A spotlight interview with Cam, the vocalist of transatlantic band JENNY ALIEN, ahead of their appearance at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16.
Where did the band name come from?
JENNY ALIEN emerged during a highly competitive storytelling board game (betrayal at house on the hill) in London. My character’s name was Jenny, and long story short, I transcended the narrative, became an alien, and ate all the men. The game ended immediately – the name stuck, as did the message.
Who’s in the band, and what do you all play/do?
Cam (lead vocals), Olive (guitar), Mic (bass), Sawyer (bass), Adam (drums), Jonah (sax), Alex (trumpet), Brice (synth), Lucy (dancer / spiritual leader)
Where do you call home?
New York (primarily), and London (roots). But we world wide baby
Describe your sound in three words
“Atomic” “Combat” “Chips”
Tell us about your music
‘Stupid Girl’ is a daring interrogation of internalized misogyny and performative feminism within the fragmented landscape of postmodern identity— no, I don’t know. It’s supposed to be fun. You should turn it up so when everyone starts yelling and jumping at the show, you’re not the one pretending you get it. Good news: it’s catchy, you’ll learn it in like 10 seconds.
Also, shoutout—we just had a (thrilling) short film made by David Scheckel called ‘Stupid World: Jenny Alien Live’, which captures a rare and intimate glimpse into the band.
Our song Corner Store is about finding forbidden love at unexpected places: an exploration of desire in the least mythologized of spaces, where fluorescent lighting replaces candlelight and intimacy unfolds between the chip aisle and a fridge of suspiciously warm drinks. It proposes that love doesn’t need narrative, just proximity and a shared moment over a bag of chips—culminating, of course, in the thesis statement: “we made love at the corner store, corner store, corner store.”
What’s your local scene like?
The Brooklyn scene is really inspiring right now—there’s just a lot of people making sick stuff and actually showing up for each other. Our band kind of operates as our own little ecosystem— there’s so many of us, and it feels like we’re all blood sisters or something at this point. Can see this fairly easily on stage because we’re all basically fucking with each other the entire time.
If you could rip up the rulebook of the music industry, what’s the first thing you’d rewrite?
Wait, theres a rulebook??
What’s the wildest/strangest thing that’s ever happened at one of your gigs?
(Submitted by an anonymous alien) “after one gig, I ended up going back to a friend’s place with five trans girls who came to the purgatory show last summer. also i saw will menaker of chapo trap house in the backyard after the union pool show but was too scared to say hi”
What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
People being too cool to dance. If you come to our show, unfortunately you have to let that go. Also no one wanted to be in this band at first (except Olive), and now suddenly everyone’s interested and we have a 10 piece band? Fascinating.
What’s the proudest moment you’ve had so far as a band/artist?
Any time someone shows up and cares. Takin names!
What’s the strangest gig you’ve ever played?
A storage closet. Because it was a storage closet and smelled like shit. Also a bathroom. Same reasoning. (We love these though. Please invite us to more)
What’s a dream gig or collaboration you must make happen before you die?
KESHA
Dream lineup: you + three other acts (alive, dead, or imaginary). Who’s on the bill?
kesha, peaches, criss angel
What’s next for you?
We’re only playing shows now that we feel strongly will be a good time. So you can depend on that. And we may or may not be working on an album…. Who’s to say
Anything else you’d like to add?
ALIEN INVASION IS COMING. ALSO DO MORE THINGS YOU ACTUALLY LIKE.
Catch JENNY ALIEN at LOUD WOMEN Fest NYC on May 16