| Jeni
Hackett,
by Melissa
Evanko
The boys club is in effect in the musical world these days.
The ratio of female to male performers is like a sole girl
at an all boys school. Jeni Hackett is a fresh voice in this
mire. One of the few female performers to grace "The
Stage," pondering if we choose her "because she
is a girl." In an exclusive interview for "The Stage"
Hackett sat down to talk with us about her music and blue
guitars.
Jeni Hackett is from Stroudsburg PA. Along with being a vocalist
she also plays the guitar and mandolin. You can check her
out on the web at www.listen.to/jeni_hackett
A
happy accident, of sorts, is how Hackett discovered music.
In her freshman year of High School, she injured the back
of her knee while running cross-country. Left with the choice
of having surgery or being bed-bound for the summer, Hackett
was left with free time on her hands. One day her brother-in-law
brought over a guitar and she taught herself to play. Before
the accident, Hackett would sing in the car, but did not consider
herself musical. She sums it up as "everything happens
for a reason."
The song that Hackett performed on "The Stage" was
"Game of Hearts." The title track from her new upcoming
CD. Hackett chose this song because she liked the beat and
felt this song was a little different from her previous songs.
"Game
of Hearts" which will be Hackett’s second CD, will
be released sometime in July. She recorded locally, at Menagerie
Recording Studios in Brodheadsville, PA. The recording process
began over a year ago, but Hackett has had to wait for other
musicians to come in and record musical accompaniment. A preview
of what to expect is much of the same strong voice and personal
lyrics. Hackett strives for all her songs to have "a
different feel." She’s not a fan of musicians where
every track on an album sounds the same.
Hackett writes all her own material. She started writing in
High School, some the first songs were putting friends poems
to music. An interesting fact, Hackett can not read sheet
music; she plays by ear. Often, the songs just come to her,
a verse pops in her head and she’s off. Hackett feels
that music is a good release. She can send a message out,
address a certain person musically, without having to say
it to their face.
If
you go to see Hackett play a show you will notice she plays
a blue guitar which has become a trademark. The first guitar
she bought was blue; Hackett calls it a "girl thing"
that it had to be colored. Now, Hackett chooses her guitar
for sound, not just aesthetics.
This summer Hackett will be hitting the club circuit more.
She favors the Lehigh Valley music scene, feeling it is more
acceptable to original music. Hackett has played both with
a band backing her and solo. She liked the band vibe and how
they would "feed of each other."
Just
in case you’re wondering if Hackett will show up for
her next show with blonde extensions and barely there outfits
ala Britney and Christina, fear not. "I play guitars
so I don’t have to dance," joked Hackett. But Hackett
doesn’t need all those trappings anyway; talent is much
more attractive.
Watch
the exclusive acoustic performance of 'Game of
Hearts'
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