Bye Bye Birdy

When asking the question, “What is your favorite venue to see a show, or play a show,” many cities and many places come to mind but when I got the chance to interview a good friend of mine Jennica Wahl, with out hesitation she excitedly responded, “Pontiac! I love the Crofoot Ballroom. The vibe there and all the people who work there are great.” I myself have been to the Crofoot several times and could not have agreed with her more. Just this past weekend I ventured out to The Marquee room. The Marquee room is one of the many parts of the Crofoot Ballroom that proves to be an awesome place to see some talented artists perform. Jennica played her first show as her side solo project, Bye Bye Birdy at the Marquee room last weekend on Sunday August 28th and it was a great first time there for me.

I asked Jennica where she adopted the name for her music and she explained to me that Bye Bye Birdy derived from a french artist that she really liked named Bye Bye Beaute’, “I wanted to incorporate the concept of flying away, something I day dream about daily.” With a smile on her face she also discussed with me some of her inspirations which included her guitar idol, a female percussive finger style guitarist called Kaki King, and also singer/songwriter, Mirah. “What’s always inspired me really, is the concept of breaking social norms, and to show people that even though you are a mother, and even though the older your get, it will ALWAYS be okay to still follow your dreams and do what you are truly passionate about, and nothing else.” With that said I could help but discuss with her more and talk about some of our favorite bands and musicians. I discovered we shared a lot of common ground in the music we both enjoy when she told me that some of her favorites included Copeland, Death Cab for Cutie, Mumford & Sons, Cocorosie, Angus & Julia stone, Jessica Lea Mayfield, and Minus The Bear.

Jennica plans to record her first full length album at Safe and Sound Studios (Chiodos, Atilla, I See Stars, For the Fallen Dreams) in Rochester hills produced by Matt Dalton, and she also would like to headline a small Midwest tour. Which speaking of, this weekend she will be perfoming with Craig Owens (former vocalist of Chiodos, and current vocalist of DRUGS), and also Nick Martin (DRUGS, Underminded). They have scheduled shows in Chicago, Indiana, and Ohio. Friday September 2nd they will be at Mojoes in IL, Emerson Theater in Indianapolis on Saturday, and Grog Shop in Cleveland on Sunday. It will definitely be a performance for everyone to enjoy.

Long term goals for Bye Bye Birdy are in all honesty says Jennica, “Really I just want to have something to show my son when he is older, and why his mama has all these crazy tattoos. If I make money while accomplishing that, then it’s a plus!”

Jennica and her friend Robyn also run an Event Planning and services company named Get Right! Promotions. These two great ladies book through out Michigan and know how to have a good time. Contact them via email if you are looking for a show or need help promoting.

Below I’ve posted 2 videos from the show that features a portion of Bye Bye Birdy’s set accompanied by Colin Guffey and a song Jennica wrote while pregnant with her son Aubin titled “Do What You Want”.