Norman-based artist Beau Jennings of Beau Jennings and the Tigers sat with the OU Daily at Second Wind Coffee House to discuss the band and being one of Norman Music Festival’s first performers. The band will be performing at 8:50 p.m. on Saturday April 27 at the Gray Street Stage.
What brought you back to Oklahoma?
I spent about seven years in Brooklyn playing music. I’m from here, I have a lot of family here and, at some point, it just made sense to come back.
What took you to Brooklyn in the first place?
My girlfriend at the time, who became my wife. But also I just, like I said, I’m from here, and it was really the only place I’d lived. So I wanted to get out and experience other places. It was a really great and valuable time.
What are the changes in music scenes, and what is special about Oklahoma’s music scene?
I feel like the Oklahoma music scene ... feels unique to me. I haven’t lived in a ton of places. I’ve lived in Brooklyn, and I’ve lived a little bit in Austin. And I’ve traveled around touring and just visiting places. There is something strangely unique about the town that we have here. I don’t know what to attribute that to.
Describe the sound of your band in 3 words.
Rock and roll.
Who are some influences for you personally and for the band?
I love a lot of just classic American rock. I love Tom Petty, John Mellencamp. I love Johnny Cash, Tom Wade. That’s just kind of my favorite stuff to listen to.
Thankfully, the band is a little more varied in their influences. I almost don’t want to name anything ... they can do all kinds of things. Everybody in my band is in another band, so they bring a lot to the table. When I bring songs to them, they can really find a lot of cool avenues to take.
How did the group come together?
My friend Bradley used to host a noodling tournament in Pauls Valley called Okie Noodling, and he needed a band to play it. And I had just moved back, and I didn’t have a band yet. So I called some old friends and we got together. They had already been calling themselves the Tigers and backing up other songwriters. It would be “So-and-So and the Tigers.” So, at that particular show, we called it Beau Jennings and the Tigers and it just stuck.
How did you start making music?
In high school, a friend loaned me a guitar. I think I’ve always been more interested in writing, really. I love to read. My whole life, I’ve always loved to read. And my favorite songs were always stories.
I’d never really thought about playing guitar or considered songwriting, but he loaned it to me and I just took to it, and those things just kind of came together.
What has been your involvement with Norman Music Festival, and what are you most excited for?
I’d have to say I’m pretty lucky. I played the very first one. This will date me, I guess, but I think it was in 2008. My friend Andy was running the club called the Opolis and I remember him calling me up and saying, “Hey, we’re doing something called Norman Music Fest, would you want to play?” I said, “That sounds really fun.” So I’ve just loved to watch it grow. It’s been really inspiring to see how a group of people came together and put the festival together.
If you could only play one song from your setlist, what would you choose?
There’s a song we do called “Back in Town” that has an extended outro, that we’re actually extending even more for this show.
What do you hope people take away from your music?
Well, for this show ... so we’re releasing a record in October, so it’s still a few months out; we’ll be playing a couple of songs from that record for the first time at Norman Music Fest … I hope people just hear those tunes and get excited for the record.
What are some of your favorite spots in Norman?
Well, we’re meeting here at Second Wind. I’ve never been here before, which is a shame, but this is excellent coffee so I’m glad to add this to the list. Midway Deli, I love them – I love eating there and I love playing there. I like this new place, The Standard. They have a great atmosphere. I always love going to the Opolis, I always love going to The Diner. I kind of like the old school stuff, but I like the new stuff too. I like it all.
This story was edited by Shelby Emery. Sophie Hemker and Avery Avery copy edited this story.
