out really amazing.
IE: I'm quite convinced that your ability to interpret these songs really takes
them to another level. When did you
realize you could do that?
JN: Well, when you're a kid you listen
to the radio, and sing along to other
people's songs. I sang along with Sly
and The Family Stone, Linda Ronstadt,
and really, there was so much great
music on the radio when I was growing
record that song, so it would be a single, and become a hit. I did not want it
on my record because I wanted our hits
to be our own songs. It was important
that we didn't do it just for playing
somebody else's music. So it's ironic
that you've mentioned that in this context because it was great. As a matter of
fact, we cut out one verse of it which is
a brilliant verse, and who am I to cut
out Leonard Cohen's work. And I love
Leonard; he's amazing, he's just a
MARCH 4
Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans
Eagulls – Self Titled
Fuel – Puppet Strings
Ghost Beach - Blonde
Missing Persons – Missing In Action
Moby - Innocents: Live at The Fonda
Rick Ross – Mastermind
Pharrell Williams – G I R L
MARCH 11
up in the 70s on AM radio. It was just
amazing stuff on the radio, and that's
when I sang along and played along. I
just sat on my bed as a little kid and
played along with all of that. That was
a really rich heritage musically. AM
radio was where it was all at.
IE: The most amazing cover you've
done was of course, Leonard Cohen's
Everybody Knows, and Cohen is not
someone you can do justice to with
ease; but I'm still floored every time I
hear you sing it.
JN: Thank you. That song was done for
a film, Pump Up The Volume, and we
were called to do that. It was very
interesting because the owner of our
record company didn't feel that we had
a hit on our own (this is around the
time Concrete Blonde released their
Bloodletting breakthrough album)
record, so they really wanted us to
03•2014
genius. There was one verse too long,
and I just felt like I'd done it right the
first two times I sang it. I'd cut the
vocals twice, and the producer wanted
to do it again, and I felt I did it right
both times, and I walked out of the studio. It wasn't the best session for either
one of us, the producer or myself. I
didn't feel like I was being respected,
and it was for hire, so the producer
does deserve the credit, and the film
does deserve the credit. Pump Up The
Volume was a really important film for
people of a certain age at that time. I'm
really glad I was part of it, and I'm
thankful for it.
IE: You often do cover songs originally
performed by male vocalists. Is it more
of a challenge for you?
JN: I never change my voice for anything. As a matter of fact I wrote a letter
to Shure, a company that makes micro-
Aloe Blacc – Lift Your Spirit
The Falls – Into The Fire
Jenny Franck – Beautiful Lies
Metronomy – Love Letters
311 – Stereolithic
Black Submarine – New Shores
The Glass Jars – The Evolution of Containment
The Sons – Heading Into Land
Jenny Franck
MARCH 18
Black Lips – Underneath The Rainbow
The Dandy Warhols – Thirteen Tales…
Foster The People – Supermodel
Luther Dickinson - Rock n’ Roll Blues
George Michael – Symphonica
Sisyphus – Self Titled
The Pretty Reckless – Going To Hell
Taking Back Sunday – Happiness Is
MARCH 25
The Baseball Project – 3rd
Big Scary – Not Art
Boy George – This Is What I Do
Ages and Ages –