|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
Return of a Runaway
JOAN JETT flies back to the present with up-to-date HFStival
from: Lifetimes.com
by Cathy Carter
One of the first women guitarists to make a serious mark in rock 'n' roll, JOAN JETT is about to make something of a prodigal return this Memorial Day weekend at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Jett was barely a teenager and a student at Randolph Hills Junior High School in nearby Wheaton when she first voiced her intentions to become a rock 'n' roll star. By age 15, she was playing clubs on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood as a member of the groundbreaking all-girl rock group, the RUNAWAYS.
As a solo artist, Jett went on to record nine top-40 hit singles and no fewer than eight gold and platinum albums. Many of today's female rockers cite the 45-year-old musician as a major influence.
When she returns with her band, the BLACKHEARTS, to perform at the weekend-long HFStival May 27 and 28, one can expect Jett's fans to turn out in full force to hear Maryland's most famous runaway.
Few artists can lay claim to such a diverse fan base as JOAN JETT. From the troops she has played to in Afghanistan to kids who weren't even born when "I Love Rock and Roll" was a No. 1 single, Jett remains relevant because she still believes in the power of music.
She has spent the last few years playing with, and producing music for, alternative rock bands. Jett and her partner/producer KENNY LAGUNA are currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of their Blackheart record label with the release of a CD by the Cleveland-based punk-rock band, The Vacancies.
"They're very socially oriented, and I think that probably inspired me to expand my own lyrical content," she says by phone from her home in New York.
Jett's own CD collection runs the gamut, says the musician. She listens to all kinds of music, but confides that there is a common theme to her favorites.
"A song has to connect with me deeply inside somehow," she notes. "It's not always in the same way, though. Sometimes it's through lyrics, sometimes through the melody. The resonance for me can come from an Indian chant or from a song by Minor Threat."
Joining Jett at the HFStival this year will be such mainstream acts as Kanye West and Counting Crows, and up-and-comers like Richmond, Virginia's Carbon Leaf, and current MTV favorites Matchbook Romance.
Being a fan herself, Jett says she's looking forward to sharing the bill with such a diverse lineup. "I expect to have a lot of fun, see a lot of great bands and meet a lot of great people."
Alternative music
The HFStival is one of the more popular yearly music festivals on the East Coast. It was started in 1992 by modern- rock radio station WHFS when it was based in Bethesda. It moved to Towson in 2005, when the station's D.C.-area frequency switched to a Spanish- language format. WHFS is now heard in the Baltimore region on 105.7 FM.
The first official HFStival was held at the Prince George's Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro. It was an instant success with new music fans. Then the event moved to RFK Stadium, where it remained for six years. Last year, the festival was held at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.
This year, the two-day event will play for the first time at the Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Jett fans who attend her concert on Sunday, May 28, will be among the first to hear songs from "SINNER," Jett's first new studio album since 1999.
Jett says the album's title reflects her opinion of the so-called "cultural divide."
"It seems like in the country today there is an atmosphere of good verses evil," she observes. "A lot of religions say that we're all sinners, and I guess I embrace that to a degree because I'm fully human. But I try to be a good person."
She says that having hit records is fun, but nothing tops being on the road and performing live. "When you can sense that you're sharing the same moment, it's very powerful. Music almost demands that of you - to be in the moment."
While Jett has been writing music for three decades now, it's fair to say that a few songs on "SINNER" tackle new ground for her.
"It's not all about falling in or out of love."
For example, Jett writes for the first time about politics. "It's something I've wanted to do for years, but I just sort of had a writer's block because I didn't want to come off as preachy," says the musician.
"You want to sound valid and interesting, and to touch people with something that may be important to them also - so I hope that's something we accomplished."
The album kicks off with "Riddles," a song she says was written out of personal frustration. "Each line speaks to different things that are going on in our country, and how we're not spoken to in a direct manner," she explains.
Jett isn't about to let herself off the hook when it comes to the subject of activism. "I'm not judging anybody else," she is quick to add, "because I'm just as guilty. Until things affect you directly, sometimes we don't feel like we can do anything about it anyway."
A more hopeful track is "Change the World," which Jett says is more in tune with her attitude these days. "I tell myself to try to present a positive face each day," she continues. "It's hard to do that sometimes, but it's much better than going around being negative all the time. Just making someone else smile is changing the world a little bit."
The HFStival runs May 27 and 28 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. Gates open each day at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $108 to $53, available through Ticketmaster outlets and by phone at 410-547-SEAT.
|
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
