Pirate Jenny is Red Hot

(V-Mag: Nov. 1997: p.35

by Dave Burruto)

Pirate Jenny is not the feminine version of an archetype seafaring evil-doer but rather a local, land-loving rock trio. The band formed in 1994 and is comprised of guitarist and vocalist Amy Greene, guitarist and vocalist Aimee Swift, and drummer Jon Carisi.

Since their formation the trio has developed at a steady pace, creating a sound similar to 90's pop combined with an understated style reminiscent of the previous decade.

"I always felt that we could have been called alternative back in the 80's - we could have been that kind of alternative rock," says Swift. "I think we're definitely a songwriter band though. We really pay a lot of attention to each part of the song, the lyrics, but also the arrangement, the guitar tones and drum parts. We're not a jam band. Each song has an arrangement and I really like to do a lot of dynamic changes. Getting louder and bigger and then coming down to very soft."

Both Swift and Greene alternate between guitar and bass duties, as well as vocals, but the differences are subtle. Their power chords are strong but not masked by the all-too-common distortion and fuzz of "alternative rock." Their songs are driven by harmonies, melodic chords, and dynamic, while not always obvious changes.

The band's reliance on arrangement in place of volume is consistent with their lyrical content. Their songs are often detailed vignettes devoid of the usual themes of love, drugs, and the pursuit of oblivion.

"I like to write short biographical sketches of real and fictitious people," says Greene.

While some of their vignettes are filled with some elements of drama, others reflect both Greene and Swift's sense of humor and penchant for original themes.

"We've had a few funny ones [songs] like 'Mikey,'" says Swift. "'Mikey' is more of a social commentary, [it's about] Mikey from Life Cereal, and whether or not you believe [the rumor that] Mikey died from Pop Rocks and Coca-Cola. It's about what you hear and what you believe."

In 1995, Pirate Jenny released their first, and to date only, solo release in the form of a two-track 7" and a three-song cassette. The cassette, self-titled, is representative of Pirate Jenny's guitar-laden pop tunes. The primarily clean guitar chords are struck softly with calculated emphasis. Neither Swift nor Greene delves too deeply into guitar solos but instead rely on vocal harmonies and carefully selected tones to add layers to their music.

Both Swift and Greene can, at times, mimic the cadence and style of a 90's version of Kim Wilde while playing pop tunes that could have been penned by Joey Ramone. The second song on their cassette, entitled 'Folly,' has a unique, almost nostalgic, appeal, a simple structure and an undeniably 80's "New Wave" quality. All of the songs on their cassette bear a similarity with the same approachable and familiar pop sound.

The cassette itself was produced on the bands own Red Hot Records label. Swift and Greene created the label prior to recording material for Pirate Jenny. Although they had no intention to produce other bands or musicians that changed quickly once the label was established.

"It started out just for ourselves but we immediately wanted to do a local compilation," says Greene.

Following their own release, Swift and Greene organized the "Live in the Living Room" production for the Red Hot label recorded in December of 1995. The release features twelve area bands, including the Ray Mason Band, Encyclopedia Brown, Pirate Jenny, The Mitchells, Diana Davies, Tizzy, New Radiant Storm King, Pangloss, Ribboncandy, The Maggies, Hair Volume, and Stringbean. All of the tracks for the compilation were literally recorded in the living room of Swift and Greene's home.

"That was our first group project and we hope to do another one. We invited eleven bands plus us, so it was twelve bands at our house," says Swift. "We recorded them live in our living room. We did it in one weekend and they came over every two hours for two days starting at 10 o'clock in the morning and ending at 10 o'clock at night."

After the "Live in the Living Room" release, Red Hot Records then released a six-song cassette by local songwriter, Diana Davies. Almost as soon as Red Hot Records came into being it began to play a significant role in the local music scene, as did Pirate Jenny. The effort put forth by both Swift and Greene did not go unnoticed though, as Pirate Jenny was one of three bands featured in a 1997 Continental Cablevision / Pug Productions documentary. The video is still aired occasionally on the public access cable channel in Northampton and is available at Pleasant Street Video, also in Northampton. The documentary explores the experiences of three area bands including Pirate Jenny, Tizzy, and the Mitchells, and underscores Swift and Greene's role in the community through their work at Red Hot.

Pirate Jenny are more than simply a local band - they are a force on the musical landscape in the Valley. They have recently taken advantage of some summer down time to write and to formulate future plans for the band and for Red Hot Records.

"We're working on new stuff and we're going to record. We need to do a full-length but to go in to a studio for a full-length costs a lot more than we want to pay," says Swift. "So we're really trying to work out the financing and we're going to invest in the equipment."

Whatever's in the future for Pirate Jenny bodes well for area music fans and for local musicians alike.

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