Toronto-Guelph-based multi-instrumental roots fusion duo, Jennis is made up of Dennis Gaumond and Jen Gillmor. The two will be releasing their new album, The Mirror on October 4 at the Black Heritage Hall in Guelph and October 6 at The Burdock in Toronto.
Today, we are happy to aid them in premiering their brand new video for “Sneak Past The Mirror.
Check out the video below and find out more about Jennis via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
When long-time Toronto indie-scene bassist Jen Gillmor picked up the cello and joined forces with the newest creative incarnation of award-winning blues musician Dennis Gaumond, Jennis was born. The duo tickles ears with an uncommon sonic blend of vocals, electric, acoustic and resophonic guitars, custom-tuned harmonicas, cello, didgeridoo, bass, wazinator, flutes, jawharp and percussion. “Unique”, “refreshingly different”, “exciting”, “fun”, “quirky… these are words that have been used to describe Jennis.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
Jennis’ unusual rootsy sound is at times bluesy, at times funky, jazzy, rocky or folky, with a hint of exotic ethnic influences.
Lyrically, the songs address a variety of topics. The title song, Sneak Past the Mirror, is about how we all feel like youngsters until we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror. You Never Know is about how we can’t predict the future, but it is also about how knowledge itself is an elusive butterfly that is beyond our grasp. Too Much Stuff is a playful commentary on consumerism. Other songs contain social comment, spiritual observations, and acknowledgement of reality’s pervasive underpinning of love. The general tone of the lyrics is thoughtful but light-hearted, inviting the listener to ‘look in the mirror’ and to take inventory of what is truly important in life.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
We have two album launch parties coming up, to celebrate the release of our second album, ‘The Mirror’. The Guelph launch is on October 5 at the Black Heritage Hall, 83 Essex St. The Toronto launch will be at the Burdock, 1184 Bloor St. W., on October 6.
Jennis is playing somewhere almost every week. The ‘gigs’ page on our website, ‘www.jennis.ca’, is the best place to see where we’re playing.
Live performances are sometimes done as a duo, and sometimes a trio, adding drums. Either way, they sizzle with energy and friendly, down-to-earth vibes. The multi-instrumental approach makes for a lot of variety and excitement.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
That’s a tough question because we have a lot of different textures and flavors. People have said that they like ‘You Never Know’ the best.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?
That’s another tough question – we like a lot of variety and there are so many good Canadian acts. Here’s a short list: JoPo and the Rize, Richard Reed Parry, Samson’s Delilah, Conor Gains, Sean Pinchin, Justin Gray, Kiran Ahluwalia, etc.