MUSIC REVIEW: PROJECT JENNY, PROJECT JAN

Live At The Echo in Los Angeles, CA on 03/03/09

By: Casey Thompson

March 7, 2009

(Los Angeles, California) There was little room to move, breath, or even think on the dance floor of The Echo late Tuesday night. The place was packed, to be sure, but that wasn’t the only reason for the feeling of paralysis gripping the club. Up on stage, in front of a matrix of colorful dominoes, Fujiya & Miyagi held the crowd captive with their entrancing Krautrock compositions and intense demeanor. Of course, that’s part of the fun for this British quartet of electro karaoke pioneers. The serious mood of the show belied the tongue-in-cheek lyrics that keep this band from being some one-note punchline in the mold of Mike Meyers’s SNL creation, Dieter. Inventive and clever, F & M create a live experience that’s at once heavy and lighthearted. But as impressive as their set was, my mind was drifting elsewhere, back to a pleasant conversation with the woman running the merchandise table between sets.

“Grandma M- said to let me have a free CD,” I shouted over the house music. A confused look washed over the woman’s face as she decided whether or not to let me have my bounty and how I knew her mother’s name. This was my part in a little prank orchestrated by Jeremy Haines and Sammy Rubin of Project Jenny, Project Jan. The duo has been on tour in support of friends and collaborators F & M. The Echo was the ninth stop on the tour, which saw both groups meeting up in North Carolina and sees them parting ways this Saturday in Seattle.

Unable to let Haines’ smother suffer anymore in oblivion, I promptly explained to her that I had just interviewed her son and that he had asked me to request a CD in this way. As I walked away, I could tell she was still slightly baffled by what had just transpired; still, it was pretty funny.While this anecdote may seem inappropriate for a concert review, it perfectly illustrates what PJPJ is all about. Haines and Rubin are just two guys, currently residing in Brooklyn, who genuinely enjoy each other’s company and making music together.

“[Making music] is a really fun thing to do,” said Haines. “I mean, we’re great friends, so when we make music, it’s just like hanging out.”

Rubin added, “It’s a good time for us and for other people.”

I couldn’t agree more. Watching PJPJ live was an experience in itself. On one side of the stage, Rubin stands hunched over the control panel, the musical genius at work in casual clothes and a look of total concentration. Haines, by contrast, wears a suit as he slides, shuffles and shakes across the stage, the consummate showman. The dichotomy between their respective appearances speaks volumes about their music, which manages to remain artfully impressive while it makes you smile from the sheer fun of it all. It was clear from the get-go that this was a band that’s confident, unpretentious and unapologetic.

Addressing the crowd with two Tecates stacked in his hand, Haines offered what would become his maxim for the evening: “We’re from Brooklyn.” Beginning with Spanish shaker “Día de Los Ninos” and the groove-heavy “320″ — both off their latest release, XOXOXOXOXO — PJPJ took the half-packed Echo on a journey of pure dance bliss. The infectious giddiness radiating from the stage managed to make blue skies come early to L.A., even as rain clouds gathered outside, when the group launched into the funky, Beck-evoking “Summertime.”

By the end of the set, I’m sure much of the crowd was wishing they were from Brooklyn. During our chat, the band offered some insight into exactly what makes their music such an enjoyable experience. “The music usually sounds way too serious for us, until Jeremy adds his charms to it,” said Rubin. “Jeremy is definitely a lot more fun than I am.” While Rubin may have been too modest about his own sense of humor, Haines is the wilder of the two.

“It’s like a weird mushroom trip everyday at my house,” he said. Judging by their road stories, life on tour for the duo is no different. They filled me in on their transportation (a rented Chevy HHR), their favorite radio station (a Spanish station in Texas that plays American ‘50s Doo Wop) and what makes them work so well together as a band.

“Jeremy, inside, is really just a tender child,” said Rubin, to which Haines replied: “I’m more a rebellious teenager. Sammy, inside, is really a grandma.”

For PJPJ, looking like you’re having more fun than should be allowed doesn’t mean you don’t keep busy. They have an upcoming EP of collaborations set for release next month, an LP scheduled for recording sometime over the summer and a spot on the bill at SXSW later this month. “If South by Southwest is anything like [our last show in Austin], it will be totally awesome,” said Haines.

Back in the present, watching F & M play to a packed house, I felt a little sad that half the crowd had missed out on the fun earlier in the evening. But, seeing PJPJ return to the stage to play their F & M collaboration “Pins and Needles,” I couldn’t help but smile.

Project Jenny, Project Jan's new EP 'The Colors' is due out later this year on Might Records.