This week we chatted with Zej Kozlowski and Calen Perkins of Zej & Calen, an acoustic guitar-driven duo based in San Francisco. In the latest installment of our interview series, Zej and Calen discuss their global backgrounds, their new album, and SF as an indie music breeding ground.

Twenty Two: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Zej & Calen: We’re two independent singer/songwriters that have our own stories to tell and we realize that coming together we can make them come alive. Zej grew up in Switzerland and has lived in South America and five countries in Africa. He is a nature fanatic, and likes imitating foreign accents. Calen is from New England, cheers for the Red Sox and is pretty sarcastic. He moved to San Francisco to be in an exciting, creative environment and to develop his songwriting. We met at one of Zej’s shows and became friends first (isn’t it always better that way?).

Twenty Two: How would you describe your sound?

Zej & Calen: Acoustic guitar-driven with lots of harmonies. Two guys with two guitars incorporating folk, rock, Americana, and world sounds. Our music has elements of Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jack Johnson, and Iron and Wine, for example. We like performing the same way we enjoy experiencing our favorite performers — playing solo or in a really stripped down setting where you can hear every nuance of their voice and instruments.

Twenty Two: What’s the process you go through when you’re working on new music?

Zej & Calen: We each typically write a nearly complete song and present it to the other. Their facial expression while this is happening determines whether it becomes a duo song or not.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on your album, “Last Station”?

Zej & Calen: This project gave us the opportunity to create a more elaborate arrangement with lots of vocal harmonies, upright bass, percussion, fiddle and layered guitar riffs that we aren’t able to do when we play live as a duo. We decided to co-produce the record with our sound engineer, Scott McDowell. We came up with a list of tracks for him to use as a reference in shaping the album’s sound from artists like Bon Iver, Kings of Convenience and Alexi Murdoch, who we had been listening to a lot at the time.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Zej: Some of the songs on our new record are a response to what we are doing to the earth, and for me represent an attempt to connect to the spiritual aspects of who I am as an environmentalist. Also, music is like psychotherapy. For anything that’s troubling you, sing about it and you’ll feel better.

Calen: Music itself is inspiring for me. I pick up an instrument and just enjoy hearing what kinds of sounds I can get it to make. I write songs to help work through questions or reactions I’m having to something, or sometimes simply to have fun.

Twenty Two: Whose musical career would you like to emulate?

Zej: I once saw Richard Shindell, whose folk songwriting and performing I respect tremendously, in concert in Berkeley. I walked up to him afterwards to say hello. I knew he was living in South America at the time, as I had done for a few years, so I conversed with him in Spanish and we bonded over those experiences. Shindell is a master of writing songs that tell stories from another individual’s perspective. One song on our record, White Bear, follows this style. Though he doesn’t know it, he’s been a significant mentor.

Calen: It’s important for me to feel that a performer is being honest with me and standing up for things they believe in, both in their writing and the way they carry out their careers. I love following people like Brett Dennen and Ray LaMontagne because you can just feel the authenticity of their values and personality come out in everything they do.

Twenty Two: How has living in San Francisco influenced your work?

Zej & Calen: We feel some of the best music in the country is being made right here in our own backyard, and we’re lucky to be in such a supportive music scene and to have befriended some really talented local musicians. We’ve gotten to know drummer Andrew Laubacher and bassist Jonathan Kirchner over the last few years. After admiring their playing with Kelly McFarling, Con Brio and Goodnight, Texas, we invited them to be our rhythm section on the new album, which was a treat. And our friend Kelly McFarling has been a mentor to us in many ways and even recorded harmony vocals on a couple songs on the album. The folk music scene in SF has also really rooted in us the belief that you can play traditionally influenced music for modern audiences and have success if you work your butt off and do it in interesting ways.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working on music, how do you spend your time?

Zej & Calen: Zej started a benefit concert series, “Kangaroo Concerts,” that brings environmentally-conscious singer-songwriters and their fans together to support environmental causes. He also works with foundations to facilitate international philanthropy. Calen works for a large non-profit in San Francisco on energy-efficiency and environmental sustainability projects.

A special thanks to Zej and Calen for giving us the opportunity to learn more about their music. You can keep up with them by checking out their website, Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.

Check out Zej & Calen’s music for yourself on Bandcamp:

See Zej & Calen live in concert on Sunday, October 27 at 8:30pm at The Starry Plough in Berkeley. Click here for the Facebook event details.

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This week we chatted with John Isaac Watters, one third of the Los Angeles-based folk band, COYOL. In the latest installment of our interview series, Isaac discusses growing up in the Southwest and Mexico, his new album, and his musical idols.

Twenty Two: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Isaac: I was born in Mexico City. We moved to Berkeley, CA for a couple years while my dad was finishing school. Then all around in Mexico till I was 9. Then my family moved to Arizona, a little ways outside of Tucson, and I was there through high school. I came out to LA to study architecture at USC, and have been here since, just over 10 years now. I still find work as an architect, and do some art projects, but I am becoming more and more interested in writing and performing songs. I have a solo project that’s just my name, John Isaac Watters, and a band we call COYOL.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in music and performing?

Isaac: Not always. When I was in fourth grade I started playing violin and I was in different school orchestras through high school, but that was the most musical performing I did. I didn’t start thinking about writing songs till I was almost done with architecture school, and my little brother Joel started asking me to play fiddle on country songs he had written.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your sound?

Isaac: I would say it’s very simple folk music.

Twenty Two: What’s the process you go through when you’re working on new music?

Isaac: I haven’t found an easily repeatable process yet, but I try to write often, and play new ideas over and over till they turn into songs. I don’t have a writing schedule or a secret place to go, though I am looking for one. I like writing when I’m travelling, especially on trains and buses. Since I’m already moving, those moments in transit have an inherent freedom that allows ideas to come out. I have tried setting goals for myself, or forcing myself to write a certain number of songs, or to write in form, so that I can feel like I am somehow helping myself become a better writer. I don’t usually achieve those, but it’s good to get me started. Most of the time, the songs that I feel best about surprise me, and I can’t trace them back to a process or any specific set of actions.

Twenty Two: Can you describe the process of making music for yourself versus making music with a band? Do you have a different mindset?

Isaac: When I’m writing by myself, the initial process isn’t that different. It’s just coming up with ideas, trying to find words that I believe are worth saying over and over. Certain songs fit better with COYOL and others fit better with my solo stuff. I don’t initiate the songwriting process with one or the other in mind. We also sometimes write from scratch as COYOL which is me, Will Gramling and Celeigh Chapman, and then the process is a little different. It’s more of a workshop. We edit and refine each other.

Twenty Two: Do you find yourself writing about the same subjects or do the topics of your songs vary greatly?

Isaac: I don’t know if I write about subjects. What I am writing about is still a little mysterious to me and I almost never sit down to write about a specific idea. I usually write in a series of images that make me feel a certain way. I don’t know if my songs have topics. If you were going to try to nail them down to a specific topic, I bet they would jump around a lot. But they have a pretty consistent feeling to them. There have also been times when my friends or family have told me what one of my songs means before I could figure it out. The album I just put out is called “Casas”. These songs are all wandering around in my mind near the ideas of habitation and home, but I don’t know if you would hear that by listening to them. You might say the songs are about growing old, or losing limbs, which is probably more correct.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on “Casas”? How does it differ from your earlier album, “Parachute Tramps”?

Isaac: I’d like to think “Casas” is a more cohesive album. Its instrumentation is a lot simpler: guitar, piano, singing and a little tambourine. It was recorded with Will Gramling and Alex Rhodes. Since we used so few instruments and they are such brilliant musicians, we were able to be in the same room the whole time and do each song in one take, instead of layering in a lot of stuff like we did on “Parachute Tramps.” But, for all its simplicity, Chris Rondinella’s engineering skills still give “Casas” a really full sound. How’s that for advertising? Just listen to it!

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Isaac: Right now, I really like watching the light change throughout the day. I think that Echo Park for some reason has particularly wonderful sunlight. I like to go for walks in the evening, right before or right after the sun goes down and it’s nice and cool. Then I can think pretty clearly. But that’s just more recently. Other than that, I just try to remember things that I’ve seen or times I’ve felt certain ways. I like trees a lot, also the desert, cold oceans, and cliffs. Lately I have been reading Federico García Lorca, Paul Celan, T.S. Eliot, and Isaiah over and over.

Twenty Two: Whose musical career would you like to emulate?

Isaac: That’s a tricky question. I’m pretty unaware of the progression of musical careers. I mostly just listen to songs, so I’m not sure how to answer that. There are a few songwriters whose songs I can listen to over and over, people like Will Oldham, Tom Waits, John Prine, and Jeff Mangum. If I could write something that good, if I could just make one really good album, and perform regularly, to my thinking that would be a great musical career, even one really good song, or one really good show.

Twenty Two: How has growing up all over the southwest and living in Echo Park influenced your work?

Isaac: When I was young and running around in the desert, I developed an affinity for vastness — big skies and big mountains. When I am writing, I often sense that limitless space. In contrast, Echo Park is such a successful human experiment in conquering the desert. It has an intimate geography, the kind that holds you gently. In Echo Park it’s easy to forget that LA is still so young. It also seems to be growing smaller as more and more of my friends move here. Meanwhile the desert grows larger. These two ideas — the expanding solitude of harsh landscapes and the comfort of friends — are big enough to write about for a lifetime. Being part of this community of artists has influenced my work just as much as running around in the desert with my brother when I was young.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Isaac: Hopefully soon I’ll record and release the second and third parts of  “Casas.” They are called “Campanas” and “Campesino.” I have the songs. I just need to get into the studio! Also, COYOL will be releasing some new tracks soon, and we are scheduled to play a November residency at Los Globos in Silver Lake. So please come to that!

A special thanks to Isaac for giving us the opportunity to learn more about his music. You can keep up with him by checking out his website, Facebook, and Twitter, while you can follow COYOL on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Check out Isaac’s music for yourself:

Can’t get enough of COYOL? Check out our interview with the band’s multi-talented frontwoman, Celeigh Chapman.

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• Interview: Brennan Smiley of The Technicolors
• Interview: Avi Vinocur & Patrick Dyer Wolf of Goodnight, Texas

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This week we chatted with Leah Bachar, one fourth of the New York-based theatre and production company, Perf Productions. In the latest installment of our interview series, Leah discusses Perf’s first multi-media play, her writing and acting styles, and how she gets into a role.

Twenty Two: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Leah: Sure. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and moved to NYC about 6 1/2 years ago to pursue writing, acting, and producing. I started my own production company last year with three other creative partners and we are working to produce interesting and original work.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in pursuing a creative field?

Leah: Yes. It was never a thought-out plan for me but more something that I realized early on I loved to do. As time went on I felt like there was no other field that I felt as comfortable or as useful in. It was the only field I felt like I could get lost in for hours and enjoy every minute of those hours.

Twenty Two: What inspired you to start Perf Productions?

Leah: Perf Productions started when Meredith Edwards (also from Perf) and I started working on our first original multi-media play, Degeneration X, about 3 1/2 years ago. It started off as just her and me sitting in her living room day after day, working on the story. I already knew and was working on a play with Lin, and after the three of us met Maria, we realized the four of us were all actresses who were tired of waiting around to be discovered. We all loved to act but also recognized ourselves as producers, writers and directors. After Meredith and I handed over our script to the other ladies for review, we realized that in order to get the show up and running the four of us needed to band together and produce the work ourselves, instead of waiting around for someone else to do it.

From there we started viewing ourselves as a production company and we set off to take on the responsibility of producing such an intricate play, which contained 50% film and 50% live theatre. It was a big undertaking but the project brought us closer together as artists, producers, friends and business partners. It showed us that we had the ability to create the work that we had always wanted to be a part of. The four of us have been married now for over a year.

Twenty Two: Why did you decide to make “Degeneration X” a multi-media play?

Leah: The story centers around a young illustrator who finds out he has a rare syndrome called Charles Bonnet Syndrome, which causes someone who is losing their sight to vividly hallucinate, not being able to tell the difference between reality and hallucination. Meredith and I were very interested in creating a multi-media play that would tell one cohesive story and when I heard about the syndrome I was fascinated by the fact that the person who has it has to exist in two separate realities simultaneously. This story seemed to call out for multi-media and we used film, illustration, motion graphics and music to show the surreal part of the lead character’s world. We didn’t want to do multi-media for the sake of multi-media, but instead we were looking to weave film and theatre in a seamless way that would let the audience fully experience the character’s psychological, visual and emotional state.

Twenty Two: What are some of the benefits you’ve encountered working with an all-female theatre and production company?

Leah: In a male-dominated business, I think the benefits come from knowing that we have to work even harder in order to be taken seriously. We put 150% into everything we do because we know that if we don’t then we run the risk of being seen as the weaker sex in a tough business. Our aim is to use the fact that we are all women to veer away from gender roles and show people that talent and drive is sexless. At first you notice that we are four women, but after a little while we hope you ultimately realize that we are artists and producers first, women second. Not to mention, women are fabulous multitaskers and we love to take on any challenge that comes our way. Try and tell us not to and it makes us come back even stronger.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your acting style?

Leah: The reason I am attracted to acting is because I feel like it is somewhere where I can both lose myself and find myself in the process. I like to think of my style as primal, blending both technique and that unexplainable mystery that comes from performing. I try to never know what is going to happen when I am acting, so that each time I perform my experience is utterly new and unpredictable. I like surprising myself as much as I can, which causes me to dig deep into the work I am doing to constantly find something new and interesting within whatever character I am portraying. Of course it is a constant process and challenge to attain that free feeling, but that process and search is what keeps me performing.

Twenty Two: What techniques do you use to get into a role?

Leah: I assume it is different for everyone, but for me I like to begin my preparation in advance by discovering little things about my character that would make them stand out: What kind of music would they listen to? What would they wear? What decisions would they make that are different than my own? I like living their life as if it were my own, so I try to do acting exercises either by myself or with other actors where I go out into the “real” world as my character and live as they would, without any bias or judgment. And then from there comes working within the script, finding meaning in each word spoken, each action taken, rehearsals and all that fun stuff.

Twenty Two: Is there a particular role you’d like to play or actor you’d like to work with?

Leah: Hmm… I would love to work with any actor any time because other actors challenge me and inspire me. I learn something new about myself and them each time we rehearse or perform and that is the exciting part about acting for me. It’s about agreeing to be completely vulnerable and honest with another willing participant. It’s an agreement you make as actors that is what draws me to the craft. As for a particular role I would like to play, well I would like to get better and better at playing foreigners, working on different accents and mannerisms in order to portray different cultures and races without being stereotypical. I am multi-racial so this interests me greatly.

Twenty Two: In addition to acting and producing, you’ve mentioned that you’re also a writer. How would you describe your writing style?

Leah: I like to consider my writing honest. I will not pick up a pen or type anything unless I am called to do so. It is a feeling within me that I try to stay true to because I refuse to release work that doesn’t have every inch of me embodied in it. I like to use humor in order to portray darkness and light, since life is the same way.

Twenty Two: How has growing up in Los Angeles and living in New York influenced your work?

Leah: Growing up in LA, you are surrounded by the entertainment industry almost from the day you are born. Your life is literally a set, with things being filmed in your neighborhoods constantly. It made me open my eyes to the magic of creativity. Los Angeles is a place of creativity, absurdity and constant possibilities. The reason I was drawn to New York though was the theatre scene. When I arrived here I realized that I was taking those experiences to another level, because NYC is in a class by itself when it comes to making your dreams a reality. Both cities have given me a real and surreal take on human beings, society, politics, caste systems and such. Each coast has its own vibe and I am thankful to be able to experience the beauty and darkness of both.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working, how do you spend your time?

Leah: I have recently been really into discovering all the little gardens in Manhattan. It sounds unexciting but those little gardens offer places of peace amidst the concrete jungle. Aside from my search for greenery, I love to dance, go to plays/concerts, travel, ride my bike and do things that are guaranteed to make me nervous. Currently I am in rehearsals for a new play at The Living Theatre and I am excited about spending my time that way. And of course there is nothing like being around my friends and family, who are all unique and inspiring.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Leah: More original work. More travel. I hope to be consistently writing, producing and acting domestically and internationally until the day I die.

A special thanks to Leah for giving us the opportunity to learn more about her work. You can keep up with Perf Productions by checking out their website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Recommended Reading

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This week we chatted with Benjamin Leon of Diego’s Umbrella, a gypsy rock band based out of San Francisco. In the latest installment of our interview series, Benjamin discusses the band’s unique sound, working in a sextet, and how he spends his free time.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Benjamin: My name is Benjamin Leon. I’ve been playing music since I was about 6 years old, from piano to drums, and then later I picked up guitar and started singing. I’ve known Tyson and Vaughn for about ten years, but I was playing in my own group in Los Angeles for most of that time. They knew I was burning out in LA so they kidnapped me at a Pinkberry in 2008 and we’ve been riding around in a van together ever since.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in music and performing?

Benjamin: As a little kid I was hoping to make a career out of reading comic books, but since high school, yes.

Twenty Two: Each member of the band has coined a colorful title, like Jason Kleinberg the Gypsy and Jake Wood the Samurai. What’s the story behind these names?

Benjamin: Everyone in this band is a weirdo. The members’ titles reflect that. Kleinberg, in fact, is so weird that he has about 40 different titles and pet names. Most of those are less print-friendly than “The Gypsy.”

Twenty Two: Diego’s Umbrella has been touted as San Francisco’s Ambassadors of Gypsy Rock. Can you speak more about this?

Benjamin: We were flipping through the San Francisco Yellow Pages, and Gypsy Rock wasn’t yet claimed here. We seized the opportunity.

Twenty Two: How would you describe the band’s sound?

Benjamin: We call it Gypsy Rock. To be specific, it’s a bunch of big, danceable pop-rock songs, tricked out with flamenco guitar and gypsy fiddle. It’s a good time.

Twenty Two: What are some of the difficulties you encounter as a sextet when you’re working on new music? Is there a lot of headbutting?

Benjamin: Less than you might expect. We’ve become more organized, particularly over the course of making, “Proper Cowboy.”  Vaughn, Tyson and I workshopped all the tunes, and a bunch that didn’t quite make it, until we were satisfied, and then we would hustle them into the studio.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on your latest album, “Proper Cowboy”?

Benjamin: We have dubbed it a “Futuristic Spaghetti Western,” which feels pretty accurate to me. However, Roger Ebert said, “It’s like Gogol Bordello, Muse and Skrillex smoking electronic cigarettes while skating a half-pipe on the moon.”

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Benjamin: We get a huge charge out of our fans. We love playing live and getting people off with what we do. We are always trying to think of what new angle, hook, sound or visual will get people cranking harder than before.

Twenty Two: How has living in San Francisco influenced your work?

Benjamin: I don’t quite know how it has crept into the work for me personally, other than to say I love it here and I hated living in LA. Every day that I wake up in San Francisco I feel incredibly grateful.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working on music, how do you spend your time?

Benjamin: I keep it pretty simple. I watch a lot of movies. I like to cook, write, spend time with the lady. We are on the road so much, and in loud, drunken places so often that I savor the peace and quiet of home life when I can get it. I know not everybody in the group is that way; Tyson is still a party animal when he comes home.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Benjamin: The show is always getting bigger and better, and I think it’s going to go very big in 2013. Maybe a ritual sacrifice every night, or even a live birth. Also a team-up album with Dolly Parton.

Twenty Two: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Benjamin: Work your ass off, and keep working your ass off. And team up with people who work hard — don’t bother carrying dead weight. I am fortunate to have fallen in with such hard-working people.

A special thanks to Benjamin for giving us the opportunity to learn more about his music. You can keep up with Diego’s Umbrella by checking out their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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This week we chatted with Brennan Smiley of The Technicolors, a rock band based out of Phoenix. In the latest installment of our interview series, Brennan discusses his musical background, the new album, and the influence of the Phoenix heat.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Brennan: I am a singer and guitar player in a rock & roll band. I am also of Welsh descent.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in music and performing?

Brennan: I became interested in performing music around the age of 13, but I’ve been obsessed with anything musically related since the age of 2, when I first started playing drums.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your sound?

Brennan: Our sound is very loud. Melodic and eclectic rock & roll that sounds familiar, but very fresh.

Twenty Two: What’s the process you go through when you’re working on new music?

Brennan: Anything goes. Sometimes I’ll bring a tune to the guys and we’ll work it out. Other times they just pop out of a sound check or a conversation over lunch.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on your sophomore album, “Listener”?

Brennan: This is technically our debut, since our ‘first’ record was actually a solo project that we slapped the band name on before we released it. None of us (except for me) actually played on it. But readers, you can expect to hear a record that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is full of big choruses, plenty of guitars, and an overall good time.

Twenty Two: The Technicolors played at SXSW this year. What did you get the most from this experience?

Brennan: We were able to pack out the club, plus a large crowd outside that were into it. We’ve never felt an energy like that before. It definitely lifted us up and reminded us why we’re doing this.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Brennan: Everywhere. Even bad songs on the radio. That’s where it gets fun. If you can write a good tune based on an awful lick you heard in a bad pop song, that’s a fun victory.

Twenty Two: Whose musical career would you like to emulate?

Brennan: Any of the guitar bands out there that aren’t afraid to be big and write big songs about
big things. We’re very inspired by that.

Twenty Two: How has living in Phoenix influenced your work?

Brennan: I love the desert, and I love the heat. It wears you down in the summer, which definitely reflects itself in our songwriting, whether we’re embracing it or trying to run the other way.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working on music, how do you spend your time?

Brennan: Completing online interviews. And working on more music (but seriously).

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Brennan: Songs that keep getting better and better. And louder. I promise.

A special thanks to Brennan for giving us the opportunity to learn more about his music. You can keep up with The Technicolors by checking out their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

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• Interview: Avi Vinocur & Patrick Dyer Wolf of Goodnight, Texas
• Interview: Shannon Harney, Musician
• Interview: Natasha Harden of Halmoni Vintage

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This week we chatted with Avi Vinocur and Patrick Dyer Wolf of Goodnight, Texas, a folksy band with an old-fashioned sound rooted in both San Francisco and North Carolina. In the latest installment of our interview series, Avi and Patrick discuss their Civil War era aesthetic, their sources of inspiration, and working from both coasts.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Goodnight, Texas: No. Well, okay. We live very far away from one another, and we are in a band together, which presents some logistical problems from time to time. Avi owns a lot of cool guitars and can shred. Patrick likes to cook, mostly stir-fry, and look at Google Maps.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in music and performing?

Goodnight, Texas: Avi once dreamed of being a major league shortstop, but had to stop short of achieving that dream. But seriously, we’ve been into playing music for a long time, both of us. Maybe not from age 0, but, like, age 7.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your sound?

Goodnight, Texas: Old-timey, lyrical, dark. Garage-Appalachian. The Black Keys making friends with Simon and Garfunkel 130 years ago.

Twenty Two: Why did you choose to embrace an old-timey sound and aesthetic? The photos on your website remind me of My Daguerrotype Boyfriend.

Goodnight, Texas: First of all, My Daguerrotype Boyfriend is amazing. Thank you for this. Albert Ball is a dreamboat. Died while chasing the Red Baron? Song-worthy. Anyway. I think the mystery of reaching back into that time period fascinates us. Thinking about people sitting around and writing and talking without any electronics around. People just existing without any internet footprint. Just living their lives, and we only have distant memories and faded pictures of them.

Twenty Two: What’s the process you go through when you’re working on new music?

Goodnight, Texas: This could change as we go, who knows, but in general, we’ve each been writing full songs and them presenting them to each other, ironically, via modern technology, and then when we meet in person every couple months, we work out new parts and flesh the songs out with the full band. We have been starting to write new songs together, but that’s more challenging than it looks.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on your upcoming album, “A Long Life of Living”?

Goodnight, Texas: Sounds made with steel and wood, covered in dust.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Goodnight, Texas: Hard to tell until it comes! I think in the genesis of Goodnight, Texas we have been inspired by simplicity and weight; songs that could have gone in busier or more modern directions just seemed more powerful when we stripped them down to the natural wood.

A lot of the songs on the record are stories about long ago or things that have no specific time setting. Some come from our own lives. The thought of tying a thread of reality from the present back to the mid-nineteenth century inspires us.

Twenty Two: Whose musical career would you like to emulate?

Goodnight, Texas: We really admire a band from Charleston, SC called Shovels and Rope. It’s just Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent banging on drums and playing guitars and it’s filthy. Their career is still young but I think we could do much worse than follow in some of their footsteps.

Twenty Two: How has living in San Francisco and North Carolina, respectively, influenced your work?

Goodnight, Texas: I think both places have very interesting synergy of musical styles. The Triangle area in North Carolina has a lot of indie meets bluegrass meets folk meets whatever, with bands like The Love Language and the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Lost in the Trees. San Francisco has a long and fertile history of being a music hotbed, and we’ve gotten to witness really great development in the folk scene just in the past several years. So it’s been great to be around all of that. But also, the pace of life between the two places is different. It’s a definite contrast, and I think contrast plays a big role in our music, in dynamics, complexity, emotion, and style.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working on music, how do you spend your time?

Goodnight, Texas: Avi works for a noted American rock band, drinks whiskey neat, and wears an SF Giants hat. His lady just came back from a year of traveling around the world with her job. Patrick works for a landscaper (read: shovels dirt), goes for runs, and hangs out with his dog, Boondoggle. He will be wed in the spring.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Goodnight, Texas: We hope to perfect the art of playing the greatest dive bars of America and beyond. We hope to learn to ride horses. We want to take up smoking cigars. We want to keep playing the sounds that inspire us to play music, and we want to get that music to as many people as we can.

A special thanks to Avi and Patrick for giving us the opportunity to learn more about Goodnight, Texas. You can keep up with them by checking out their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Recommended Reading

• Interview: Shannon Harney, Musician
• Interview: Natasha Harden of Halmoni Vintage
• Interview: Erin Huizenga of EPIC

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This week we chatted with Shannon Harney, a pre-med student and musician based out of San Francisco. In the latest installment of our interview series, Shannon discusses her new album, her inspiration, and what she does in her downtime.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Shannon: I’m a galactic sky-walker, first of all. I turn 25 on Monday. I grew up in the redwoods above Half Moon Bay and aside from my stint as a pre-med student at UC Davis, I can’t seem to tear myself away from the Bay Area. I like to spend a lot of time staring really closely at natural design… rock formations, flowering bodies, tree-lines. Most of my curiosity about the world stems from a fundamental fascination with evolution and natural history. I think we learn a lot about human relationships by observing the innate cycles around us. Also, I really really love pickles, and spicy food, and crafty cocktails and vintage clothes.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in music and performing?

Shannon: Yup. I started doing musical theatre when I was really small and most of my performing until college was on the stage. I sang in plays, but I don’t have a trained technical voice, so it never really went anywhere. I thought I was kind of a lackluster vocalist until I started listening to Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor and I was like, “Nice! I don’t have to do vibrato to be awesome!” But my shows now definitely have an element of theatre to them. I can’t help it. I never really grew out of being an ostentatious five-year-old.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your sound?

Shannon: Seriously. I always sweat over the “genre” and “tagging” part of this business. I mean, in short, folk. Or indie-folk. I’ve been calling it forest-folk recently. It’s all very lyric driven, very communicative and emotive. I’m not writing to make people dance or as background music in a bar. I really want to talk to my audience, to look them in the face and tell them a story. If my fingers accidentally knock against some piano keys in the process, then that sounds nice, too.

Twenty Two: What’s the process you go through when you’re working on new music?

Shannon: I take a lot of time. I hear about musicians who write songs every day, every other day, but that is just not possible for me. I really need impetus to create; I don’t like grasping for straws to come up with content or a theme. Most of my songs are products of long bike rides or gardening sessions when I’m left to my own internal dialogue.

Twenty Two: What can our readers expect to hear on your latest album, “Cat Called”?

Shannon: You will hear a lot about me. Past romances, their climaxes and subsequent dissolutions. I began writing about my experience as a twentysomething in the city, too. Evolving away from being exclusively a love song girl was an awesome journey and I really wanted to capture the moment that I’m experiencing with my friends right now. Being an artist, not going to grad school, wanting to plow ahead earnestly in music and shed off any trepidation or anxiety and all of the obstacles and stimuli that make that very difficult.

Aurally though, there’s a calmness to my sound, an irregularity to my piano style that comes from being self-taught, a singing voice that certainly incorporates elements from my days as a spoken word poet, rhythmically and also tonally.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Shannon: At present, in reoccurring themes in my life regarding adulthood, the coming of age in a society that has a very specific measure for success. I’m also a very noun oriented person; I could probably make an album just reciting a list of my favorite objects. I’m often inspired by a short burst of adjacent sounds and the song will build up around it. As I mentioned, I’m fascinated by the out-of-doors, the resilience of non-human structures & anatomies, so I reference nature a lot as well.

Twenty Two: Whose musical career would you like to emulate?

Shannon: It’s been interesting this past year to begin really studying other performers’ careers and observe their breakthroughs and setbacks reflected in their music, tour schedules or releases. I’ve always really admired other female songwriters from the wild of California: Alela Diane, Mariee Sioux, Joanna Newsom… women who have prioritized the slow and steady over the commercial and hyped.

Twenty Two: How has living in San Francisco influenced your work?

Shannon: Meeting so many artists of various disciplines has been amazing and I’ve really grown into the idea of community-powered art and events. Not just “a concert” or “a play”, but everything at once. Food. Movement. Visual art. Aural art. Fashion and costumes. San Francisco has an incredibly rich culture of collaboration and I love seeing what components artists link together… there are so many surprises.

Twenty Two: Who are some of your favorite musicians at the moment?

Shannon: I just can’t get over these duos of electronic musicians and vocalists. Made In Heights, The XX, the new SBTRKT album, Little Dragon, Phantom from Finland. The confluence of electronic music and organic voice is one of my favorite sounds and I’ll hopefully be exploring that a bit on my next record.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working on music, how do you spend your time?

Shannon: Operating my adult day-care in San Francisco. Drinking tea, cruising the neighborhood, playing chess and drinking bourbon, driving up PCH and finding the best taco trucks. But I mean, the music thing is really more of lifestyle than an activity I partake in. It colors everything I do, everyone I spend time with, all of my tastes and hobbies.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Shannon: I’m looking forward to recording another album early in 2013, collaborating with some electronic producers, expanding the instrumentation and scope of my sound. I’ll be shooting my first music video this fall to coincide with my first Pacific Northwest Tour in October. I’m interested in exploring mixed media a bit more, too; using projections, poetry, and dance in an effort to bolster my live performance. I want to push against the idea that I’m just like, “a singer” now, because it isn’t the case.

Twenty Two: Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Shannon: It has been profound to work with other musicians while creating my band and it has made me really appreciate the value of rehearsal time. It’s important to find the balance between over-rehearsed music that loses its edge and emotive power, and wanting to preserve that freshness too much and failing to orchestrate something beautiful and intentional. So booking studio time has proven key.

A special thanks to Shannon for giving us the opportunity to learn more about her music. You can keep up with her by checking out her website, Facebook, SoundCloud, BandCamp, MySpace, and YouTube.

If you’re in the Bay Area, check out Shannon’s live show tomorrow at Cafe Van Kleef in Oakland.

Recommended Reading

• Interview: Natasha Harden of Halmoni Vintage
• Interview: Erin Huizenga of EPIC
• Interview: Jen Page, Screenwriter & Tutor

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This week we chatted with Natasha Harden, the founder and owner of Halmoni Vintage in East Oakland. In the latest installment of our interview series, Natasha discusses her inspiration for opening up shop, her store’s focus on women of color and all body types, and her personal style.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Natasha: I am originally from NY, born and raised in the Boogie Down Bronx. I am the owner of Halmoni, a vintage boutique in Oakland, CA, which means I breathe, sleep and eat vintage. I am also a double Virgo with a Cancer moon, born in the year of the rooster.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in fashion and specifically vintage clothing?

Natasha: When I was younger I actually hated fashion and shopping. I thought fashion was pretentious because I couldn’t afford to keep up with the constantly changing trends and name brands that didn’t suit me or my body type. Finding plus-size, fashion forward clothing was a chore and it wasn’t until I was introduced to thrifting and vintage which helped to change my perspective on fashion. Shopping at thrift stores and vintage boutiques that carried clothes that fit my body type helped me to be more of an individual in the sea of NYC.

Twenty Two: What inspired you to open Halmoni Vintage?

Natasha: I could be considered a borderline hoarder. I love collecting things. I have stuff everywhere in my apartment so when I was unemployed last year and was trying to figure out which direction to turn, I created my own career that fuels my addiction to stuff. I’m a thrifting maniac and have always been into buying things that were just cool. I like to think of myself as the search and rescue team for all things vintage.

Twenty Two: How do you differentiate your store from others?

Natasha: My point of view on vintage is very different because of who I am and where I come from. Women of color are not really represented in the vintage industry and I want to change that. I am also very community-oriented so my shop is more than a vintage boutique — I see it as a cultural center for the neighborhood.

Twenty Two: What features do you look for in a garment when you’re adding new merchandise?

Natasha: I have this spidey sense about vintage. I can just feel the past energy of an item vibrating and I am drawn to it. When I am out on the hunt for merchandise, patterns, colors and textures always play a role in what I pick to curate the shop.

Twenty Two: Can you tell us about some of the events you host, like A Naked Lady Soiree, Women of Color Entrepreneurs Meet and Mingle, and the First Friday Art Party?

Natasha: The Art Parties have been a huge success. We host local artists every month and it brings out the neighborhood, which has been so supportive.

A Naked Lady Soiree is a clothing swap here at the shop for women of all body types to create community, form support networks and, of course, get new clothes. Clothes that are left over from the swap are then donated to a homeless shelter for youth here in Oakland. The next Naked Lady Soiree is on September 23rd from 6-8pm at the shop!

I am currently planning another Women of Color Entrepreneur Meet and Mingle for the fall. I started this event so that I could create a support network for women of color who are business owners and entrepreneurs. I have just completed my first year in business and there are so many questions one has when they open a business and this was my way of creating a space to talk about things like that.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your own personal style?

Natasha: I am like a fashionable grandma and librarian had a baby together who was born and raised in one of the fashion meccas of the world, NYC.

Twenty Two: What are some of your favorite clothing stores in the Bay Area?

Natasha: The only thing I buy new are my underwear and Vans so it is hard for me to answer that question. I heart Thrift Town (the East Coast doesn’t have Thrift Towns) because they always have a tag that is 50% off and they have punch cards so you can eventually get $10 off your next purchase.

Twenty Two: How has growing up in New York and living in Oakland influenced your work?

Natasha: Growing up in New York has definitely influenced who I am and what I do. Because New York has so many people, in many ways it can be difficult to stand out as an individual. So it brews this “in your face” type of fashion sense and I definitely have that. Oakland helps to nurture my inner Cali girl because I love how laid-back and stylish it is. Oakland has also helped to sprout all the seeds I have sowed in my life.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working, how do you spend your time?

Natasha: I am an aqua aerobics fiend. I love it so hard because sweating is not an issue when you are in water and it is part of my self-care. (I am not an exercise type of person.) I also like to veg out watching Law & Order.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Natasha: I want to be on TV, so stay tuned!

Twenty Two: What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Natasha: Don’t let anything stop you because everything in life is a negotiation. Forget about credit, loans or whatever else is a hurdle. Take action!

A special thanks to Natasha for giving us the opportunity to learn more about her shop. You can keep up with Halmoni Vintage by checking out their website, Twitter, and blog.

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• Interview: Sharon Hardy of Sweet Potato Pet Photos
• Interview: Genevieve Santos of Le Petit Elefant
• Interview: Megan Weinerman, Copywriter & Author

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This week we chatted with Erin Huizenga, the founder and executive director of EPIC, an organization based in Chicago that pairs talented creatives with ambitious non-profits. In the latest installment of our interview series, Erin discusses the causes that she’s most drawn to, a few of the Windy City’s note-worthy non-profits, and her inspiration.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Erin: I’m passionate about helping good people and organizations fulfill their purpose. I love design, education and doing nice things for people. I’ve lived and worked in Chicago for eleven years. I’m married to an amazing man, Chris, and we have a firecracker two-year-old, Knox, who makes me smile every day.

Twenty Two: Can you describe your experience of starting a non-profit from scratch?

Erin: It was simply about putting one foot in front of the other. Every day I learned something new and the next day, I built on what I learned. I knew what I wanted the mission to be, and the part about actually starting the NPO officially was all about understanding and proper paperwork.

Twenty Two: EPIC works with many social service non-profits dedicated to education, children, and families. Which causes are you most drawn to?

Erin: We chose this focus area because I personally feel that the non-profits that focus on these missions are generally the most underserved in terms of attention and marketing. Many of these organizations have such amazing missions but they don’t know how to tell their own stories to the world. That’s where EPIC comes in.

Twenty Two: What are some of the factors you consider when you’re matching a team of creatives with a non-profit?

Erin: The most important thing when we are vetting creatives is that the work is really, really strong and that they have a heart for service. The most important thing when we are vetting non-profit candidates is that their mission and organizational infrastructure is strong and that they are truly ready for the change that EPIC will bring to their organization. When we are matching teams together, we think about how well the team will bond over the non-profit we’ve selected.

Twenty Two: Can you name a few emerging non-profits in Chicago that are worth paying attention to?

Erin: Barrel of Monkeys, Garfield Park Little League (our current client), Blue Sky Bakery, and the list goes on and on! We’ve worked with 26 clients over the last three years and each one is amazing and inspiring in its own way.

Twenty Two: In addition to running EPIC, you also come from a design background and work at gravitytank, an innovation firm. How have you married your interests in design and non-profit work?

Erin: I believe that continuing to design and lead work serves to inspire what can happen for EPIC. I love taking what I’m learning from corporate clients and thinking about how those ideas might strengthen EPIC and its clients. Plus, there’s an educational component to both being a professional designer and a non-profit leader. I love sharing knowledge and stories that will help make things and people better.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration?

Erin: One-on-one conversations about ambition with friends and colleagues, dreaming up new ideas with my husband Chris, coffee shops, vintage stores, playing with my son, overcoming a challenge that seems impossible.

Twenty Two: How has living in Chicago influenced your work?

Erin: I think it’s fair to say it’s influenced my work style more than my work. Everyone here can dream and do. No one questions your sanity if you come up with a completely crazy idea. I love that.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working, how do you spend your time?

Erin: With our two-year-old son, traveling, playing at the beach, with extended family.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Erin: More programming for EPIC that will engage more creatives in doing good and solving real problems (to be revealed shortly!).

Twenty Two: Do you have any advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs?

Erin: Think of every challenge as an opportunity to learn and get better for next time. Be the hardest working person you know.

A special thanks to Erin for giving us the opportunity to learn more about EPIC. You can keep up with her by checking out her website, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Recommended Reading

• Interview: Sharon Hardy of Sweet Potato Pet Photos
• Interview: Genevieve Santos of Le Petit Elefant
• Interview: Megan Weinerman, Copywriter & Author

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This week we chatted with Jen Page, an aspiring screenwriter and tutor based out of Los Angeles. In the latest installment of our interview series, Jen discusses her screenplay, her experiences of working in a public school and at a private tutoring company, and some of her favorite writers.

Twenty Two: Let’s start with the basics. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Jen: Sure. My full name is Jennifer Sara Page but most people call me Jen. I turned thirty-eight a couple weeks ago, am half Black, half Swedish and was born and raised in Los Angeles.

Twenty Two: Have you always been interested in writing?

Jen: Yes. When I was thirteen years old, I visited my family in Sweden for my birthday. My Aunt Gunilla gave me a pink journal with a picture of the family’s German Shepard on the front. I began writing in that journal immediately. Putting pen to paper came naturally to me. At first I was interested in expressing my emotions through writing. (I went through a teenage angst poetry phase.) Then I became interested in writing songs. Then, after working at a movie production company doing script coverage, I began to dabble in screenplay writing. It’s been a long process to get to the point where I actually think I’m good enough to sell something.

Twenty Two: You’ve written a screenplay based on your essay entitled, “Chasing the Rock.” In it, you discuss your father’s decline as a music arranger following the emergence of the synthesizer. Can you tell us more about it?

Jen: My father was a successful music arranger in the late sixties through the eighties. He worked on countless hits from, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” by The Righteous Brothers to Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All.” And when I would go to the sessions as a child I was mesmerized by these amazing musicians doing what they do best. These sessions included massive orchestras with dozens of violin players, harpists and percussion instruments of all kinds. But as the seventies came to a close, many of these musicians found themselves out of work because synthesizers and sampling made it possible for record executives to cut albums using no musicians at all, i.e. smaller budgets. Add in the rise of crack cocaine and the financial recession of the eighties, the music industry became a graveyard of music careers. I want to pay homage to all those musicians that lost their careers doing something they loved and, most importantly, spent most of their lives training and practicing for. So that’s the macro side of this phenomenon. On the micro side of things I saw my father deteriorate right in front of my eyes. He was grappling with addiction, but he was also struggling with living life without playing or writing music. Something in him died when that was taken away from him. So the topic is intensely personal for me. Writing the screenplay was definitely cathartic to say the least.

Twenty Two: Which topics are you drawn to writing about most often?

Jen: I did a lot of writing when I moved from Los Angeles to New York City to go to Columbia University. Something about the contrast between these two vastly different cities was very inspiring to me.

I’m drawn to writing about women’s issues as well. I grew up with a mother that told me I was going to marry a prince. I believed that he would show up one day. I know it sounds ridiculous but on a subconscious level I never gave up on that dream. But once I found myself thirty years old with no husband, I began to question just how much having a family and a husband defined who I was. I bought into societies’ traditional gender roles and ended up feeling like shit because I couldn’t live up to what was expected of me. When I took a Women and Gender Studies class at Barnard I learned so much about how women have been oppressed and how we have bought into the system of oppression.

Women still look at marriage as some form of social capital, still marry for money, and still define themselves as the objects in their relationships. Not all women, but many of us buy into these antiquated notions on some level. This fascinates me. The modern day women’s movement is hard to define because we’ve come so far. But there are still ways in which women fall prey to lies we’ve been told like I did with the prince fairy tale. So I’m drawn to writing about what these lies are and how we can break free from them.

Twenty Two: How would you describe your writing style?

Jen: Hmm, that’s a tough one for me. I strive to have a style that is down-to-earth and not removed from reality. I don’t believe in being overly intellectual. People that use big words just to make themselves look smart get on my nerves. So I try to keep my writing style as true to my own voice as possible. I would like to believe that I’m funny and witty and that my personality comes across on the page. I don’t care if people think I’m smart. I just want them to learn something.

Twenty Two: Which writers do you identify with the most?

Jen: Virginia Woolf, Nora Ephron, Joan Didion, Aaron Sorkin and Maya Angelou. And then there’s that other darker part of me that relates to Ernest Hemingway. I’m the daughter of two alcoholics, so it comes with the territory.

Twenty Two: You’re currently working towards earning your teaching credential and you also tutor. What have you learned the most from these experiences?

Jen: It’s really sad to say but what I learned most about getting my teaching credentials is that the public school system is a dying institution. No amount of money will fix a system that is broken. What I learned during my student teaching is that the teachers that truly care are a dying breed and are the minority. I learned that LAUSD is slashing music and arts programs, that teachers can be absent over ten times in a semester with no repercussions – which would be entirely unacceptable and any other place of employment. I learned that students are given over-processed uneatable food to eat for lunch, and I learned that being a teacher in the public school system is one of the hardest jobs out there. As a registered Democrat it pains me to say that Republicans are right. Public schools should be dismantled and we should institute a private school system that allows parents the control and variety over where they send their students to get their education. I did not think that way before my semester of student teaching.

My tutoring experience has taught me that the only way to help students that are struggling with school is through one-on-one instruction. Every brain works differently. I have a theory that the more information human beings are given the more ways our brain will to learn process that information.

Public school teachers are not given any time to figure out how each child learns. In the public school system they give teachers a class of thirty students, all of them with different methods of cognitive functions. These teachers are not given any time to figure out how each child learns. In fact most of the teachers’ time is spent getting students ready for state mandated tests. When I was student teaching I would be in the middle of an engaging lesson plan that the students seemed to enjoy but then a state mandated test would pause my instruction and take the students on a different track that had nothing to do with what we were learning. But with tutoring, I get to spend a whole hour with one student figuring out how he or she learns best. It’s infinitely more rewarding than teaching at public school because I know I’m actually making a difference on how these students will process information in the future. Our brains are malleable. What neurons fire together, wire together. But if ya can’t get the neurons to fire… let’s just say I do have compassion for teachers that are given a broken system to teach in and are also being blamed for failing to educate our youth.

Keep in mind the tutoring company I work for charges an astronomical amount for their services. So what this all boils down to is that students with money will get the best education, while students without money will get the scraps of what the government can afford to give them. Something has to change. Kids don’t deserve that.

What all this has taught me is that, while I do have a passion for educating youth, my number one goal is to be a writer. I feel I can impact people’s lives by telling stories we all can learn from.

Twenty Two: Where do you find inspiration for your work?

Jen: I find inspiration from nature. I usually come up with ideas to write about while on a jog on the beach or hiking somewhere. I also find inspiration from reality. I find non-fiction to be inspiring because real life is so interesting that I rarely draw inspiration from fantasy. I’m interested in all life: from the dregs of the human condition, struggle and heartache, but also through love and light and all things spiritual.

I have an amazing group of friends and family, all going through life’s ups and downs. I draw inspiration from them as well. Nothing is more interesting to me than reality and flesh. I’ve written one science fiction screenplay and even that is based on events that I’ve gone through and witnessed in my life. I use my writing to try and find the lesson in the reality of mine and my friend’s lives.

Twenty Two: How has studying in New York and living in Los Angeles influenced your work?

Jen: Studying in New York deeply influenced my work. For those people that think higher education is BS, I have to beg to differ. My eyes were opened up to so many new ways of looking at life. I am forever indebted to Columbia University for helping me become a critical thinker and, by default, a better human being. (And might be forever indebted to them financially, too. Wink, wink.)

Whether through its beautiful landscapes to its diverse population, Los Angeles will always be my true muse. Being a native Angelino makes me a rare breed and that unique perspective will always influence my work. I saw and experienced so much growing up here that I could write one essay a week from my whole life and never run out of material.

Twenty Two: When you’re not working, how do you spend your time?

Jen: When I’m not working I spend my time at the gym, running on the beach, or doing yoga. I love to meditate because, let’s face it, without it I would be a basket case from hell. I love to read and watch movies. I am a die-hard Laker fan so I love watching NBA games and sports of all kinds. (I can’t wait for the Olympics!) And while I don’t necessarily need a TV, something about living in New York City and hearing intellectuals say, “ I don’t watch TV,” as if was some kind of sin? Let’s just say my reaction to that is watching the Real Housewives franchise, House Hunters International and PBS.

I’m very much a loner and spend the majority of my time by myself. I don’t mind doing things on my own, but am starting to realize that’s probably gonna have to change if I want a family of my own. Despite being a loner, I have the most amazing group of friends any gal could ask for. I’m a happy girl just drinking wine, talking and catching up with them. I also have a niece and nephew that are literally my reason for living. I try to spend as much time as I can with them.

Twenty Two: What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Jen: You can expect to see my name on a movie screen near you saying, “Screenplay written by Jennifer Page.”

A special thanks to Jen for giving us the opportunity to learn more about her work. You can keep up with her by checking out her blog.

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• Interview: Megan Weinerman, Copywriter & Author

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.