January 2012 - How can time have flown so quickly? It seems to be flying by faster and faster these days. Which is why it's important we let you in on all the changes that have taken place in Pope Jane over the past few years! And boy, is there a lot to keep up with!
As you know, we were going to record our new album Tin Star Revival in 2008. Well, the short version of the story is as follows: The recording was put on hold due to scheduling issues, and then Kristen and her partner had triplet little girls, two year ago. So as you can imagine, that put things a tad on the back burner. If you've never been around three two year old girls at once, you should try it. It doens't leave much energy for anything else.
In the meantime, a few really cool things happened. 2010 was a huge year for music for Danielle, Kristen and Holly -- but not in the way you'd expect! Check it out:
In 2009, Danielle and Kristen were working on an acoustic duo project, one Kristen designed, that they named Backseat Bordello. On this album, the lead vocal duties are split evenly between Kristen and Danielle, with both singing backup to one another. Kristen comes out from behind the drums to play rhythm guitar, and Danielle tacked down additional rhythm and lead guitar -- all acoustic. They recorded a majority of the album out in Washington State, where Kristen lives, with Danielle flying in from Los Angeles to set up a mobile recording studio. They were able to recod most of the album and then Kristen fell sick -- finding out she was pregnant with twins. The album was to be put on hold as Kristen suffered through a pregnancy that deteriorated into being life-threatening. However, all ended well, with two healthy twins and Danielle flying back out to Washington State, almost a year to the day, to finish the album, End Times Diner.
The little-album-that-could album went on to receive two nomination at the 2010 OUTMusic Awards in New York City: BEST HUMANITARIAN SONG, written by Kristen, and BEST COUNTRY SONG, written by Danielle. If you're a Pope Jane fan, then this is a must-have for your collection. You can buy Backseat Bordello's End Times Diner on iTunes, or get the CD.
Pope Jane's Danielle Egnew and Kristen Coyner bring you their acoustic project!
"Intelligently written and marvelously mixed."
-- Peter Lancellotti,
Top40-Charts.com
"With the immediacy of a cinematic shock cut, Backseat Bordello plays songs that transport you to places you may have never traveled." -- John Scott G, New Music Weekly
in 2010, just as Danielle was wrapping recording with Backseat Bordello, Holly bought a full-service professional recording studio in her home town of Billings, Montana, called Hot Momma Studios. It's so fancy that she just had to record her own solo album in it, and she asked Danielle to Produce and Engineer the album. The Holly Shawver Project featured some of Montana's best talent to fill out her band. Danielle even pitched in and designed the album art. So the morning that Danielle put Backseat Bordello's CD in the mail to the pressers, she boarded the plane, flew to Montana, and that same night, stepped for the first time in Hot Momma Studios. to begin what was to be 45 days of recording with Holly and her five-piece band!
The result was 22 tracks that Holly decided to break into two albums. The first of which, she eleased in 2010, entitled Wayne's Waitress, a blues rock album with a jazz underbelly. This album was completely written by Holly, and sung by Holly, with Holly playing keyboards and bass. Her band was filled out with Brad Edwards on drums (Kristen wasn't available to make the studio date with triplet baby infants at the time), Steve "Monster" Melia on lead and rhythm guitar, Linda Villareal on Backing Vocals, and of course Danielle on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. Many people don't know that Holly was a child piano prodigy, and is also an amazing solo artist. If you like all the thumping groove in Pope Jane, then The Holly Shawver Project's Wayne's Waitress is a must have! Order the CD from CDBaby!
Check out Pope Jane Bassist
Holly Shawver's solo CD! Produced by Pope Jane's
Danielle Egnew (also featured on backing vocals
and rhythm guitar) The Holly Shawver
Project
August
2008 - New Pope Jane Video! - We're
really happy to announce that we'll eventually have
a concert DVD for everybody who was unable to make the
Montana concert! Director and Producer Paul Mehlhaff
shot coverage of the Pope Jane Reunion Concert in Billings,
Montana, on June 21st, and has been editing and compiling
it into a live concert DVD!!
You
might recognize Paul's name already, because he was
the very same creative guru that Directed and Produced
Danielle's solo video for her first single release,
"Swinging
At Nothing", from her Red
Lodge album. So Danielle and the gals
were thrilled that Paul showed interest in putting together
the Pope Jane concert DVD, and we're all really lucky
to have his talent working to up our rockstar curb value!
Check
out the video cut below of the song "Say My Name",
and get a taste of the upcoming DVD -- THANK YOU PAUL
MEHLHAFF!!
April
2008 - Well how is everybody?
It’s been a long time since we’ve had some
new Pope Jane news to update you guys on, and we’ve
got some exciting stuff to tell you about, but first
-- let us catch you up on what’s been going on.
See, we’ve
been on a hiatus for several years while Danielle has
been in Los Angeles pursuing other areas of her entertainment
career that include starring in a film, scoring said
film, making some TV appearances, writing screenplays,
and developing some other musical projects. During that
time, Kristen headed up to her beloved Pacific Northwest
from Los Angeles to pursue finishing up the rest of
her college degree and to live life outside of the “Love
you! Mean it!” vibe of entertainment while returning
to her roots. In the interim, Holly got married, built
Tinseltown Casino up in Billings, Montana, developing
it into a fabulous multi-million dollar endeavor, and
has been raising her kids with her husband while they
work in the family gaming biz.
All that
aside, all these years later, Holly still makes a bitchin'
sheet cake, Danielle still talks too much, and Kristen
still enjoys sitting in the dark, all by herself.
Now that
you’re caught up on what we’ve been up to
– here’s the latest exciting band news:
Pope Jane
was signed to Maurice
The Fish Records as part of a revolutionary
multi-tiered record deal penned by singer Danielle Egnew.
On the tails of this signing comes a Pope Jane reunion
concert up in Pope Jane’s home territory of Billings,
Montana, scheduled for Saturday, June 21st, 2008 on
the Main stage at Montana
Pride. It's one performance only, so we
suggest marking that show on the calender – it’s
going to be a doosie, people!
You’ll
also hear a lot of Pope Jane’s music in the upcoming
2008 feature film release Changing Spots,
in which Danielle starred as disenfranchised former
rock star, Peg Franklin. The film features many Pope
Jane songs, with Danielle “performing” the
song “Lay Down Your Life” as her character
in one of the scenes, so though Pope Jane is not backing
her up onscreen, the song still makes quite a splash.
We’re
hoping to have some exciting new CD releases in 2008
on Maurice The Fish Records, including a Pope Jane Best-Of
album to be premiered at the Pope Jane Reunion Concert
on June 21st in Billings, Montana, containing hits from
all five albums and a few never-been-recorded bonus
tracks -- and be on the lookout for a possible new CD
altogether later in the year. More on that as we know
more, Grasshopper.
So stay tuned,
you guys, and remember— Popeliness is next to
Godliness – or some such thing.
