Sisterly bond: Spinning Jenny’s connection goes beyond music
For the band members of Spinning Jenny, who will be performing at Diesel Club Lounge in Pittsburgh April 22, their bond lies in more than just their music.
Julia (18), Talia (15) and Angelina (13) are all sisters who make up the band with their father Dr. John Balzano.
It was also through family that Spinning Jenny of Ohio first got its start.
“It was in 2011, our grandmother knew we liked music a lot and she wanted us to perform (at a family reunion). We decided to do it as a family thing never imaging we would be doing it later on,” said Julia.
It was the girls’ uncle who gave the band its first public performance.
“Our first gig was because of my Uncle, John DiCarlo with U.S. Kids,” said Julia. “He came up to us and said, ‘You should open for us next week.'”
Since then Julia on guitar, Talia on drums and Angelina on bass and keyboard have worked to hone their music and develop a sound that is uniquely theirs.
“I think we are definitely evolving. When people ask me (describe your sound) I would definitely say we are alternative rock. For the first album ‘Outside the Lines’ it was more straight up rock,” said Julia. “For the next album, we started to explore electronics a little and explore different genera. As we get older we evolve as musicians. We love music a lot. We just keep absorbing music. We just pick and choose from different things.”
When it comes to musical influences for the band, while they all like similar music, it is some different nuances that give each of them their own style.
“I think we all like the same music, but we all have some individual differences. I know when I am writing a song, lyrically when I was younger, I was influenced a lot by Pink Floyd and I liked how they were darker and they weren’t afraid to talk about things, like mental illness, stuff like that,” said Julia. “We like Paramore, with a female lead singer. They were very much rock and roll.”
“I would say for me when I am writing the drums for a song, I would say the Foo Fighters have influenced me a lot. Their unique timing and the way they can arrange a song in a non-traditional way has influenced me a lot,” said Talia.
When it comes to writing their own songs the members of Spinning Jenny use their own lives as the source for their inspiration.
“It took me a while to get inspired to write anything. We were just a cover band for a long time. I don’t get influenced to write songs by other music I guess,” said Julia.
“I guess I would say stuff from my own experience. I am a very introspective person. I take things that happen to me during the day and process them. I know recently for some of the newer things I have been writing, I have been thinking a lot about metaphors and allegories, and you can find them in mythology.”
“When I write, I mostly kind of just go off emotions or how I am feeling that day. If I was feeling a really strong emotion or if I was upset,” said Talia. “I feel like writing is one of the ways I can get those emotions out.”
But out of all the influences, it is their family bond that has the biggest impact on Spinning Jenny.
“I think it influences our playing a lot. I think we have a natural chemistry going on. I think we definitely have the kind of thing where we know what the other one is thinking. We will know this is the last chorus by looking at one another,” said Julia.
“It brings us closer together. I know Talia and Angelina better now than I ever have being in a band with them.”
“I would say we all think that our Dad is the glue that holds the band together. Yeah, us being three teenage girls can be silly and we joke around at practice, but he keeps us in the right midframe,” said Talia. “I think it keeps us tight not only as a band, but as a family.”
When spinning Jenny performs in Pittsburgh on April 22, it will mark one of the first headlining shows for the band and will allow them to feature original music off of “Outside the Lines” and “Weightless.”
“For us, we really think it is important to not just play music really well, we like to put on a show. With us it is definitely spontaneous. It is not that we have a pre-planned routine. We just play off each other’s energy,” said Julia. “We try to make it a high energy show. We try to get the audience involved somewhat which is always a good time. At this show you can expect a lot of original songs as well.”
Tickets to the concert are $22 and can be purchased online through eventbrite.com.
“I just think we kind of want to leave people with that feeling they would want to come see us again and that they would have a great time and that they appreciated our musicianship,” said Talia.
“I definitely want people to take away that they had a good time and they had an overall good experience.”
“What we have done so far has been insane. I have never imagined being like this in our own area. I think within our own family the influence has been insane. It really touches my heart to see my grandparents in the audience,” said Julia. “We are going to go as far as we can make it.”
For more information about Spinning Jenny or to connect with them through social media, go online to spinningjennyband.com.