The sad clown has been a key figure in pop culture since Billie Holiday, but few 21st-century singers and songwriters know better than Jane Carrey the way the tears of a clown also have the power to make people smile.
With the Jane Carrey Band, this guitar-playing chanteuse has been showing Southern California audiences the beauty in melancholy for about two years now. The quartet's forthcoming debut album brings the sophistication and smoldering expressiveness of jazz to the passion and tunefulness of folk-tinged alternative rock.
"I kind of grew up in a family of carnies," says Jane, the daughter of Golden Globe-winning actor and comedian Jim Carrey. "I definitely think I inherited that trait."
With fluttering vocals and lyrics wiser than her mere 21 years of age, Jane's music steps confidently out from her father's footsteps and into the center ring. She sings of streetwalkers and innocents, death metal bands and spies, love lost and love found, and of course-- over trippy backwards-guitar effects on "Carnival"-- the gypsy lifestyle of a lonely-hearted clown. Hammond organs wail, trumpets cry into the night, guitars jangle or burst in air.
The Jane Carrey Band formed not long after Jane met drummer Terry Goldberg and bassist Ian Sloane at the highly selective Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, Calif., which Jane attended for its jazz program. Terry still also plays in a jazz band, and he says his interests extend to rock, reggae, and even electronic music, depending on what show he's seen this month. Adds Ian: "I bring a funky, jazzy kind of vibe to the band that everybody else feeds off of."
Lead guitarist Daniel Sahagun officially joined the group earlier this year, after he and Jane had bonded over an acoustic duet cover of an obscure Chris Cornell song, "Preaching the End of the World," which Cornell wrote in tribute to the late Jeff Buckley.
As the name suggests, the Jane Carrey Band is a band in the old-school sense, not a singer/songwriter project. "One thing Jane and I were adamant about in the beginning was really being able to write together and developing material as a band," Daniel recalls. "It's amazing what a different dynamic can come up when you're actually bouncing ideas off of each other."
Still, most of the Jane Carrey Band's songs so far are Jane's. They can be as ethereal as Buckley, as sultry-smart as Fiona Apple, or as cool, smoky, and retro as Norah Jones. They can also be funky-- someone tell Stevie Wonder to check out the soulful strut of "City Lights." Bonus acoustic track "Oh Lover," recorded alone at home in front of a computer, is as intimate as Canadian indie singer/songwriter Feist.
The songs reflect Jane's conviction that she has to be able to explore even the darkest topics, the most complex chords, and still be able to bring joy to the listener. "I have heard the calling of the wise/ Telling me the skies are where my head should be," she sings on "Simple Beauty," as close as the album comes to a mission statement.
"There's crazy shit that happens in this life and in this world," Jane confides. "No matter what you're going through, you will always end up coming out the other side of it."
Wow! The video shoot in Minnesota was a blast! We got there pretty late on Friday night but not too late to hit White Castle on our way to hang with our friends in Sick of Sarah (management sister band and all out awesome ladies) My first time! Those burgers were so disgustingly awesome but the chicken rings are where it’s at…if anyone can point out where exactly on a chicken the “rings” come from I’ll be seriously impressed! Still, they rocked! I think I’m really lovin’ this whole pregnancy food thing eh? At least I feel well enough to eat again! After sleeping a measly 3 freakin’ hours we woke up EARLY the next day to start the shoot. Whoever forgot to tell me to bring bug spray is seriously my new enemy! Lol…We were pretty much in the woods by a lake (mosquito heaven!) Apparently they weren’t biting too bad that day……what the heck do they bite like normally!? Mosquitoes aside, the day was a blast! Not gonna lie, I was completely embarrassed walking down a forest path lip sinking to the camera with a bunch of people watching me, but somehow I managed to act natural (look…acting may run in my family but I am NO actor!) I was trying not to laugh nervously the whole time and it didn’t help that Randy, the camera guy, had to be led over stumps and rocks so he didn’t eat it while running backwards! It was hilarious…wasn’t so funny when I caught a huge branch in the face though…ok, maybe it was! It also didn’t help that the guys (Ian, Terry, & Daniel) were dressed up in these insane camo “Gilly Monster” suits hiding in the bushes! They were so creepy/funny! But Shane Nelson, our awesome director, managed to calm my laughter and get me to act somewhat natural amongst the insanity. We had no idea what the video would look like but when we watched the playback we were stunned to see how awesome everything was looking! Shane is seriously a God! But the day’s insanity wasn’t over yet! We were trying to film a nighttime merry-go-round shot but our efforts were thwarted by the most random Minnesota thunder/lightning storm ever! It was a beautiful sunny day! I didn’t understand this madness…the storm would subside and we’d all run like hell out to the merry-go-round, setup the shot, be ready to roll, then BOOM! Pouring rain…over and over again…haha! It was awesome! I love the rain so I was havin’ a blast! The last shots we did were of us, wet as hell…awesome! After a very loooong day we were ready to hit the sack, I mean bar? Haha…don’t worry, pregnant lady didn’t drink but bands usually need a designated driver right? Ok, THEN we hit the sack. We only had a little bit more to shoot the next day but it was an eventful day to say the least. We had this random guy capturing our whole shoot on his handheld video camera…if that wasn’t weird enough he kept stalking band members to get interviews. Normally I’d be flattered but he creeped me out! I avoided him by literally hiding but when he got near me he confirmed my creeped out feelings. First question while chasing me around, “What’s it feel like to be Jim Carrey’s daughter?” I probably said something brilliant while running away…or I just said fabulous to get him away from me. While the camera was on me I didn’t hesitate to let him know that we were working and that he was in our shot bothering us. In a very violating way, he then panned up and down to “get a look” at me. EWWWWWW!!!! Who does that!? GROSS!!!!! Terry was awesome and tried his best to get him away from me. Anyway, it was time for us to head home so Shane drove us to the airport and we took off! Minnesota will always have a special place in my heart for being the place where people are much more friendly than they are in LA, and for being the place we shot our first music video!!! I can’t lie, it was VERY nice to step off that plane and see my fiancé waiting for me! It was definitely time to go home and hang with Alex and the puppies…ahhh family! I can’t wait to see the video when it’s all done!
Terry:
After two days of shooting, having met amazing people, seen the most random thunder storm ever, drank delicious beer, jumped out of a tree, rolled through bushes, tripped over logs, and played drums in the rain, the shooting of the first music video was finally complete!
Daniel still remains the funniest person I think I’ve ever met.
Even after destroying his knee in a tragic Gilly-Monster incident, he maintained a great attitude and gave off only positive energy.
So, it turns out, working with Shane, the director, and all the crew was really fun.
On a side note, I dunno what the big deal is about White Castle.
I finally got to experience eating there while in MN!! I can get the same shit at Ralphs and its just as good.
Before meeting Des, I hated Jager, but she made it taste good!!! Apparently if you mix Jager and root beer, it eliminates the nasty black-licorice flavor.
I am now a fan of Jager, thanks Des ;-).
Now I’m wishing and waiting to see the finished music video!
Daniel:
Well we're back in one piece. Day one was long and draining. Although had it not been for the "ghille" suits, I think I would have been a feast for the mosquitoes. The night shoot was memorable to say the least. It stopped raining just long enough for us to get the shots we needed. Afterwards we got a few drinks and some sleazy bar, then went to this place called "The Uptowner" where we saw some drunk chick puke in her own water glass. Ah Minneapolis, I missed you. Can’t wait to see the video.
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