, aint that fine, aint that fine.

run away.

Leave me here train.

Here to stay hoping the ground will swallow me home.

Let me stay, let me stay.

Go far away.

We just got the one more song for y'all.

Yeah, this one is called.

Oh, this one is called Pretty Weeper.

This one is I said this in the interview, but it's about my godmother.

Yeah, I lost her in 2016.

And so much of who I am is, is because of who she made me to be.

And she was a wonderful lady.

Her name was Gloria.

This one's called Pretty Weeper.

One, two.

Three.

Four.

Mmmmmhhhhh.

(Trumpet Noise) (Trumpet Noise) Pretty weeper.

Heartbreak sweeper.

Pretty weeper cover me with dread.

Take the fears around my gut.

And knot them round my head I'm good and gone my love.

Remember me by dusk Let flickers fire towards the stars let them catch my dust.

Ohhhhhhh.

Ohhhhhhh.

Pretty weeper heartbreak sweeper.

Did you know that I would leave you?

Please believe me I never meant to deceive you.

How could I ask you questions such as this?

One covered with warm accusations you see them falling off my bated breath.

Ohhhhhhh.

Ohhhhhhh.

You knew.

You did.

That was a truth far too uncomfortable.

And yet, like a chair in your grandmother's house that you were never allowed to sit in.

Never allowed to doubt but you wanted to anyway, and I wanted you.

Anyway.

Anyway.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Pretty weeper heartbreak sweeper.

Say you know how much I loved you.

Every day I only thought of you.

This is a farewell.

I'm holding in my hand.

Written in a foreign tongue.

I hope you understand.

Ohhhhh.

Ohhhh.

Ohhhhh.

Ohhhh.

(Trumpet Noise) (Trumpet Noise) Pretty weeper hold me near.

Pretty weeper never fear.

Pretty weeper.

I love you, dear.

Pretty weeper.

Thank you for having us.

It's KRWG Music Spotlight.

You just heard from our guests, Jenna Ivey and Anna Maria Rosales.

Let's talk about the last song you did, Pretty Weeper.

Yeah, Pretty Weeper that song was another one that sort of just came to me.

I always talk about this, this river of inspiration above my head.

And that one just came right down to me, and I didn't know exactly what it was about as I was writing it, which sounds a little bit eccentric, but as soon as I finished literally the last note, the last line, I started crying because I realized it's about my godmother, who I lost back in 2016 to lung cancer.

And it's, it's a bit off the wall.

It's kind of a conversation where we're almost both changing perspectives.

One of us is talking and the other one is also talking.

And it's it's kind of hard for maybe other people outside of it to fully understand.

But I hope that you can get you can get the gist of it, and you can feel the amount of love that we had for each other there.

Well, Ana Maria, you know, talking about cancer, you lost a sister to breast cancer in 2013.

Can you talk about how music was a healing process to get you through that tragedy?

yeah.

She she was not in my immediate.

I had moved to Los Angeles during that time.

So, I, it just helped to kind of there were songs that were written.

Wow, I was not expecting that, there were songs that were written that, kind of let the feelings out, and but we couldn't, like, I couldn't perform them until I could just sit with it.

So there were some songs.

I'm so sorry.

It was a, it was a process.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, let's talk about something lighter.

How did the two of you connect musically?

We've kind of finally figured it out.

There was a while there where people would ask us and we're like, we don't really know how that happened.

It just, it just sort of happened.

I think the best friendships kind of just happened.

But I guess it would have been, I was running a songwriter showcase series out of El Paso, so I would book artists for it, and I booked her for one of the showcases.

So we kind of already knew of each other, met there, I guess more officially.

And then she, for whatever reason, asked me to help run a show for Sarah Burton, who's an amazing artist out of Austin.

So I was running the tickets at the door, and I was there really early, and I was a bit bored because I was just waiting.

And so I asked, Buddy, the studio owner at Star City Studios, among a wonderful person.

I asked him if he had a uke laying around and he did.

His wife had a uke there at the studio.

So I started playing and I didn't know she was, I guess, around the corner listening to me.

Yeah.

So that one I'm going to play with that one and came up with the crazy idea to put bass and ukulele together, which it was.

Yeah.

And it seems to work.

It does yeah.

Well, for you, I've heard you in past interviews talk about faith, your faith and how important it is in your life.

Can you talk about that?

Everything I do, I mean, it's influenced by my faith.

I've had I've been so blessed throughout my life, and I have such an awareness of everything.

This literally sitting here with you, having Anna in my life, having all these people that have supported us, the people that donated to make the tour that I just came off of, possible.

I could never have done any of that on my own.

So I know, I know, I know where it comes from, and I see my blessings and I count them.

But yeah, it influences everything that I, that I write about, that I talk about.

I think you can hear it throughout the music.

We have about a minute left, and I'll throw this to either one of you.

What advice would you give to a new musician who is coming up and wants to do this professionally first?

Practice.

Spend less time on social so on the internet and just practice and be ready.

Somebody very wise once told me, that you want to make sure that you're, irreplaceable.

So good advice.

Practice so hard that you're irreplaceable.

Very good advice.

Well, Jenna Ivey, Anna Maria Rosales I want to thank you for being our guest on KRWG Music Spotlight.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Scott, And be sure to catch our past performances on YouTube and like us on Facebook to keep up with future episodes for KRWG I'm Scott Brocato and thank you for joining us on KRWG Music Spotlight.

This next one is called.

How do you Know?

there's a version of it available on Bandcamp if you want to support that way.

I'm workin on getting some music together to record an EP or an album soon and get it out.

Hopefully this year.

This summer?

yeah, this one's called.

How do You Know?

Two three?

Nine know you.

But I'm afraid of what you mean to me.

We do call out all the darker things I never want to see.

And it scares me that you know my name.

You know the colors on my face.

And it scares me that you know the words to are my soul songs.

How do you know what it's all for?

Banners on fire.

What's on the floor?

How do you know?

There is more than what I see.

And what you want to believe.

Oh the sorrow and all the grief.

And all these dried up.

See they don't know that there's room to grow.

That there is more than what they've been asking for.

They hold is a worn out prayer.

That they possess the very thing they need.

The concrete tasting red again.

But I cannot tear the roads back for more knots.

The blood on your.

How do you know for the so who banners on fire on the floor?

How do you know?

Do you know?

Do you know?

Come on down.

If you for a long time we do it good, we do and fine.

But we got problems and monsters.

And they run off those little know how to stop them.

We don't know it all.

We try to control them, but now knows what.

We have no luck.

And then we have to run right out the door to madness.

To me.

Last time we got me all we can't carry past.

Were flung into the pit.

That growing.

Oh, the thing that splits the heavens and the festering soul.

The curse of.

How do you know what it's all for?

There's on for you.

Oh, it's on the flip I do you know.

Do you know, do you know.

Oh, 0000.

Oh oh.