RUTH MOODY (soprano)

NICKY MEHTA (mezzo)

ANNABELLE CHVOSTEK (alto)

JB- Yeah.  Now, I did want to ask you if there was that worry at all, as we've seen from TV shows and other groups -- when that original gang is no more -- if it's switched up with new people sometimes the audience has that resistance or hesitancy to go with the new cast -- or trio, in your case.

NM-  Yeah.

JB-  Was that a fear at all?  Certainly it didn't seem to negatively affect your success.

NM- No.  You know, it's funny that there wasn't a lot of that.  We had a few comments.  I remember there was one comment from a little girl on the (band's) website who was begging Cara not to leave because she assumed that the group was done.  So there was that kind of thing… very occasionally though.  I didn't get a lot of feeling that there was great concern from the audience.  We have had people come up to us and say, "I'm so glad it worked out," like maybe they were concerned and just didn't want to say anything and relieved that it's continued on.  Again, it happened so quickly and we had to find a new member and we had to get back out on the road and stuff so fast that we weren't even thinking too much about it.  I think, in some ways, we were not letting ourselves go there in our own head as to what would happen if people didn't receive the new trio favourably.  Obviously it was in the back of our minds that we wanted it to work out and so far it seems that people are feeling this is a really nice step in a good direction.

JB- When looking for a new member of the group what did you have in mind?  I almost imagine it to be one of those Canadian Idol moments where they know right within a few seconds if "You're the one".

NM-  (laughing)  Yeah.

JB-  Like that's the right person.  How did it work?

NM- Yeah, we did know that.  That's exactly what happened.  Once she sat down with us and started singing with us we knew right then.  And we didn't know immediately when we found her website and people had recommended her because the sound samples she had on her website were from her full length album but was very along different lines than what we were doing as the band.  We thought that maybe she wouldn't necessarily want to be part of this type of a band, like with the kind of music we were doing.  But then it turned out that all her new stuff that she was writing was very much along the "rootsy" lines of what we were doing and it ended up, surprisingly, being an absolute perfect fit - vocally, songwriting.  The stage she was at in her career, you know, everything.  It was uncanny.  It's things like that… like the way this band happened, that have completely changed the way I see the world, actually.  Because you can't anticipate what is around the corner.  Something can come along and change your entire life.  And it makes me feel as though we're not in complete control of things and that's not such a bad thing.  Sometimes!

JB-  True.

NM-  It could equally go the other way.

JB-  Who plays what role in the group?  Is there the funny one, the serious one…

NM-  Um… I think we all kind of share… like everybody is capable of being funny, and that is something that is in our show.  There's definitely people's music occupies different spaces.  Like Ruth is more of a Celtic writer - she has more of a Celtic influence and she writes very melodic.  I've described her stuff as, kind of, down home, sort of often upbeat and sing-along-able.  And people responded really positively to her stuff.  My stuff is a little bit "pop-ier" and atmospheric at times.  It's not as structured at times and it depends how I'm writing.  Annabelle writes in a whole bunch of different ways but probably what she brings to the Jennys is a really nice.  She's a bit more avant-garde in her background.  She's a great writer.  We're all different in the way we write.  In terms of stage personas, I think I probably tend to have a dry wit.  Ruth has been told she's got a girl next door type quality to her.  Annabelle can be really funny.  And she's a bit quieter but she has a few good lines in there.

JB- If the music thing doesn't work out you've always got a TV show you could do.  You've got the story and the characters.

NM-  (laughing)  Got all the players!

JB-  Do you ever have those sisterly squabbles?

NM-  I think that we function in a sisterly kind of way, particularly Ruth and I because we've been working together for four years.  There isn't a lot of discord in that sense.  Squabbling is sort of the softer alternative to fighting.  (laughing)  No, not really.  We have our differences and we have our discussions about stuff and we disagree about stuff but then we talk about things.  We're usually pretty good about communicating.  Like any relationship it has its ebbs and flows.  Everyone ultimately respects each other and respects that everyone is trying to do the best they can.  You're on the road with people all the time.  These are the people you probably spend most of your time with.  They're not your partner, they're not your biological family, but they're with you all the way so there's bound to be some of that.

JB-  You better watch it, once the tabloids get a hold of that information… look out!

NM-  (laughing) Yeah, exactly.  No dirt so far!