Jennifer Logue… Just a Girl and a Guitar

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with possibly Philadelphia’s coolest and loveliest singer/songwriter, Jennifer Logue.  Jennifer’s a local girl, but a local girl who’s been away for about...

Singer songwriter Jennifer Logue

Yesterday I had the pleasure of chatting with possibly Philadelphia’s coolest and loveliest singer/songwriter, Jennifer Logue.  Jennifer’s a local girl, but a local girl who’s been away for about a decade, which she spent in NYC.

“I just moved back to Philly.  I spent the last ten years living in New York, where I went for school, but I’m born and raised in South Philly.  I love Philly.  It’s a great town, it has great places to hear live music, it’s a great food town, it’s a little more calm than New York. It’s a welcome change.”

Since she’s been back, Jennifer tells me she’s primarily been focused on writing and studio time: “I’ve been working on some new music here in Philly.  I’ve been doing a lot of writing, a lot of collaborating with different producers, and taking things easy on the performance side.”  However, she does have a handful of upcoming local gigs, including an appearance this Thursday, April 12th, at the Tin Angel, with Avi Wisnia, and a free lunchtime (11:30am) performance on Sunday at Reading Terminal Market.  These shows are apparently going to be quite a bit different from the shows Jennifer’s played in recent years in NYC: “In New York I had a full band and with the band I’ve gotten comparisons to Gaga and Gwen Stefani.  My shows now are pretty basic and stripped down, just a girl and a guitar.  You can expect the more intimate thing, more soulful, more rootsy, a lot of rhythm guitar and a lot of soul.”  Despite currently being a solo act, Jennifer does tell me that you can expect the occasional on-stage collaboration with some of her musical friends.

In addition to her own shows, beginning the end of the month, Jennifer Logue will be hosting Rock on Philly: Bands and Bites, a monthly songwriters showcase taking place at the Pyramid Club (1735 Market Street, 52nd floor).  The first showcase will take place on Friday, April 26th.  Each showcase will feature 5 musical acts, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and drink specials, all for $15 (or $20 at the door).

While I was excited to hear about a handful of opportunities for me to meet Ms. Logue in the flesh, the most interesting portion of our chat was that in which she talked to me about her inspirations.  Jennifer tells me it’s not just music that inspires her work, but that she’s a fan of the fine arts in general, particularly painting: “I’m inspired by everything I listen to and all the visual art I see.  Even when I hear a song I see colors and I definitely hear a melody when I see a painting.  When you’re writing a song, you’re telling a story, painting story.”  She goes on to explain, “For me, creativity is ‘energy’ and there are artists who can channel their energy in different ways.”  She also admits that everyday life serves as a great inspiration as well: “The best way to be a great songwriter is to live a great life.  The only way you get that real inspiration is just living.”

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Band Interviews

During the day Izzy Cihak teaches transgression, subversion, and revolution at Temple University. At night he haunts Philthy's best venues to cover worthwhile acts for Philthy Mag. Morrissey is everything to him and, in their own heads, all of his friends see themselves as Zooey Deschanel.

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