On Wednesday, July 24, at 6:30 pm, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival will host Dinner + Live Music at the Chilmark Community Center before a showing of “American Factory” and the scheduled discussion to follow with producer Jeff Reichert and former Congressman Barney Frank. The featured performer for the evening will be Jenny Teator, a powerful new voice in blues and rock music who is sure to entertain and enlighten with an acoustic set of original music. Jan Buhrman of Kitchen Porch Catering will serve New Orleans jambalaya, and the blend of soul food and soulful music is sure to make for a night to remember.
Jenny Teator brings a powerful blend of blues and rock to the fore with her original songwriting and high-energy performances. Teator’s songs pulsate with feeling, and the confidence and swagger of her delivery forces listeners to tune in and take notice. Her music captures what it might sound like if Black Keys were fronted by Stevie Nicks — it’s lyrically engaging, but also downright entertaining. Nowhere is Teator’s style on more shining display than her recent single “Surrender,” which has garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube. The catchy tune is unforgettable, with a melody that just borders on the mainstream, but the song also packs a punch lyrically, and this sets Jenny Teator apart from the crowd.
Teator’s sound is influenced by artists like Grace Potter and Susan Tedeschi, and while their soulful inflections can be heard in Teator’s delivery, the artist carves a path all her own, with songwriting prowess to match her powerful voice. A St. Louis native, Teator recently moved to Nashville, where she has honed her songcraft and performance through Music City’s iconic songwriter rounds. During these performances, writers line up on stage or form a circle and pass songs around while telling stories, and sometimes even collaborating on the fly. “We’ve been touring around the U.S. doing a Nashville writer’s round, and most people don’t know what that is,” Teator tells The Times. “It’s easy to get used to that living in Nashville, but when you take yourself out of that environment and put it in something that’s new, [the audience] is like ‘What? That is so cool’—They’re not used to hearing the stories behind the songs.”
Teator has the unique ability to translate her rousing recordings to intimate settings like the one at the MVFF, and she is no stranger to close-quarters performance settings. “Acoustically you have a better chance to really, truly relate to your audience because they are actually listening.” Teator tells The Times. “You can be vulnerable with them, and they can hear everything you’re wanting to tell them — I want people to be engaged.” For Teator, sharing her music through songwriting and performance is about more than just entertaining an audience. “We are all human beings — there are such similar experiences between all of us that we don’t realize until we reach out and connect and relate,” Teator says. “That’s what I’m trying to do through my music.”
While Teator is a newcomer to the Island, she’s no stranger to Massachusetts. In fact, her most recent project is being recorded just outside Boston in Framingham, at Red 13 Studios, and fans can look forward to an upcoming single titled “Daughter of the Devil” co-written with Nashville-based songwriter Drew Dickson. “I prefer the collaboration because it’s two minds as opposed to just one,” Teator says of the co-writing process. “I think it brings more to the table, especially when you can relate to somebody else — that’s the goal.” The song is set for release sometime later in the summer, and will be part of a larger album currently in the works.
Fans can keep up with Jenny Teator through her various social media accounts, and her music is available on all streaming platforms. Teator will perform on Wednesday, July 24, at 6:30 pm as part of the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival at the Chilmark Community Center. Kitchen Porch Catering will be serving New Orleans jambalaya, and kid-friendly and vegetarian options will be available. Tickets can be purchased at tmvff.org.