Jenny & Tyler

Jenny & Tyler
Jenny & Tyler performing at University of Delaware's student center, The Scrounge
Background information
Origin	Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Genres	Pop-folk,[1] CCM,[2] alternative rock,[2] bluegrass,[2] indie rock,[2] indie folk[2]
Years active	2004–present[2][1]
Labels	Residence
Website	jennyandtyler.com
Members	Jenny Somers Tyler Somers[3]

Jenny & Tyler are a husband-wife pop-folk band originally from Newark, Delaware, and currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of singer-songwriters Jenny Somers and Tyler Somers. Their style is a fusion of folk, pop, funk, rock, soul, and bluegrass that has been called "soul-grass". The duo has independently released three full-length albums and two EPs, and regularly tour the United States.

History

Musical background

Before Jenny's father retired from the Air Force, her family moved cross-country regularly. While being regularly uprooted, she came to find a home for self-expression in the art of songwriting at an early age. Since she grew up immersed in bluegrass and southern gospel, these musical styles have shaped the duo's creative process ever since. Her father has begun to craft musical instruments as a retirement hobby, several of which have been used by the duo in performances.

Tyler was born in Wilmington, Delaware, with both of his parents; his father Wilson gault somers is a jazz composer and music teacher at The Tatnall School, and his mother is a singer. His parents exposed him to numerous music performers and styles, including jazz and Barbra Streisand at a young age.

Jenny and Tyler first met in the fall of 2004 while students at the University of Delaware. Almost immediately, they began writing songs together and backing each other up at shows. Tyler formed a band with his room-mate, Joel Rakes, and Jenny continued to write and perform as a solo act. After a while, Jenny and Tyler began dating, and in the summer of 2006 they began work on an album together.

They were married in June 2007, in between production and release of their first record, A Prelude, which was released that December. The pair spent the next year touring the mid-Atlantic states, and settled in Nashville in August 2008, in order to continue their musical careers.

Jenny & Tyler performed live on NBC 10 Philadelphia's 'The 10! Show' in late 2009 to promote This Isn’t a Dream and a homeless benefit concert with Wilson Somers, at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington.^[4] They returned to the 10! Show in 2011 to perform "This Is Just So Beautiful."^[5]

On July 10, 2013, Jenny & Tyler announced the birth of their first child, a baby girl named Jane Mercy, born three days prior.^[6]

On April 21, 2015, Jenny & Tyler's second daughter, Sara Verity, was born.^[7]

Writing and recording process

Jenny & Tyler describe their song-writing process as very collaborative, as they constantly bounce ideas off of each other. Tyler had been the primary sound engineer and producer for all of their records until Mitch Dane produced the most recent, Open Your Doors, which was released on April 3, 2012.^[8]

Live performances

Jenny & Tyler perform in the studio with a wide array of instruments and musicians, though they prefer to utilize only the two members during live performance. In order to reproduce complexities of their studio album sound, they take on different musical roles simultaneously: Jenny performs vocals and the glockenspiel while Tyler typically plays guitar, performs vocally, and uses a suitcase adapted into the role of a bass drum. Additionally, Jenny has regularly been seen performing on guitar, with Tyler accompanying on mandolin or ukulele. After completing several performances in the summer and fall of 2013, they took a hiatus from performing for several months for the birth of their first child. The duo has announced plans for a tour in several states in early 2014.

Collaborations

On their 2010 release, Faint Not Jenny & Tyler collaborated with Third Day front man Mac Powell, who provided backing vocals for the song "Carry Me". The couple had met Powell when they opened for him at a men's conference in Wilmington, DE.^[9]

They covered "We Will Become Silhouettes" by the Postal Service, along with covers by several other artists for a 10-year celebration of the band.^[10]

The duo has performed with Audrey Assad in the past, as well as Sara Groves for several performances.

Jenny & Tyler have announced they are supporters of International Justice Mission in the fight against human trafficking,^[11] including their recent album of covers, For Freedom.

Members

• Jennifer Frances "Jenny" Somers^[12] (born March 15, 1986)^[13][14]
• Tyler Wilson Somers^[15] (born March 20, 1985)^[16][17]

Discography

Faint Not

Faint Not is described by the couple as their first major success, and it garnered attention from many artists who would collaborate with the couple over the next few years. The couple have also stated that the album "chronicles our journey of faith".^[26]

For Freedom

Jenny & Tyler have announced they are supporters of International Justice Mission in the fight against human trafficking, and state their most recent album is in support of these efforts. Their most recent album For Freedom, is a series of covers, including "Tonight, Tonight", and "The Sound of Silence".^[27]

Kickstarter projects

The duo recently established a Kickstarter page to support a new album, as well as the production of a live album.^[28]

Of This I'm Sure

Of This I'm Sure was released October 16, 2015 from Residence Music.

References

External links

• Official website
• One Eyed Cat Music