Television star and recording artist Jill Hennessy is about to get naked on concert stages across the United States and Canada this summer. She will have a flip cam to prove it and a lot of backstage stories to share following her adventure with the Indigo Girls, Tegan and Sara and Sarah McLachlan. Hold on, it isn't exactly the way it sounds.
You see, Jill Hennessy is getting back to her roots for Lilith Fair 2010 with her trusty guitar case by her side. Penning music for her new album Ghost in my Head was the first step in becoming one with the steel chords and poetry bouncing around her mind and in her heart for many years. Performing with Lilith Fair this summer is both enticing and frightening for the singer-turned-actress-turned-singer. It's a little bit like...standing onstage naked in front of millions of people (possibly at the same time as the Indigo Girls).
SheWired caught up with the former Crossing Jordan and Law & Order Edmonton-born star, who also played lesbian in the charming indie film Chutney Popcorn, to discuss her new album Ghost in my Head, Lilith Fair and why she prefers singing over acting any day of the week.
SheWired: Jill, thank you for taking the time to chat with us today!
Jill Hennessy: Are you kidding? Thank you for even taking the interest! Seriously! Hey, if a tree falls in the forest, you know?
Can you tell us a little bit about your journey into making Ghost in my Head?
Oh, wow, it's been a long, crazy road! I started playing guitar when I was 18 years old in Toronto. At that point I was waiting tables and doing the occasional acting class when I could afford it. A friend of mine showed me two chords and I just went to the music store and bought a Tracy Chapman songbook, an Indigo Girls songbook and a U2 songbook and taught myself some songs in a very rudimentary fashion. I went out on the street and played. I opened up my guitar case and people would throw change in if they wanted. It was the best education I could've gotten in music and in acting --to be honest. It was so freeing! I could just go out there and there were no demands placed on me. There was no director. I didn't have to look or act a certain way. I didn't have to even sound a certain way. I sort of found myself and found a way to connect with people.
You went from an Indigo Girls songbook to actually playing with them onstage recently. What was that experience like for you? It had to be pretty surreal!
I just performed with the Indigo Girls in September and it was one of the most thrilling experiences in my life! I had to admit to them that I had been playing their stuff in the street for years and probably owed them some money in royalties! They were so cool. They actually invited me to sing "Closer to Fine" and "Galileo" with them onstage for an encore. So, how happy was I? It was such a life-dream and it was pretty surreal. It totally came around full-circle for me. I would defy anyone to meet them and not fall in love.
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For women - gay women especially - I think it would be pretty difficult to look back on your life and not remember Indigo Girls songs at different stages in it. They are also involved with Lilith Fair this year, correct?
We might be playing the same dates, too. We're trying to get that down. They will be announcing specifics after May 15, 2010. I hope to play the same as these two. So, we will see! Martie Maguire from the Dixie Chicks is going to be on Lilith as well, but not the same days I'm working. Martie plays fiddle on my album. She is just a brilliant human being. Sarah McLachlan is my hero. We have a lot of really amazing Canadians on this tour. Tegan and Sara will be there and they are from Canada. They are killer. They are amazing and very well-respected in Canada.
Television has to be a completely different ballgame than music.
Exactly, yes, it is a completely different ballgame. It's really freeing, to be honest. Although, I assure you that if I were some hot, 19 year old, I'd probably feel different. To be honest, I feel like when I'm working onstage with a guitar, it really doesn't matter what you look like. It's like being a kid and being given some crayons and a big white piece of paper and being told to go at it. You know? You just get out there and tell some stories to your audience. My songs are all very autobiographical. My sets are full of autobiographical songs and they are very story-driven. It's a joy for me. It's being very naked in front of a very large group of people. It's very terrifying and amazing.
Well, you can tell that 19 year old that SheWired fans are interested in getting themselves a big piece of Jill!
Well, you know, they have very fine taste! I am so flattered.
Let's chat about Ghost in my Head.
All of the songs are set from the thoughts being bounced around my cerebellum wanting to get out. I've always been with different bands before I was even working on different TV shows. For the first band I was playing electric rhythm guitar and then for the second band I was acoustic rhythm guitar and singing back-up vocals. When I got the TV gig on Law & Order I had to quit the second band. I've always brought my guitar to whatever set I was working on. My guitar has always been my family. It's been my kitchen table in instances when I didn't even have one. Some people use milk crates -- I used my guitar case. It's something you can sit on, too! It really comes in handy in so many different ways.
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Was it intimidating for you to begin playing your own music versus the Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman and U2?
I always wanted to have the courage to write my own music. My friends were pushing me to start playing my own stuff and I finally gathered up the courage after having kids and going through my own pretty heavy life drama and circumstances. I pushed through and finally found the strength to do it. The title track of my album is about not wanting to confront something really brutal and then finding the courage to do it. Every song is very close to me. I guess the only way I can write is when I'm sad. I'll have to add a song to the next album that is light and "fluffy."
We're asking all of our Lilith interviewees, what are the top five things you need on the road?
My guitar - Always my guitar. For many reasons, but mostly for comfort reasons.
Emergen-C - Every morning, I've got to do me some Emergen-C. I think it's psychological because I feel like I am doing something healthy every morning before drinking about 10 cups of coffee.
Flip video camera - Especially if my girls, the Indigo Girls, are there. I take some video and photos and post them on my website and YouTube channel.
My lip balm - Always bring a really good lip balm. You do not want chapped lips when you're singing onstage.
Special piece of jewelry - I will probably be wearing something onstage that is bizarre and means something special to me. My son might even want to put a tattoo on my arm or something.
A real tattoo?
Oh, no, a fake one! It'll probably be a sharpie or something.
Thanks again for taking time out to chat with us.
Send my love to the ladies at SheWired. Tell them thanks for the lovin'!
I'm sure they will love that!
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