Ship Says Om, the latest project from Berkeley-based artist and producer Jenny Gillespie Mason, has released new EP, Dream Journal. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
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Jenny was previously a member of Sis and The Lower Wisdom and Dream Journal is a six-track collection that blends ambient folk, shamanic textures, and Celtic-inflected melodies
Created in just two days at her home studio, it was born from a spontaneous need to create - a "music emergency," as Mason describes it.
She describes the record as "a mini journal of the dream state I found myself in during the making of the songs," drawing on her experiences as both a mother and a student of Integral Yoga.
Tell us three things about yourself?
I'm a mother of two sons, I'm originally from central Illinois, and I am a Leo in the 12th house.
How would you describe your music?
Gentle, deep, playful; respectful of the spirit of each individual sound and seeking a real exchange with those sounds.
Who are your musical inspirations?
For this EP, my inspirations were really drawn from the experience of my own intensive psychedelic therapy and the healing power of the ambient music that accompanied my sessions, such as 2002, Coyote Oldham, and Paul Horn. I wanted to capture that gentle but epic feeling in my own music. Bert Jansch and Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru were very inspiring in how they write so freely and inventively on guitar and piano.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I had the ultimate gift of seeing Dolly Parton when I was seven years old, and then the next night in the same town, seeing Dionne Warwick and Bert Bacharach. What an initiation!
What was the first record you ever bought?
My first cassette tape I ever bought, I think, was UB40’s Labour of Love II. I still think they're great!
What’s your favourite song right now?
I could listen to New Worlds by Coyote Oldman quite a bit.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"You said love was touching souls. Surely you touched mine, 'cause part of you pours out of me in these lines from time to time" - A Case of You by Joni Mitchell.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Red Rain by Peter Gabriel.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Instagram: @shipsaysom, Spotify and Bandcamp.
Alan Corr
