No longer scaring away the songs
Jake Winstrom returned to Knoxville to record his first solo album, “Scared Away the Song.”
Few artists who have left town left as big of a hole in the Knoxville music scene as Jake Winstrom.
As lead vocalist of The Tenderhooks, Jake’s songs and vocal style were distinctive. The group seemed to be poised just on the edge of a national breakout at right about the time they broke up in 2009. Not long afterwards, Jake moved north, eventually settling in Brooklyn, New York.
Nearly a decade has passed since the demise of The Tenderhooks and the release of Jake Winstrom’s first solo album, “Scared Away the Song,” released on May 25. I’m happy to report that it was worth the wait. The new album, mostly recorded in Knoxville with producer Jeff Bills and a cast of local music greats, is gorgeous.
I caught up with Jake in New York in January, and we later talked via phone after I listened to the then-unreleased album.
My first question: “Why did it take so long?”
“Maybe I wasn’t happy with the material I had after being in The Tenderhooks and being with a fantastic co-songwriter in Ben [Oyler] and fantastic players in Matt [Honkonen] and Emily [Robinson],” says Jake. “I was one leg on a four-legged table. It was a harder transition than I thought.”
Jake and Tenderhooks drummer Matt Honkonen (now of Peak Physique) teamed up with Tim Lee 3’s Tim and Susan Lee (now of Bark) for a short time. Jake also recorded some excellent songs with Nashville’s Ray Kennedy and a few more with Knoxville musicians and producer Eric Nowinski. But in the end, he moved on.
In New York, Jake found a different scene than the one he’d enjoyed in Knoxville.
“There’s not the camaraderie of places like the Pilot Light,” he says. “There are cool clubs, and there’s great music to hear here, but I feel like you have to be an archeologist to find it.”
A little discouraged, he concentrated on his job at a New York television station and put writing and music aside for a while. The writing bug started coming back in 2017, though. The song “Whippoorwill,” a breezy highlight on the new album, broke the ice.
“Subconsciously, it was really about writer’s block and getting out of it in your own way,” he says. “You don’t overthink it. It doesn’t have to be like pushing a huge boulder up a hill every time. I came up with the melody and had blank verses. Then I’d be on the subway with my notebook and a 30- to 40-minute commute to work and started sketching out lyrics. I didn’t even know what a whippoorwill was when I first came up with it. I had to look it up to make sure it wasn’t a silent bird!”
Initially, Jake thought he’d release a simple vocal/guitar EP. However, talks with friend, drummer, producer and general Knoxville music enthusiast Jeff Bills changed his mind. Bills, a longtime fan of Jake’s work, envisioned a full album with a stellar group of musicians, and that’s exactly what was created.
The musicians on “Scared Away the Song” include George Middlebrooks, Dave Nichols, Todd Steed, Leah Gardner, Vince Ilagan, Laith Keilany, Andy Bryenton, Andy Dunn, Jamie Cook, Peggy Hambright, David Ball, Kyle Campbell, Bob Deck, Jeff Caudill, Sarah Ramsey Qualls and John Paul Keith.
Three of those tracks recorded neatly a decade ago are also included on the album. One of the triumphs of the disc is that they don’t seem out of place with the new material.
The song “Breaking Up the Band,” which features sweet instrumental work from fiddler Bethany Hankins, mandolinist Greg Horne and bassist Vince Illagan, was written and recorded just after The Tenderhooks called it quits, and it captures the raw sadness of the time.
“… Speak now or hold your peace/breathe out a final curse/it’s funny how a limousine/can look just like a hearse.”
It’s also one of Jake’s best songs.
Jake decided to put the Nashville recording “From Here to the Moon” as the first track because it was the most different stylistically from the rest of the album and wouldn’t seem as noticeable.
Jake says the song was written after he had seen a concert with RB Morris and Marshall Chapman at the Laurel Theater.
“I just had this feeling that I could sit there for hours or days listening because it was so good,” he says. “That intoxicating aura of music, that’s what I wanted. I wanted that to be the starting point.”
One of the songs that is greatly improved on the new album is “Lightning Rod,” which concerns conflicted feelings over the death of an elderly, less-than-lovable family member. Recorded at VR Music in Maryville, the newly recorded version features subtle work from bassist Dave Nichols, cellist Andy Bryenton and the William Blount High School Choir. The result is absolutely chilling.
Jake says the choir was a Jeff Bills suggestion.
“He’d say, ‘What do you hear here?’ And I’d say, ‘Pedal steel.’ He’d say, ‘Well, I hear a choir!’ Jeff always comes at it from a song-centric perspective. I’d always send him the lyrics. It’s the whole picture of the song.”
Pedal steel did make the cut on “Unglued,” which is another song inspired by Knoxville artists.
“I wrote ‘Unglued’ after seeing Peggy Hambright and Leah Gardner at Holly’s Corner,” says Jake. “They harmonized so sweetly. It was sort of a joyful heartache in their songs.”
The sweet number “Big Black Dog” was inspired by Jake’s brother’s three-legged pet, whose ample tongue takes up most of the album’s cover. It’s a tribute to everything – good and bad – that makes for a fine pet.
Jake says recording in Knoxville was one of the joys of making the album.
“I love Knoxville. When I was there I took [it] for granted. The music there is just an embarrassment of riches. I just heard MEOB, but every time I go to Knoxville I see someone who blows me away. My sister had a little girl, so I’ll be there more often.”
Jake has a group for playing New York gigs that includes Sarah E. Smith, Leo Smith and Alyssa Martin. He’ll perform in Knoxville at Barley’s on July 12 for the WDVX program “6 O’Clock Swerve” with some of the Knoxville musicians who played on the disc.
There is always the question of whether Jake will return to live in Knoxville.
“You never say never,” he says. “That’s the power of Knoxville. Anything is possible.”
The vinyl album and digital download of “Scared Away the Song,” are available at Jakewinstrom.bandcamp.com. Jake Winstrom will also perform on the WDVX “6 O’Clock Swerve,” at Barley’s Taproom, 200 E. Jackson Ave., on July 12. Admission is free and the show will be broadcast at 89.9, 102.9 and 93.9 FM and stream at www.wdvx.com.
