Jenn Vix (born February 4, 1967) is an American solo electronic-rock singer, songwriter, producer, and recording engineer, who has ventured into other genres including

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow temp ...

darkwave Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as be ...

, modern new wave and

electro-industrial Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound w ...

Early life

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, she spent her teen years in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

Career

In 1984, Vix performed in Disco Donut, a one-off band, singing back-up, along with singer/songwriter Nicole Willis from Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators, Adam Horovitz of

The Beastie Boys ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

on bass, musician Phil Painson on drums and investigative journalist David Strahan on guitar.

''Jenn Vix''

Vix's first solo release was ''Jenn Vix'', a self-titled album of 8 tracks on her own label, Umbrella, which was officially released in January 1995, through a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

–based distributor. Later it was sold on

CDBaby CD Baby, Inc. is an online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. The CD Baby music store was shut down in March 2020 with a statement that " ...

, one of the first artists on that site.

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

gave the album 3.5 stars, saying "Vix sounds perpetually enraptured. And the Rhode Island multi-instrumentalist has reason to be. Her music--clear, simple melodies awash in echo--is all dreaminess and shuddering, and from inside its swirl, her voice wafts up lightly. Catchy but ." The February 1995

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

included Vix's song "Devils Chasing Angels," saying: "Vix played virtually all the instruments on her self-titled debut album (Umbrella). 'Devils Chasing Angels' is an airy, dreamy pop song, with wisps of synthesizers coiled around tendrils of Vix's trademark watery bass sound."

''Hope Springs Nocturnal''

Vix's second release was ''Hope Springs Nocturnal'', officially released in October 1998 (rather than 2000 as listed on

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

). It is a longer release of 18 tracks.

''3''

Vix's third release was titled "3" and it has 10 tracks including "Doll Heart" and "Broken Angels Singing." It was released on Nov 1, 2003.

''Strange Buildings''

Vix's eleventh release was a five-track EP titled "Strange Buildings." It features two collaboration tracks, "The Woman with No Fear" and "Weirdo", with the original guitarist of

The Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scen ...

, John Ashton. It was released on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

on November 16, 2015, and then officially released on November 17, 2015. Popdose said of ''Strange Buildings'': "Vix’s voice is a wonderful instrument on its own; warm and embracing...she’s onto something truly special."

Unlocked

Vix's EP Unlocked, released in 2017 received a 5 Star rating on music-news.com. The 5 track album was celebrated for "serving up a brimming bowl of postmodern broth for your delectation." The song "unlocked" features John Ashton, original guitarist of

. The album was co-produced by Danny Chavis of shoegaze pioneers The Veldt. The album also features the single "Complicated Man."

Singles

In 2010, Vix released a single track titled "Vampires", first exclusively at

, then in wide release. On January 24, 2012, Vix released a fourth single track, titled "In the House of Dark Shadows". It is a collaboration with

Reeves Gabrels Reeves Gabrels (born June 4, 1956) is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. A member and guitarist of British band the Cure since 2012, Gabrels worked with David Bowie from 1987 to 1999, and was a member of the band Tin Machine. ...

, former guitarist for

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

and

Tin Machine Tin Machine were a British–American rock band formed in 1988, and fronted by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. The band consisted of Bowie on lead vocals, saxophone and guitar; Reeves Gabrels on guitar and vocals; Tony Fox Sales on ba ...

, and current

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

The Cure The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...

. In 2012, Vix released a single track titled “Sick” on March 14. A year later she released a sixth single titled "Speed Of Light", her second collaboration with

. The release date was April 22, 2013. Her seventh release was a single track collaboration with Andy Anderson, former drummer of

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the " Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band The Stooges, who w ...

and

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including ha ...

, and

Mark Montalto. The track title is "Eyes Roll Back"; Popdose praised the song saying Vix's "voice is striking; warm, enveloping and emotional." The official release date was June 29, 2015, and it was pre-released on

on March 13. It blends post-punk guitars and drums with light and sensual synthesizers. Her eighth release was a double single, titled "F*ck, Rinse, Repeat" and "Burn." Both tracks are a collaboration with

Dirk Ivens Dirk Ivens is a Belgian musician and performer in the industrial music genre. Career In 1978 he started as singer and guitar player in the punk band Slaughterhouse but left the group after one year to form the new band The Few. In 1980 he form ...

, Belgian

pioneer from the bands

Absolute Body Control Absolute Body Control is an electronic music project from Belgium. It is notable as the first significant project of musicians Dirk Ivens and Eric Van Wonterghem. History Having previously played in minor punk and new wave bands, Dirk formed A ...

, Dive, and

The Klinik Klinik, (sometimes called The Klinik), is an industrial music band from Belgium, originally formed around 1982 by electro-synthpop practitioner Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member. History Marc Verhaeghen originally formed Klinik ...

. Vix‘s ninth release was a single track titled "I Don't Trust You". This is yet another collaboration with the former drummer of

, Andy Anderson. Pre-released on

on June 17, 2015, then officially released on June 29, 2015, "I Don't Trust You" opts for a dark synthpop meets

trip-hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...

approach "which frame Vix's

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

style vocals very nicely. It is a much more complex, intriguing and engaging track that more appropriately shows off the depth of Vix's songwriting skills." The tenth release was a single track, titled "Hands On My Heart (Waiting)." It was released on August 29, 2015 on

Other projects

Vix has also contributed vocals and music tracks for Bob Robertson's singing skeleton group
Sindy Skinless and the Decomposers
featured o
YouTube
In January 2016, Jenn Vix performed the tracks "Strange Buildings", "Unlocked" and "The Woman With No Fear" live for

WBRU WBRU is an internet radio station based in Providence, Rhode Island. The station is owned and operated by Brown Broadcasting Service, an independent Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization, and is primarily staffed by students from Brown U ...

's Home BRU'd; the radio station said "knows how to create an atmosphere," offering "beautiful lyrics" with "the Massive Attack influence...evident in the echoing drums." She was accompanied by Paul LF and John Ashton. She was on the cover of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

, MA, Noise magazine, and was the feature story; feature 291, April 22, 2009. The video for "Vampires" was animated by cartoonist and writer,

Scott Bateman Scott Bateman (born January 30, 1964) is an American filmmaker, author, animator, and cartoonist. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1986. Filmography * ''Scott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents'' (TV series, Plum TV, 2 ...

. In September 2014, Vix collaborated on a single track with

Marco Pirroni Marco Francesco Andrea Pirroni (born 27 April 1959, London, England) frequently credited simply as Marco, is a British guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He has worked with Adam Ant, Sinéad O'Connor, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many ...

, formerly of

Adam and the Ants Adam and the Ants were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. The group existed in two incarnations, both fronted by Adam Ant, over the period 1977 to 1982. The first, founded in May 1977 and known simply as The Ants until November of ...

Rema Rema Rema-Rema was a short-lived English music group, consisting of Gary Asquith (guitar/vocals), Marco Pirroni (guitar), Mick Allen (bass/vocals), Mark Cox (keyboards) and Dorothy Max Prior (drums, generally known only as "Max"). History Asquith ...

and

The Models The Models (credited also as Models) were a short-lived punk band formed in Harrow, London, England. It consisted of Cliff Fox on vocals and guitar, Marco Pirroni on guitar, Mick Allen on bass and Terry Day (Terry Lee Miall) on drums. Pirron ...

. The track is a cover version of

Shirley Collins Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on pi ...

' "Turpin Hero" and it is featured on the digital download of the compilation album "Shirley Inspired", official UK releases date 8 June 2015. She has also contributed three tracks to the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

(

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

) series "Hit and Run History", featuring Andrew Giles Buckley. Vix also recorded vocals on tracks by Rodney Linderman, known as

Rodney Anonymous Rodney Linderman (born 21 May 1963), also known by his stage name Rodney Anonymous, is an American musician, journalist, and humorist currently based in Philadelphia. He is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist and co-songwriter of the ...

, of the band

The Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist D ...

in 2014.

Shy Child Shy Child were an American electronic music duo from New York City, United States, consisting of Pete Cafarella on vocals and synthesizers and Nate Smith on drums. History Shy Child formed in the summer of 2000, when former college friends Pete ...

sampled Vix on their 2010 album, Liquid Love;

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

said the "Jenn Vix narrative ('I used to be in bands...') recalls how the Orb used a

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author. Over the course of a career that spans five decades, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, and jazz. A two ...

conversation in Little Fluffy Clouds."

Discography

Albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

* Jenn Vix - 1995 * Hope Springs Nocturnal – 1998 * 3 - November 1, 2003 * Strange Buildings - 2015 * Unlocked - 2017 *6 EP - 2019 Singles * Vampires - 2010 * Sick - 2012 *PTSD - 2021 Collaboration *

- In the House of Dark Shadows - 2012 * “Speed of Light" - 2013 * Andy Anderson – Eyes Roll Back - 2015 * “I Don't Trust You - 2015 *

- F*ck, Rinse, Repeat and “Burn - 2013 * John Ashton - The Woman With No Fear and Weirdo on the EP, Strange Buildings - 2015 *Feeney Vix - Orange Is The Color Of Our Discontent - 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vix, Jenn Musicians from Providence, Rhode Island American women songwriters Songwriters from Rhode Island