Quick Q and A with Joe Jencks
 by Kathy S-B  ·  6 January 2008

Hold onto your hats. This is one very honest and very interesting interview with one of the most relevant singer-songwriters on the scene today. I first got to know Joe Jencks at last summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in New York. He was roaming the campfires at night and played on the main stage as one of the Emerging Artists. I was immediately taken by his rich vocals and his rapport with his audience. His musicianship is a true vocation. Get a taste of Joe’s music by going to his MySpace page and checking out a few of his tunes.

Your most recent recording, The Candle and the Flame, has received kudos from all over and was ranked one of the top CDs in the folk charts for several months this year. It’s been said that it may be your most personal CD yet. Would you agree with that evaluation?

Yes… The Candle and The Flame is by far my most personal recording. I actually have an early recording that is out of print called The Phoenix, that is equally personal, but not as universal. I developed an aversion to “navel gazing” singer songwriters… self indulgent irrelevant introspection… stuff that belongs in a therapy session, not on stage. For many years I was focused as a story teller on ideas and stories outside of myself. I wanted to shine the light on the depth of human experience and use songwriting as a form of journalism. This, combined with my Irish heritage drew me toward ballads and historical narratives, labor music, social justice songs and music that was intended to have a positive social impact. But after many years, I realized that I was uncomfortable with being pigeon holed as a political writer. That is only one piece of my overall self. a few facets on a much larger stone. And some part of my self was beginning to atrophy as I tried to be the political guy at the expense of my whole self.

As I have matured as a writer… I have learned to blend the personal and the universal so that I can tell very personal stories, but do so in a way that is about sharing a common human experience, rather than asking the listener to be a therapist. One of my mentors in this regard is David Roth. He is a GOD of this sort of narrative… ‘the personal becomes the universal’ sort of thing. The Candle & the Flame is, in my opinion, a great synthesis of the many facets of my creative life. It is personal and universal, in is intimate and yet not without opinion. It is most of all a collection of songs I hope will draw people into their place of compassion and allow them to relate to others with a little more of that compassion.

First and foremost, your songs are songs of hopefulness. It’s been said that your entire musical career has ministered to people’s spirits. That’s a big responsibility but I guess you’re up for the challenge! It seems to me that the world is in such need of a hopeful voice. Have you noticed this deep craving from those who come to hear you sing? Has it intensified as the political climate has undergone such major changes as it has recently?

Absolutely! Hope is where it’s at. For all my talk of the personal… I am still very focused on helping us all move toward healing and transformation. There is one model of activism that comes from a place of anger and frustration. That is good. Women can vote, slavery was ended, social security exists… all because people got angry! But they did not stay in the place of anger… the people that lead those movements… the Harriet Tubmans and Susan B. Anthonys, the MLKs and Ghandis, Mandellas and Bikos of the world were able to affect a transformative change in their respective societies, because somewhere along the line, they transformed their own anger into RADICAL LOVE. They transformed their discontent into positive action, into a process of reaching across differences and building on the common ground.

This is what we most need in our society, I think. Yes we are a VERY diverse nation. And we are very threatened as a society by the ways in which we seem unable to accept that diversity… by the ways we allow our politics and our spiritual lives to create an “us” vs. “them” polarized paradigm. People on all sides are guilty of the name calling and the ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Whether it is from a religious standpoint, or from a political correctness standpoint. We all manage at one time or another, against our better thinking, to use our differences to elevate ourselves and put down another. We have all done it.

For me, the real path to healing and transformation is finding a way to assume intelligence and intent on the part of anyone I meet. As a story teller and songwriter, I must also be a journalist. And I cannot engage in any sort of journalistic process, unless I am willing to try and check my own bias at the door for a little while, and engage people on their own terms. I assume that they believe what they believe for a reason. And, my job is to understand why they believe what they believe. After that… I might be able to engage them in a conversation about what I believe. Then we can talk about where we go from there and seek common ground. But if we start the conversation by telling someone they are wrong (even if we think they are wrong) we will never see them as fully human, and therefore we will never value them for who they are. They will feel attacked and shut us out, and the conversation is over. We can never really love conditionally. We love Radically or we do not.

As a songwriter and a performer… I try to love my audience… and love the characters in my songs. I try to help the audience see across a divide of some sort, be it class, race, gender, age, whatever… I try to use music as a vehicle for finding that hope, for finding that common ground, for finding that place where we see each other’s humanity in full. Then we can have a conversation.

Pete Seeger and Holly Near (both known for their call-to-action type songs and their ability to make a difference with their songs) have both praised you as one of the next generation to carry on their traditions. You can’t get much better recommendations that that. Can you identify any songs by either of these two icons that have particularly inspired you?

Sure. Holly has a whole slew of songs that have influenced me. She is one of those artists that is SO GOOD at the transformation. She talks about hard stuff… and yet people leave her concerts and feel empowered and uplifted.. She has a song about a woman who stood in front of bull-dozers to stop them from tearing down her ancestral home in the Appalachian Mountains “I was born on this mountain, since first I was my mother’s daughter, and you can just take my dreams away, without me fighting, no you can’t just take my dreams away!” It is a bluesy impassioned song that is full of fight and full of heart too.

Holly also has a song that says, “I ain’t afraid of your Yahweh, I ain’t afraid of your Allah, I ain’t afraid of your Jesus, I’m afraid of what you do in the name of your God.” It is a powerful song about the ways in which fundamentalism threatens all humanity. And of course “We are a gentle angry people, and we are singing, singing for our lives…” Does it get more clear than that?

Pete has always been great at getting people to sing together. I think that is one of the pages I take from his book. I always get my audiences singing a few times at least during the evening. I have been blessed to sing in ensembles my whole life. I have been in choirs and I sang in church , I sang with my family and with friends. Singing is healing. And singing has been a part of my life since I was born. Literally. Part of what people like about Pete is that he is not just an entertainer… he is a song leader. The freedom singers, Bernice Johnson Reagan (who formed Sweet Honey in The Rock), they were focused on hope, and transformation. They made a difference. The Freedom Singers were the warm up act for Dr. King. They got people’s hearts open, got them crying and laughing and shook the crust off of their souls so that when Dr. King spoke, he was planting seeds on fertile ground.

The role of song leader is sacred to me, and I am honored to be spoken of in the same sentence as people like Pete, Holly, Si Khan, and so many others who are a part of the tradition.

You did an exceptional cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” What drew you to that song?

Thank You. I am proud of that cover. I think it is really solid. I have always loved that song… but it was my study of Buddhism that really drew me to it. Ticht Nat Hahn, one of the great interpreters of Buddhism to the western world, was invited to speak at a rally in NYC. They wanted him to come and denounce the war and rally the people. He said he would love to come over from his monastery in France… but that if he did so it would be to lead a silent walking meditation. He said, another rally is not going to make a statement for peace. But 500,000 people walking in silent meditation through the streets of Manhattan… that would be a statement for and a demonstration of peace. I heard this and thought… Sho’nuff! That is so right on! We try to scream louder than the other side as we shout for peace. But let them rather strain to hear our whisper. Let us simply be the peace we want to see (to turn a phrase from Ghandi). Let us Demonstrate what peace is. Can you imagine a greater contradiction to the chaos and business of NYC than half a million people marching in a silence? That would be something eh?

You have been closely identified with socially conscious and labor songs. How did that affiliation come about?

I was raised in a fairly progressive Catholic Parish, by parents who were aware of the world. My Mom was a left leaning feminist, my dad was a Reaganite Republican. But they were both Christian, and true disciples of the teachings of Jesus. And those teachings mandate that people practice Radical Love! My parents did that. Each from their own standpoint, each for their own reason, but they both practiced what they preached. And, they preached very little. Their faith was one that was lived simply and true. They were among the most gracious and generous people I ever knew. I was 19 when my dad died, and 24 when I lost my mom. It was tough both times. I have also buried one of my Brothers. Grief brings everything into focus. It helps us know what is important and what is not. Grief shatters our illusions and puts us face to face with who we really are.

The process of losing so many family members really focused the light of my convictions like a magnifying glass focuses the sunlight. It turned my convictions into a critical mass of energy that allows me (on a good day) to be bold enough to say what I mean and follow it up with meaningful actions. On other days… the convictions become the nagging on my heart and the discontent that keeps me reaching forward… no matter how down I might feel.

My siblings also were a big influence both politically and musically. I am the youngest of seven children in my family of origin, and they all had an impact on me. They still do. My sister Jean bought me my first Pete Seeger record, my mom introduced me to Revolutionary Irish Music. My dad loved old work songs. It just seeps in and we synthesize what makes sense to us. For me… the crossover of faith and social action just made sense. And it is still my belief that we have a divine mandate to make this world better than when we found it, to live lives that are about service and community and interconnectedness. We are obliged to allow our discontent to prompt us to act… for the betterment of our communities.. not just ourselves.

You’ve traveled extensively in Ireland. Can you give us a glimpse into what it’s like to be an American singer-songwriter plying your trade abroad? Any interesting anecdotes about your travels there?

I Love Ireland. And I was really well received there. I am planning my next tour, hopefully for the fall of 2008, or the spring of 2009. I carry dual citizenship… and until this year, I had never been “home” as it were. I went seeking a chance to know Ireland in the 21st century… not just the mythological version that is praised in song and in ad campaigns. I also went to see where my Mom’s family came from. It was cool. I felt a real connection to the people and the land. Especially the day we went out to dig peat. I felt like I was really getting to know the land that day.

Ireland is an amazing nation. Full of hurt, and full of desire to grow and heal and be whole in any way possible. That wholeness used to be about political unification. I feel like people there now are largely resigned to a political division, but they continue to work for economic and cultural commonality, and the Irish of every stripe seem more willing to forgive and embrace each other than ever before. I think the fact that their economy is so strong now, allows people to have a little breathing room ideologically speaking. And as they are a full member of the European Union, they are open to immigration from all other EU nations. The influx of genuinely “different” people, has allowed the Irish to see their commonality rather than their differences. There is room for more diversity and more tolerance. Struggles, old wounds? Still there. A desire to grow beyond them and build a solid Ireland in whatever form possible? Stronger than ever!

As a musician, I was taken with how much they wanted to hear old American work songs. My labor music was among the most popular in my repertoire over there. “John Henry” was my most requested song. They love the blues, and old cowboy swing stuff too. I snuck in some originals and they were also well received. But, there was an underlying hunger for the old American songs. I guess in the same way we yearn for old Irish songs. The grass is always greener on the other side of the ocean.

I can’t wait to go back, and I know that my love affair with Ireland will be life long. May it be a long life full of song!

So what about the future?

I am beginning to work with a number of other musicians including Helena Nash (Voice and Guitar) and Karen Michelle Bergmann (Cello & Voice). We are starting to travel under the name The New Chautauqua Ramblers. The Chautauqua movement started in 1874 by a couple of progressive Methodist ministers, who wanted to promote literacy, learning, and cultural bridge building. They gathered every year at Lake Chautauqua, in NY. They founded the Chautauqua institute, and later the Circuit Chautauqua traveling tent shows. The Circuit Chautauqua was an attempt to tour musicians, intellectuals, authors, artist, scientists, actors, etc., under a circus tent to small towns all over America. It was a way to bring the learning and culture and knowledge of the academic world to people who might not have access to it. It was an attempt to work toward intellectual and cultural and spiritual enlightenment… but it was tied in with entertainment and teaching and conversation. I thought it was a fitting name for what I am about, and what we are about as a band. I will keep you posted. But I am pleased that my friend Helena will be joining me for our concert in January. You will get to hear some of what we are up to, and how the added energy expands the power of the music exponentially.