Getting to Know Jackie Stem
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Entertainment
By Travis Wood
Rotunda Reporter
Q: How did you first start getting into playing music? When?
A: Well, in elementary school it was a big deal to hit fifth grade and be able to be in the band. I started playing flute when I was in the fifth grade, and also while I was in elementary school I was a member of the choir. When I entered middle school I had to choose between chorus and band, and I chose band for whatever reason (I liked both equally). I played flute all throughout middle school and high school and around 11th grade I picked up a guitar.
Q What are some of the instruments that you play?
A: Flute, guitar, piano (kinda-sorta) and of course I sing, but that's only really when I'm holding a guitar.
Q: How would you describe the type of music that you play?
A: “Alternativeish acousticness folkish stuff.” Frequently after I play people will come up to me and tell me I sound like insert-generic-female-acoustic-artist-here (Jewel, Colbie Caillat), but I think they are referring mostly to my voice (or at least hopefully they are referring mostly to my voice). I usually don't hear much similarity to whomever it is people say I sound like. My friend Carter says that because I'm a girl people think like I sound like whatever other female vocalist they can think of, and I think he's right.”
Q: Who are some of your major influences when it comes to music and how you play it? Who inspires you?
A: “Elliott Smith for his haunting melodies and his finger-picking skills. I go through phases when I listen to music and I probably listened to only Elliott Smith for at least four or five months straight last year. And this was during a time when I was writing and beginning to record, so there's bound to be influences of his here and there.
My second influence I'll list here I found purely by chance. For whatever reason, during my senior year of high school I was watching MTV 2 at three in the morning and they were actually showing music videos. Kaki King's “Playing with Pink Noise” came up and all I needed was that three-minute video to become a huge fan. She's probably the best female guitarist I've ever come across, and she continues to be one of my favorite artists to this day. She definitely inspires me to try and improve at the guitar.”
It was at a Kaki King show I attended that I first saw Devon Sproule. She was the opening act and I bought her CD “Upstate Songs” that night. I became a huge fan of her guitar-playing style and her songwriting skills, and I made sure to attend every show of hers that I could. It was at a show in her hometown of Charlottesville that she made an announcement that she was teaching some guitar lessons while she wasn't on tour. Fall of 2006 I began driving from Farmville to Charlottesville for lessons as often as I could. I was always late for the lessons because I would always underestimate the amount of time it would take me to get there, but she didn't seem to mind that much.
She taught me some old folk songs on guitar. I didn't exactly plan on singing them as well, but one lesson after I had learned a song called “Freight Train” she asked if I could also sing it. Now at this point it made me extremely nervous to sing in front of anyone, let alone one of my favorite musicians. I tried to sing it, and she liked it enough to record it. My friends and family heard the recording and encouraged me; a few months later I was writing songs and about a year-and-a-half later I had recorded a CD. Without Devon's encouragement there is no way I would be where I am now.
Q: Where do you get your music? Do you write your own?
A: I write my own.
Q: What gives you inspiration for songs?
A: Half the fun for the listener is figuring out what the heck my lyrics mean, and I think any answer I give to this question would sort of ruin that.
Q: Have you ever participated in any Longwood events dealing with music? If so, what did you participate in and what went on?
A: I played Battle of the Bands both last year and this year. Last year I was a nervous wreck and no one besides my close friends knew I played guitar and sang. This year I was still a nervous wreck, though I had a few more supporters in the crowd (some of them were even singing my songs with me). I won first place and also a spot to play at Bandfest in the spring!
Q: Where are some of the places that you have played your music?
A: I've played at coffee shops all over Virginia, but some of my favorite places I've played are Jammin’ Java in Vienna, the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville and the Mad Hatter here in Farmville.”
Q: Where can people go to see you perform?
A: Here in Farmville I play at the Mad Hatter pretty frequently. I already played there this semester, but I'll be back sometime in the spring.”
Q: What are some of your goals or hopes for your future with music?
A: I'm not going to be famous, and I doubt I'll ever earn enough to make a living playing gigs or selling my CDs. I'm just happy to keep doing what I'm doing now and if anything significant should come of it then I would welcome that. It still blows my mind that people would like my music enough to buy a CD of it.”
A: Well, in elementary school it was a big deal to hit fifth grade and be able to be in the band. I started playing flute when I was in the fifth grade, and also while I was in elementary school I was a member of the choir. When I entered middle school I had to choose between chorus and band, and I chose band for whatever reason (I liked both equally). I played flute all throughout middle school and high school and around 11th grade I picked up a guitar.
Q What are some of the instruments that you play?
A: Flute, guitar, piano (kinda-sorta) and of course I sing, but that's only really when I'm holding a guitar.
Q: How would you describe the type of music that you play?
A: “Alternativeish acousticness folkish stuff.” Frequently after I play people will come up to me and tell me I sound like insert-generic-female-acoustic-artist-here (Jewel, Colbie Caillat), but I think they are referring mostly to my voice (or at least hopefully they are referring mostly to my voice). I usually don't hear much similarity to whomever it is people say I sound like. My friend Carter says that because I'm a girl people think like I sound like whatever other female vocalist they can think of, and I think he's right.”
Q: Who are some of your major influences when it comes to music and how you play it? Who inspires you?
A: “Elliott Smith for his haunting melodies and his finger-picking skills. I go through phases when I listen to music and I probably listened to only Elliott Smith for at least four or five months straight last year. And this was during a time when I was writing and beginning to record, so there's bound to be influences of his here and there.
My second influence I'll list here I found purely by chance. For whatever reason, during my senior year of high school I was watching MTV 2 at three in the morning and they were actually showing music videos. Kaki King's “Playing with Pink Noise” came up and all I needed was that three-minute video to become a huge fan. She's probably the best female guitarist I've ever come across, and she continues to be one of my favorite artists to this day. She definitely inspires me to try and improve at the guitar.”
It was at a Kaki King show I attended that I first saw Devon Sproule. She was the opening act and I bought her CD “Upstate Songs” that night. I became a huge fan of her guitar-playing style and her songwriting skills, and I made sure to attend every show of hers that I could. It was at a show in her hometown of Charlottesville that she made an announcement that she was teaching some guitar lessons while she wasn't on tour. Fall of 2006 I began driving from Farmville to Charlottesville for lessons as often as I could. I was always late for the lessons because I would always underestimate the amount of time it would take me to get there, but she didn't seem to mind that much.
She taught me some old folk songs on guitar. I didn't exactly plan on singing them as well, but one lesson after I had learned a song called “Freight Train” she asked if I could also sing it. Now at this point it made me extremely nervous to sing in front of anyone, let alone one of my favorite musicians. I tried to sing it, and she liked it enough to record it. My friends and family heard the recording and encouraged me; a few months later I was writing songs and about a year-and-a-half later I had recorded a CD. Without Devon's encouragement there is no way I would be where I am now.
Q: Where do you get your music? Do you write your own?
A: I write my own.
Q: What gives you inspiration for songs?
A: Half the fun for the listener is figuring out what the heck my lyrics mean, and I think any answer I give to this question would sort of ruin that.
Q: Have you ever participated in any Longwood events dealing with music? If so, what did you participate in and what went on?
A: I played Battle of the Bands both last year and this year. Last year I was a nervous wreck and no one besides my close friends knew I played guitar and sang. This year I was still a nervous wreck, though I had a few more supporters in the crowd (some of them were even singing my songs with me). I won first place and also a spot to play at Bandfest in the spring!
Q: Where are some of the places that you have played your music?
A: I've played at coffee shops all over Virginia, but some of my favorite places I've played are Jammin’ Java in Vienna, the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville and the Mad Hatter here in Farmville.”
Q: Where can people go to see you perform?
A: Here in Farmville I play at the Mad Hatter pretty frequently. I already played there this semester, but I'll be back sometime in the spring.”
Q: What are some of your goals or hopes for your future with music?
A: I'm not going to be famous, and I doubt I'll ever earn enough to make a living playing gigs or selling my CDs. I'm just happy to keep doing what I'm doing now and if anything significant should come of it then I would welcome that. It still blows my mind that people would like my music enough to buy a CD of it.”
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