On the next episode of “KRWG Music Spotlight,” airing Saturday night at 10 on KRWG-TV, host Scott Brocato's talks with singer-songwriters Jenna Ivey and Anna Maria Rosales, featuring music that's a blend of alternative folk, indie pop, and jazz.
Scott Brocato:
Jenna, let's start with you. You grew up on a farm, and still live on the farm...
Jenna Ivey:
That's right.
Scott Brocato:
Growing up, what spurred you toward the arts? Because you're a multi-hyphenate, like I said: actor, singer, songwriter. What spurred your interest?
Jenna Ivey:
I think it was being surrounded by it. My parents were both artistically inclined. My dad has a great voice. He played the piano. And then my mom was an amazing prima ballerina in El Paso and taught in Germany. And I think being surrounded by these people that already had so many artistic interests, and then really good music taste, that and really good film taste--old classic films, TCM--I think I was just surrounded by it. So I kind of fell into it without really having to make a goal of it. It just existed for me. It was just something that I loved.
Scott Brocato:
What was their “great taste in music” that you grew up with?
Jenna Ivey:
Oh, like the Beatles, one of my dad's favorites. My mom loved Neil Diamond. But it ranged across the spectrum. So we grew up on classical music and then a bunch of classic rock. I always loved Cat Stevens. That was one of my favorites. But pretty much any artist you could name, I would probably recognize their music. But unfortunately, I don't really know all the names because I just heard it literally really since I was a toddler. So I just was exposed to it.
Scott Brocato:
When did you decide to break away from The Iveys, your family (musical group), and strike out on your own?
Jenna Ivey:
It was sort of happenstance. It wasn't necessarily...we never officially disbanded or anything like that. But the pandemic--
Scott Brocato:
They're still your family.
Jenna Ivey:
Yeah, they're still my family. Unfortunately--just kidding. But the pandemic really shifted things. And so it was just kind of life, you know? My brother had a kid, my sister had a kid, and then I started getting invited to perform, and I said yes.
Scott Brocato:
Well, Anna Maria, let's go over to you. Let's talk about your musical journey. You spent your formative years playing bass--near and dear to my heart--in bands in your native El Paso. Talk about that.
Anna Maria Rosales:
I did. I was not even old enough to play in bars. So I just kind of snuck in holding a guitar case. Basically, I would sit at the bar with all the wives and girlfriends and cheer on the band. And they would have too much of a good time and not be able to finish the night, so I learned all of the songs, taped them on a cassette, and bought a little pink bass and sat there and figured everything out by ear and just waited until I was able to jump up because they couldn't play anymore.
I said, "Well, let me finish the night with you,” because the lead singer, you know, was a little bit too intoxicated. And so I was able to help them finish out the night and then they came with some money and said, “Here's $50 for you for helping us finish.” And I was like, “You get paid for this??” (Laughs) And then I just started to play.
Scott Brocato:
How did the two of you connect musically?
Jenna Ivey:
We've kind of finally figured it out. There was a while there where people would ask us that. And we're like, we don't really know how that happened. It just sort of happened. I think the best friendships kind of just happen.
But I guess it would have been...I was running a songwriter showcase series out of El Paso, so I would book artists for it, and I booked her for one of the showcases. So we kind of already knew of each other, met there, I guess more officially. And then she, for whatever reason, asked me to help run a show for Sarah Burton, who's an amazing artist out of Austin. So I was running the tickets at the door and I was there really early and I was a bit bored because I was just waiting. And so I asked Buddy, the studio owner at Star City Studios (in El Paso), a wonderful person, I asked him if he had a uke laying around and he did. His wife had a uke there at the studio. So I started playing. And I didn't know she was, I guess, around the corner listening to me. (Laughs)
Anna Maria Rosales:
So that one, I'm going to play with that one, and came up with the crazy idea to put bass and ukulele together.
Scott Brocato:
And it seems to work.
Jenna Ivey:
It does, yeah.
Scott Brocato:
Well, for you (Jenna), I've heard you in past interviews talk about faith, your faith, and how important it is in your life. Can you talk about that?
Jenna Ivey:
Everything I do, I mean, it's influenced by my faith. I've had...I've been so blessed throughout my life, and I have such an awareness of everything. This, literally sitting here with you, having Anna in my life, having all these people that have supported us, the people that donated to make the tour that I just came off of possible...I could never have done any of that on my own. So I know where it comes from and I see my blessings and I count them. But yeah, it influences everything that I write about, that I talk about. I think you can hear it throughout the music.
Scott Brocato:
What advice would you give to a new musician who is coming up?
Anna Maria Rosales:
Practice. Spend less time on social (media), on the internet, and just practice. And be ready. Somebody very wise once told me that you want to make sure that you're irreplaceable. Practice so hard that you're irreplaceable.
