Jubilingo

We put our hearts and souls into Jubilingo, and we truly feel inspired to write great tunes and leave it all on stage,” the roots rock quartet told AXS during a recent interview. “We really feel the bustling [Denver music] scene is a motivator to keep the fire in our music burning.” Playing the Main Street Grill in Edwards, Colorado this evening, this group of working musicians found their way to the Mile High City specifically because of the local scene, and of course, the mountains. Now with their first EP in the works, the band discussed their beginnings here on the frontier with AXS.

AXS: Are you Denver natives? If not, where is everyone originally from?
Jubilingo: Jessica Holloway [vocals, keyboard] hails from St. Simon's Island, Georgia. Keith Hicks [guitar, vocals] recently moved from Atlanta, Georgia. Bob Songster [bass] is from St. Louis, Missouri. Jake Herman [drums] is from Manhattan, Kansas. We all moved to Denver for its eclectic music scene and mountain life.

AXS: What brought the band together?
Jubilingo: We all frequented the Quixotes’ Jam Night, Jake and Jessica were currently involved in a project. After jamming with Keith, the three decided pursue something more seriously. Keith brought in Bob to join the project, and Jubilingo was formed.

AXS: How long have you guys been together? What have you learned during that time?
Jubilingo: All of the members of the band have been playing together off and on in various other projects for over a year. Jubilingo officially has been together for five months, but has already performed in numerous venues throughout Colorado. The band currently has written several originals, and hopes to head into the studio for their debut album soon.

AXS: Where was your first show in Denver, and what was the experience like? Who else did you play with at the show?
Jubilingo: Our first show was at Quixotes True Blue, on November 7, 2015. The band played opposite of Shakedown Street. The experience was refreshing and exciting for our first show. Quixotes is one of our favorite Denver venues, as it has a great vibe and ambience. Shakedown Street always brings some folks out, so we were excited to play for a packed house.

AXS: Have any Denver musicians inspired your group?
Jubilingo: The Denver music scene is incredible and rich in talent! The funk seen around here is just happenin'! We are all huge fans of funky local acts like Joey Porter's Vital Organ, The Motet, The Workshy, Euforquestra, Jaden Carlson Band, and Analog Son. We also have great appreciation for the vibrant local jazz scene and admire world class musicianship of artists like Mikey Smith, Venus Cruz, and Art Lande. Overall the Denver music scene is diverse and deep we draw inspiration from a wide variety of local talent, from Paa Kow, to Dave Hebert, to Kyle Hollingsworth Band!

AXS: What projects are you currently working on?
Jubilingo: We all are working musicians, so you can usually find us gigging around town in different groups when we are not playing with Jubilingo. We are currently writing originals for a new album, and playing as many shows as possible. We are playing together whenever spare time allows and working on shaping our sound.

AXS: What other stuff are the band members involved in locally, either as individuals or as a group?
Jubilingo: Jessica is a server at Cuba Cuba and is currently performing solo, too. Keith is a photographer and social media coordinator, for the Olde Town Pickin' Parlor. He performs throughout town with such acts as Wake Up and Live, Daddy Blue, 3D, and currently plays solo acoustic shows around town. Jake is a software engineer by day, and plays in several other projects including Astronaut Mountain, Mad JuJu, and a street performing act called Nimbus. Bob is a session bass player that plays with numerous acts around town including Spherio, David Booker, and William and the Romantics.

AXS: Do you have a goal in mind for the sound the band produces? Are there certain influences or themes the band tries to inject into its own music?
Jubilingo: We search to form an honest voice, something that people can be moved by, connect too. Music that uplifts the soul. We grew up listening to roots rock bands such as Little Feat, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Allman Brothers, Taj Mahal, and The Band. Bands that are true to their art form. Bands that write songs about experience in their own lives. Bands that live the music they play. We all dig a wide variety of styles to blues, rock, jazz, soul, funk, country and Americana. Music is music. We strive to really be influenced and moved by anything we listen to in our daily lives, and letting that music flow into our own music--aiming to meld different styles of music we love, into a cohesive sound, something our own.

AXS: For someone who has never seen or heard you play, what would you tell them to entice them to watch your set?
Jubilingo: We come to get down!!! Rich harmonies, dynamite instrumentation, and compelling songwriting are at the forefront of everything Jubilingo does. Jessica pours her heart out into every show. She brings it on the keys, superb piano passages and energetic Hammond solos. Her vocals are a defining characteristic of the band, with outstanding energy and dynamics. Keith's guitar builds from touching moments to extremely climatic house burning peaks. He sings rich harmonies with Jess, and sings lead on several tunes as well. Bob holds down the bottom end on the bass, with innovative and robust bass lines. Our drummer, Jake Herman is the true guardian of the groove, cascading into awe inspiring drum solos in several passages throughout the night.

AXS: What would your ideal live show look like? Where would it take place? Any particular time of year? Would a specific band/musician share the bill with or open for you?
Jubilingo: We really think that most any Denver based musician would love to play Red Rocks for an ideal show. We aren't really different in that regard either, our ideal show would at the wondrous venue right in all of our backyards. Really anytime would be perfect to play Red Rocks, but perhaps late summer to early fall would be the best. When it is just cool enough to pull out a flannel shirt or hoodie, but not so cold that you need a jacket. Red Rocks is such a brilliant venue, mixing outstanding scenery with exceptional acoustics. We would obviously proudly play there with anyone, but one of our favorite acts is Tedeschi Trucks Band. We absolutely love their musicianship and vibe and would relish the opportunity to share the stage with them.

AXS: What do you enjoy most about Denver’s music scene, and why?
Jubilingo: The Denver music scene is diverse and vibrant. It seems like there is amazing music going down almost every night in Denver and a good amount of it is local talent! We appreciate the fact that there are so many musicians and music lovers throughout the front range. Denver audiences know what they like and seem to appreciate a band that goes the extra mile to stay true to their craft. We put our hearts and souls into Jubilingo, and we truly feel inspired to write great tunes and leave it all on stage. We really feel the bustling scene is a motivator to keep the fire in our music burning. - AXS