It may only be January, but 2013 is poised to be the year of Jennifer O’Connor. The singer-songwriter is set to release two new albums, one of which will most certainly be hitting headphones this year courtesy of her record label. Though still somewhat in its infancy, Kiam Records helped put O’Connor’s most recent effort, I Want What You Want, out after a three year hiatus following her split with Matador after 2008’s Here With Me.
Kiam Records includes an ever-growing roster of musicians hand-picked by O’Connor, including The Foil Swans, Clint Michigan, and O’Connor herself.
“We try to put out 2-3 things a year and are doing more digital song releases as a more affordable way to get the music out there,” O’Connor tells The Appeal.
That digital output makes for a nice supplement, especially when eagerly awaiting O’Connor’s next release. I Want What You Want was an affirmative record, melodically marking hardships and resolutions with O’Connor’s cascading guitar strums and evocative, velvety vocals.
Though neither previous efforts nor current projects have had any stringent deadlines, it is the freedom of having her own record label that has allowed small shifts in O’Connor’s creative process. New techniques blossomed along with a more relaxed pace of writing and recording.
“The process itself hasn’t changed much but it was nice to have that time. I took longer and was trying different things, not know what to do, and just going with it,” O’Connor explains.
O’Connor’s short Pacific Northwest run takes her all the way up to Seattle, down to San Diego, and concludes in Portland. A touring musician for only a handful of years, the 39-year-old is looking forward to making her SF return this evening at Hotel Utah. Her drummer, Jon Langmead, also happens to live in the city so O’Connor is hoping for a productive visit to the city by the Bay.
A unique marker of this tour is its co-headlining status with bandmate and Come singer-guitarist Chris Brokaw.
“We’ll both have sets and then collaborate with each other. We have a lot of similar musical tastes and like a lot of the same things so we’re thinking of picking up a cover along the way,” says O’Connor.
Catch Jennifer O’Connor with Chris Brokaw tonight at Hotel Utah. $8 in advance (buy online here) or $10 at the door. The show starts at 9 PM.
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