"Jenny Woo is a singer/songwriter from Canada who started her acoustic oi! project in 2008... Since
the beginning of this project, she has released 5 albums, played 500 concerts, and toured in 55 countries."
She will be performing this Saturday night, March 23 @ Emmarentia Sailing Club, Johannesburg
We had the privilege of doing a short pre-gig interview with her!
(Gig and Tour info follows towards the end.)
Tell us about the new album! Will you mostly be performing tracks from this release?
Jenny: The new album is called Tear Down Walls, and it is my 5th full length album. It celebrates 10 years since the beginning of this project, and it is actually a double LP with one album being 15 full-band electric songs, and the other album being 15 acoustic songs. The album also includes a documentary DVD about the history of this project and the skinhead scene, as well as a book speaking to the themes of the album. The album speaks to the political values of punk in terms of bringing people together across borders, as well as the personal values of the punk scene such as breaking down our own limitations. The album features the guest vocals of Jeff Turner from Cockney Rejects, as well as Han from Evil Conduct. I will be playing some songs from this album during my tour in South Africa, but I will also be playing a lot of material from my previous albums as well.
Why South Africa?
Jenny: I have always been fascinated by the history of South Africa, as Apartheid always seemed like an unfathomable reality for me. Given that the album is called Tear Down Walls and the project was invented to create community, fight prejudice and cross boundaries, I have tried to tour the world as much as possible. Up until this point I have played in over 55 countries, but never in South Africa before. I met some South African punks a while ago at Rebellion festival, and since then I have been eager to explore the punk scene there and of course the intersection of punk with the political realities there. I am interested to explore the subject of tearing down walls more in the context of historical racial segregation, and to see where the country and the punk scene are now in South Africa and how they also relate to this unique history.
How has your tour been so far and what has been some of your favorite / most memorable shows?
Jenny: The tour has been amazing so far, over 500 gigs up until this point all over the world. Every gig is special and memorable in it's own way, but I would have to say that the most memorable gigs for me up until now include playing in Yakutia, Siberia. It takes about 7 days to drive there from Moscow, and I couldn't believe that there was such an active and enthusiastic punk scene up in the Arctic. It was incredible to visit the cultural centres of Yakutsk people and to learn more about their history. I also really enjoyed playing in Bosnia and learning about Balkan history through personal narratives, and the power of the Yugo punk scene in bringing people together despite the ethnic divisions.
When and how did you fall in love with Oi music?
Jenny: I first discovered the oi! scene in 2003. I had been a punk rocker for a few years before then, but I was immediately attracted to the skinhead scene because it spoke about personal values such as loyalty, pride and community in a way that was more relatable to me than the Live For Today/No Tomorrow ethos of the streetpunk scene. I love the skinhead scene because it brings out the best in me, it has taught me what real friendship is and should be, and it has taught me a lot about self-love despite social pressures.
What would you say to encourage people who may want to play punk rock but are hesitant due to the dominant cisgender straight white male demographic?
Jenny: I would say that the world and everything we love is what we make it to be. We all have personal limitations, but if we don't push our limitations we are choosing to live inside of them. Punk rock is supposed to be an alternative, and for a kid like me who never fit into mainstream beauty or social standards, it saved my life. It gave me purpose and identity and belonging when I was lost. The more that we can make punk a true alternative, the more that we can make it accessible to other people looking for purpose, the more we can help the world. The best thing about music is that it crosses borders, it crosses genders, it crosses race and it is something that connects us. Good music is a window of the truth, and as long as we speak our truth we are in the right. Punk rock is about truth, and if you have something to say this genre belongs to you. As Strummer said, the future is unwritten, but why not write our way to a better one?
Questions by Shaun Richards
Flyer by Sandy Little
Saturday, March 23, 2019 at 7 PM – 11:50 PM @ Emmarentia Sailing Club, Johannesburg
Lineup: Deadly Bites, Apocalypse Later, Groucho, Jenny Woo, Klumbsy Oxx, Dead Congress, All These Wasted Nuts.
Music kicks off at 7pm, R50 PP, Booze on sale (cash bar!!!) & Customs stalls.
All South Africa shows above
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