She's done her time

Tobie DePauw
Lifestyles Editor

Country music may have more fans than any other type of music in the world, unless you count pop music in China, but there's no competition there.

Before Jenny Kavanaugh held her debut Compact Disc release party at the Side Door Saturday night, this writer couldn't tell you the difference between honky-tonk and a Tonka truck. Country really isn't my taste, but there is nothing wrong with expanding your palette a bit. Besides, I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

Kavanaugh comes from a very musical family and grew up in St. Louis' South City. From the first beat, it was evident there were many influences behind her music. The Kavanaugh family plays traditional Irish music, and Jenny slowly progressed into country from there.

Kavanaugh's voice is a strong but feminine force that can be hypnotic at times. The audience is held by her voice and her lyrics are driven into the heart.

Songs constantly progressed and changed with new instruments and styles. The band opened with a rock song and followed with waltzes, ballads and even a duet.

The changing instruments enlivened the music. Chris Grabau started on electric guitar, but throughout the performance he played an accordion, a slide guitar and a mandolin. The sound came alive with the talented fiddling of Jennifer Wiley, who also added bold background vocals.

Kavanaugh's brother, John Kavanaugh, played electric and acoustic guitar and was backup vocals for his sister. He brought some rock 'n' roll to the performance. He was the original singer of St. Louis' MU330 and opened for Alkaline Trio last year with a rousing set of Journey covers playing only an acoustic guitar.

Other members of the band are John O'Brien on bass and Patrick Turek on drums. The performers were not exaggerated in their movements. They never seemed to force themselves to move or entertain - it was just something that came naturally. The band was assembled from family friends and some of Kavanaugh's friends from St. Louis University. Some of the band are ex-Stillwater members, another local country rock band.

Jenny's debut CD was released on Sandymount Records, and should be available in St. Louis music stores. So for all you country fans out there, check out Jenny Kavanaugh for a taste of St. Louis country.