Pi Jacobs
Los Angeles musician Pi Jacobs is amplifying the concert experience on Live From Memphis, an inventive new album that places eight original songs alongside the personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.
“I feel like with all art, there’s an important sense of connection for people,” she says. “It’s part of our humanity. We don’t want to feel alone. The only reason to put these stories out is to help people. That’s it. It’s not for my ego – in fact, parts of them are super embarrassing for me!”
With a laugh, she continues, “In writing these stories, there’s been a little more acceptance of myself. I can’t even explain that healing feeling I had, but it’s been a happy side effect.”
A blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, the music on Live From Memphis comes from Jacob’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before.
“The band and I loved how that concert came out so much,” she says. “I thought, what if I write an intro that’s my very personal inspiration for the song? I was listening to people doing that on the Moth Radio Hour and some of these people are so brave. I thought, well, maybe I could do that, too. So I started putting these stories on paper.”
Thus, Live From Memphis begins with a story, specifically how she met her now-husband (not to mention all of Jacobs’ self-enforced dating rules before they met). It’s a terrific icebreaker and also provides a gateway into the unique storytelling aspect of the album.
“The conventional wisdom would say not to start with a slow song. But that song has always had a spiritual quality to it and I feel like it draws people in, in a quiet way,” she says. “It’s a happy story and a good way to introduce my more personal side to people… before I scare them.”
All kidding aside, there’s little for listeners to fear in her detailed anecdotes, whether they’re about tracking down her absent father in Alaska or paying dues as a starving artist in New York City. However, other topics may feel immediately identifiable to anyone, like the impact of the #MeToo movement or growing up without money.
“Listening to this album as a whole now, I’ve gotten OK with the stories,” she says. “When I first started recording them, I had a couple of panic attacks, like, oh my God, I can’t do this. But now I feel like everyone has stuff.”
As a narrator, Jacobs’ voice is engaging and witty, while her pacing is spot-on, with none of her stories turning into mere ramblings. For example, “First Thing Tomorrow” calls to mind the disappointment and shock that many people felt after the 2016 presidential election. Jacobs admits that she stayed drunk for a long time afterwards, just like the character in the song, but ultimately found redemption in activism.
However, for those who felt differently about that election, you can still relate to the lyrical theme of realizing that things aren’t going the way you anticipated – and that you’re not handling it very well. The animated music video, created by Turkish illustrator Mertcan Mertbilek, adds a fanciful and light feeling to the narrative.
Jacobs understands that even if she’s considered a liberal by some, at least she comes by it honestly. Raised by a single mother in the Bay Area, she spent the first two years of her life within a two-mile radius of Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco.
“I grew up with hippies, so back then I thought everybody was like that,” she says. “But my mom told me it was a bubble, especially in Northern California. So, not everyone is going to relate to being a hippie kid but I think anybody who grew up out of the mainstream will relate to being different.”
Throughout her childhood, storytelling was always around. She learned to read as a toddler and started singing by age 3 in her preschool chorus. Her mother, an avowed hippie who later became a schoolteacher, has been acting in community theatre productions for years, while Jacobs was a theatre kid in school. Pivotal memories from this era come to life in the stories for “Weed and Wine” and “Party Girl.”
Jacobs learned to play guitar at 11 but gravitated toward bass in college, where she also studied jazz and vocal performance. Although she played a few gigs accompanying herself on bass, she made it a point to get better at guitar when she decided to become a songwriter. She moved to New York after landing her first record deal and issued a debut album in 2001.
But when her boyfriend (and now-husband) got a job in Los Angeles, she reluctantly decided to come along. As a native Californian, she says she always dismissed LA, but within a few years she realized how many friends she’d made. “LA is so huge and the Americana scene is small and tight-knit. I found a haven and a supportive community there,” she says.
Tellingly, Live From Memphis concludes on an upbeat vibe with “Good Things,” a rousing song brimming with positive energy that she frequently saves for encores.
“It just has that feel. It’s uptempo and happy and that story has a nice message,” she says. “Just when you think things are darkest, the thing you least expect to happen will be a good thing.” - Craig Shelburn, The Bluegrass Situation
The majority of Truth & Salvage Co. convened in the city of Asheville, North Carolina, in the early 2000s while performing in other groups. Bill "Smitty" Smith, Joe Edel, Walker Young and Scott Kinnebrew first started playing together in the jazz/ragtime outfit Scrappy Hamilton in the Spring of 1999, touring the East Coast extensively for five years and releasing three albums independently. The band gained some underground notoriety, opening for such well-established acts as Squirrel Nut Zippers, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Moldy Peaches and Rebirth Brass Band.[1] During this time, the band had a song ("Wastin' Time," penned by Kinnebrew) featured in the 2002 horror film, Cabin Fever.[2]
During this same time period, Tim Jones was the leader of the reasonably successful rock outfit Old Pike, based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. Signed early in their career to Epic Records subsidiary 550 Music, the band (featuring future members of My Morning Jacket and Roguewave) recorded and released a debut album (produced by Jim Scott) and toured extensively. The band gained attention by supporting such successful artists as Ben Folds Five, Whiskeytown, John Mellencamp and The Old 97s.[3] Despite such early success, however, the group opted to disband in 2001, at which time Jones moved to Los Angeles with the intent of beginning a solo career.
Adam Grace grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, and toured the South making a name for himself in the college circuit. At seventeen, Adam moved to New York City and pursued acting and music, eventually landing a role on Broadway. In 2001 Adam moved to Los Angeles and backed many a musician on the scene, including Gary Jules who released the remake of Tears For Fears' hit single "Mad World" for the hit film Donnie Darko. Throughout the early 2000s, Grace shared stages with top touring acts and made numerous appearances on TV shows as an actor, musician, and magician. As with his Truth & Salvage Co. counterpart Tim Jones, Grace would find himself relocating to Los Angeles in the early-2000s in an effort to further his career.
In 2005, Scrappy Hamilton relocated to Los Angeles, attempting to boost their popularity by performing in a larger market. At the time, Jones was performing at the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood every Sunday night. In between Scrappy Hamilton gigs, Smith, Edel, Young and Kinnebrew became resident musicians at Cranes Hollywood Tavern with a musical collaborative called the Beachwood Rockers. The buzz surrounding each residency would eventually draw the five musicians together.[4] When Adam Grace found his way into the mix, the line-up was set, and Truth & Salvage Co. was born.
In late 2008, Truth & Salvage Co. caught the attention of Black Crowes frontman and co-songwriter Chris Robinson, who had recently established his own record label (Silver Arrow) with his brother Rich Robinson. Enthusiastic about the band's potential, Robinson immediately signed the band to his label, providing Truth & Salvage Co. with the distinction of being the first artist on the Silver Arrow roster.[4] Robinson also enlisted the band as the opening act for the Black Crowes' 2009 tour in support of their Before the Frost...Until the Freeze record, a slot that would expose Truth & Salvage Co. to just the right audience for their sound. On this tour, a four-track EP was made available, featuring four songs from the band's album, which was revealed to be in process in Los Angeles and being produced by Robinson.
On May 25, 2010, the band released its debut album, Truth & Salvage Co., on Silver Arrow/Megaforce Records. Produced by Chris Robinson, it features 12 tracks (including the four previously released on their 2009 EP of the same name). The album gained early attention from such media outlets as USA Today and All Music Guide[5] and set the stage for the band to embark on a summer tour across the United States. The 43-date run marked the band's first headlining tour of non-club venues and included performances at a number of high-profile summer festivals, including Bonnaroo, Beale Street Music Festival, Wakarusa, Stagecoach Festival and High Sierra Music Festival.
The band's song "Them Jeans," a bonus track on the iTunes version of their debut, was subsequently selected by Gap Jeans to be featured on the fashion retailer's new iPad e-commerce application.
For a 2011 winter tour that began on January 26, Frank DiVanna began appearing as the band's bassist. The press release issued prior to the tour listed DiVanna as a member with no explanation given for Joe Edel's departure. DiVanna has since been replaced by Dean Moore.
The band released their second record, Pick Me Up, on Megaforce/Sony RED on July 23, 2013. The record was co-produced by the band and Jon Ashley with Bill Reynolds handling the mix. Recorded as a "joyous tour de force" at Echo Mountain studio in Asheville, NC, the album features 12 original tracks and a cover of Joe South’s Grammy-winning 1968 hit “Games People Play.”
On May 17, 2010, it was reported that Tim Jones had been arrested while asleep in his Visalia, California hotel room and jailed for trespassing. According to initial reports, the band completed a performance at the Cellar Door, an area venue, and returned to the Marriott Hotel at approximately 1 AM. Two Visalia police officers entered Jones' room with a Marriott security guard at approximately 2 AM and arrested Jones. According to sources close to the band, the Visalia Police officers unsuccessfully attempted to awake and arrest Walker Young who was sharing the room with Jones. At the time of his arrest, Jones did not have any outstanding warrants; he wasn't suspected of, nor accused of, any crime prior to being arrested by the Visalia Police and Marriott Security.[6] He subsequently received medical treatment for injuries suffered during the arrest. Jones recently has filed a claim for damages with the City of Visalia.[citation needed]