Jerzy Jung

Today I want to talk a bit about beauty and how we view it. I think I'll touch on this subject often because I believe how we see ourselves is so important to our mental, physical and spiritual health. We put our minds, emotions, and bodies through hell on the journey to find our beauty.

Seeing the problem. That's the first step, isn't it? We are so used to focusing on our flaws that we don't even see it as a problem. And the fact that every other girl we know points out her flaws and talks about what she hates about her body makes it all OK. We have issues! We vacillate between over indulging in self-critiquing, judging ourselves against others, then ignoring what actually matters. We watch to see if our belly looks swollen today. If our butt got any smaller due to that diet we're on. It never stops. Applying makeup on women of all ages and from all walks of life reminds me of this on a regular basis.
So I hope you guys don't mind coming along with me on this journey to redirect our focus on that which is positive and except that which is not perfect... because we all have flaws. I'm trying to grasp that when I finally mastered accepting my hips, I now have a 56 YO neck, which I never thought about before! Of all the body parts I struggled with over the years, my neck was never one of them! Damn, I had a great neck! And the worst part is, I never knew it! So, as I age, I ask my Maker to grant me grace to not care that my body isn't as tight as it once was. To forgive me for not being thankful that all my body parts work and being too focused on how they look. After all, my neck is still doing a pretty good job at holding up my head!

Thinking about this reminded me of Jerzy Jung because I got to spend a great deal of time with her on a photo shoot back in November and as the day went on, she talked about this issue at length. Having suffered her own eating issues and having recovered, Jerzy wants to make a difference using her voice and her songs. She is a breath of fresh air. While many sing about nothing, she sings about something that counts. Check out her Facebook page here and find her song 'Black Dress, White Dress under the Band Profile link. If you have a minute, go take a listen. It's a song that cries out that all girls suffer the same thing. They all fear not fitting the dress, or the crowd and they all.. just want to look pretty. And maybe, just maybe... if a young teenager hears this, she might realize that she is not the only one who feels like this. She is not alone. Hopefully she will see that all girls suffer from their own self-imposed ideas of what is beautiful and they pressure to fit the mold. And Jerzy believes that seeing the issue is the beginning of change. This issue isn't fixed with one light bulb moment. Or with listening to one song. It's a process. One I'd like to take together...

Sign up for her mailing list and get a free acoustic version of the song to download. Grab it and put it on your daughter's iPod! - Yvonne Moss

HOMEBASE: New Jersey (I often get nicknamed “Jerzy from Jersey” when I’m out of state)

GENRE: Singer-Songwriter, Pop

CATEGORIES ENTERED: EP, Song Used In Film/TV/Multimedia

WORKS SUBMITTED: Hello Desire.; “The Anchor”

ARTISTS FEATURED:
Gordon Brown – acoustic guitar; Ron Haney – guitars, keyboards and toys; Jerzy Jung – keyboards and vocals; Bart Schoudel – engineering, keyboards, and vocals; Sarah Tomek – drums and percussion; Mastered by Tom Ruff at Asbury MediaEP Photos by Virginia Kamenitzer

LABEL: Near Records/All Hour Entertainment

WHEN DID YOU BEGIN PLAYING MUSIC?
Singing at age 3 and piano at 5. My mother was my first teacher for both. I used to turn a laundry basket upside down and stand on it so I could see myself in the mirror to practice made-up songs and monologues. That must have looked hilarious, but I was so serious about it.

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND YOUR NAME?
When I was little, I was embarrassed by my name. It got me a lot of weird looks and sometimes some teasing. However, my dad insisted, “That’s the best gift I ever gave you!” As I got older and realized what I wanted to be when I grew up, I began to love it. Now I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It gets me a lot of attention right away, before people even really get to know me, so I challenge myself to be worth their time.

DESCRIBE YOUR LATEST RELEASE:
It’s about acknowledging your desires, whether helpful or harmful. And about how a lot of the things we want, think we want, or are told we should want, don’t yield the results we expect.

DID YOU USE ANY UNUSUAL INTRUMENTS OR EFFECTS?
My producers have tons of wonderful keyboards that we experimented with. We used cool loops and a vocal effect on “The Anchor.” And what sounds like strings at one point in “I Hope” is actually my voice.

WERE THERE ANY ‘HAPPY ACCIDENTS’ IN THE STUDIO OR DID YOU RECORD IT AS PLANNED?
We had a great time recording the EP. We’d always start with a basic plan, piano and voice, but just build and build on top of that. A lot of times we’d experiment with a random sound or instrument on a whim and fall in love with it. I loved that part of the process because everyone got so excited when we discovered something new that we loved. There was kind of an unspoken rule that whenever someone spoke up and requested to hear something, we tried it. I think that really paid off.

DID FANS HELP FUND THIS PROJECT?
We didn’t do anything like that for this EP, but I’m intrigued by the idea so who knows what the future holds. I really like the model of giving cool gifts to your fans like some of the fundraising sites I’ve seen, so I’m experimenting with that right now. I just announced my first essay contest, and that will have a special surprise award for the winner. The English major in me lives on.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO SUBMIT TO THE 10TH IMAS?
Many of my musician friends have submitted, and I love the idea of independent artists being recognized. It can be tough work trying to make a career in music, so it’s nice to know people are listening. I was also thrilled by the prospect of putting my music in front of this year’s judges. Adam Duritz and Counting Crows were the catalyst that started me writing songs. I first heard August and Everything After on a bus during a high school trip and suddenly felt all these possibilities. My best friend and I go to their shows and cry because we’re so moved. Jonatha Brooke gets me in the same way. I’ve seen her 5 times and was lucky enough to meet her once to tell her how she had affected me. And Pete Wentz and Fall Out Boy opened my mind to all kinds of cool writing and production ideas. I loved the way they used the piano in their latest record. Those artists’ music means so much to me, so there’s something special about coming full circle and offering my work to them.

WHO IS SITTING IN YOUR AUDIENCE?
Some kind, fun, and passionate people. My fans are incredibly supportive. I’m lucky.

WHAT MAKES YOUR FANS UNIQUE?
They don’t mind that I’m a proud nerd. They participate in my essay contests and embrace my crazy Friday Face pictures. At some point last summer I posted a picture of me making this incredibly goofy, open-mouthed and kind of crazed-looking face on my Facebook in celebration of the start of the weekend. Everyone began to request it again, so now I try to do a new one each week. It’s so funny to me that people are so into it, but I’m also thrilled because it’s something small that I do that puts a lot of people in a better mood. I love my fans for accepting my face whether it’s making a sexy expression or a wacky one.

HAVE YOU EVER HUNG OUT WITH ONE OF YOUR MUSICAL HEROES?
The closest I got was meeting Jonatha Brooke. That was really special, because I got to thank her for the music she makes and the live performances she does. She was very kind and signed my CD “Love and good songs.”

WHAT DO YOU COLLECT?
I like t-shirts that say “love” on them. Love is something I’m proud to stand for. I spent many years being dangerously deficient in love for myself. I’m trying to make up for that now, both by being good to myself and asking questions in my songs about why making that choice often takes so long. I want people to think about that and hopefully work to treat themselves better as a result.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE?
I was so happy to win the “Top Female Vocalist” award at the Asbury Music Awards (Asbury Park, NJ) this year. It was a great feeling to be recognized by people whose talent I really respect. I’ll also never forget seeing one of my songs on MTV for the first time. They used “The Anchor” on “True Life: I’m Ending My Marriage.” My sister saw it, then called me and I freaked out.

ARE THERE ANY SONGS YOU WISH YOU WROTE?
SO many. Beck’s “Golden Age” is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s the kind of song that makes you close your eyes and sway. “Are You Lightning” by Nada Surf has my favorite bridge in any song, ever. I also love their song “Popular.” It’s satisfyingly gritty and so creative. And “Under My Bed” by Meiko has a great melody that sticks with you right away. That song is constantly on in my car.

WHAT ARTISTS ARE YOU LISTENING TO THAT WOULD SURPRISE YOUR FANS?
I’m sure a lot of people correctly assume that I listen to a ton of singer/songwriters. That’s the obvious thought since that’s the music I do. But I also think rap and hip-hop are incredible. Those are art forms where the artists are manipulating language in amazing ways, fitting the words they want into the available spaces in ways I never would have thought of. I study those songs to get better at that.

NAME SOME ARTISTS YOU ARE CHAMPIONING.
People need to know what’s going on in Asbury Park, NJ. There are so many outstanding musicians based out of that area. I don’t want to forget anyone so I really just recommend checking out the websites of the venues in town. The Saint, The Stone Pony, Asbury Lanes, Asbury Blues, as well as Espresso Joe’s in nearby Keyport, NJ. Just start clicking the links of the bands scheduled to play there and you’ll see. There is real talent there, and there is variety.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM SHOW LINEUP?
A show with Counting Crows, Alanis Morrissette, Annie Lennox, and Fall Out Boy would be my wildly awesome dream come true. I wouldn’t even need to do my own music. I’d just want to sing harmonies for everyone. Super bonus points if Ellen DeGeneres were to emcee the evening.

FINISH THIS SENTENCE: THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IS… constantly changing, but I believe there’s some kind of place for every artist if they do what they love, work hard, and truly believe they can make music a career. Any day could bring a significant opportunity. And I would never stop playing anyway, so I might as well be optimistic.

WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE WORKS?
I’m actively pursuing licensing opportunities right now. My dream would be contribute music for a movie. I also have a very talented friend who plans on helping me film a music video, so I hope to do that this year. Another goal is to tour more. I also wish I could just live in the studio and record all day every day, so I think 2011 will include some more of that, too.

HOW CAN FANS FOLLOW YOU?
My EP, Hello Desire., is up on iTunes. My Facebook page is www.facebook.com/JerzyJungMusic and that links to my other sites, YouTube page, and blog. - Independent Music Awards

Riding home the Wave
Asbury's brightest shine at '09 Wave Gathering

Metromix

By Stephen Bove / Producer, Metromix Jersey Shore
June 14, 2009

With all stages set for its fourth annual run, Asbury Park's Wave Gathering Music Festival this weekend will continue in its mission to not only provide a proving ground for emerging local musicians, but a showcase for established, Asbury-bred performers ready to return some love to the city where it all started.

Featuring more than 175 performances across three days and more than 20 stages, here are just a few of the accomplished local acts set to play this year's festival, artists out to prove that despite successes thus far, their grandest achievements still lie ahead.

Status Green
With a track-record spanning film ("Exit 102''), television (WWOR-TV, News 12, MTV) and radio (Yahoo LAUNCHcast) and new material set to be unveiled soon, these Shore-based stomp-pop rockers are living proof that, once in a while, fame moves whistle slick.

In February 2006, after only four months together, Status Green won a listeners poll on 95.5 WPLJ-FM, scoring the opportunity to open for Bon Jovi at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"This IS the modern rock / indie band from our area that deserves it all'' said Wave Gathering co-founder Gordon Brown. "Touring, recording, packing their shows, writing new material to blow us all away, these guys are writing the rule book on how to be a band in the modern music industry.''

Status Green will play 5 p.m. Saturday on the Metromix/Miller Light Daytime Street Festival Main Stage on Cookman Avenue.

Jerzy Jung
Raised in South Jersey, Jerzy Jung (yes, it's her real name) has been disarming national audiences since 2004, spreading her dusky pop gospel at shows and festivals ranging from the now defunct Toms River Fest to the South by Southwest music conference/festival in Austin, Texas.

"They don't come more talented, nicer or sweeter. Voice like an angel, heart of gold,'' Brown said. "Here's an artist from our area that is doing things with such strong commitment and passion. Her story needs to be told.''

Jerzy Jung will play 7:45 p.m. Friday at America's Cup Coffee Co., 663 Cookman Ave, and 11 p.m. Sunday at The Saint, 601 Main St.

Rick Barry
The Point Pleasant native has become one of the local music scene's most visible and vital personalities since establishing a foothold within the Asbury Park cityscape in early 2000.

Seemingly tireless, the vocalist, lyricist and composer hasn't stopped to breathe since releasing the full-length, ""This Antediluvian World,'' early this year, having performed both solo and with his band, The New Rick Barrys, at myriad shows that include his own "Night in Progress'' events and this year's South by Southwest music conference/festival.

"He just started working on his first real video and is probably the best example of what it means to be a true hard-working starving solo artist out of Asbury Park at the moment,'' Brown said. ""Everyone in the music community loves and respects him dearly.''

Rick Barry will perform Saturday at midnight at Synaxis' Parthenon Lounge, 662 Cookman Ave., and Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Showroom, 708 Cookman Avenue, and 10 p.m. at The Saint.

Val Emmich
With Emmich's leap to the big screen imminent (he'll star in the Annette Apitz-directed indie ""Fighting Fish'' later this year), fans can still catch the Manalapan singer-songwriter doing he does best when he plays the Wave Gathering main stage Saturday.

In 2005, Emmich (who's played every Wave festival thus far) co-wrote the song "Absolutely Still'' with Better Than Ezra frontman Kevin Griffin. Griffin's band recently recorded its own version of the song and released it as the first single off its latest album, "Paper Empire.''

Val Emmich will play at 3 p.m. Saturday on the Metromix/Miller Light Daytime Street Festival Main Stage on Cookman Avenue.

April Smith & the Great Picture Show
If the coy, mischievous croon of Wanda Jackson were to coalesce with the swaggering bravado of Nick Cave, the aftermath would look and sound uncannily similar to the live show of Toms River-born songstress April Smith, who has been an onstage tour de force since breaking into local theater in the early '90s.

Smith will follow up her Wave Gathering appearance with a performance Aug 7 at Lollapalooza in Chicago's Grant Park.

April Smith & the Great picture Show will perform 11 p.m. Friday at the Saint.
- Steve Bove - Metromix Jersey Shore

Look into local singer-songwriter Jerzy Jung's bag, and you're likely to find crumpled Post Its, scraps of paper and napkins filled with quotes from books, pieces of conversations and anything else that may have inspired her that day.

Sung in her soulful, powerful voice, the 27-ear-old Jung's observations eventually turn into songs about the various, sometimes conflicting sides of the human psyche.

"I'm kind of fascinated by the mind in general and how much power people think they have over their lives versus how much they really do,'' said Jung, who was raised in South Jersey. "So I write a lot about stuff I see around me and important message I can put out there.''

"I like to dissect the relationship with the self,'' she added.

Since she was three, Jung always loved to perform. After all, she comes from a family who, during holidays, has sing-a-longs and makes up dances. Her father came up with her creative name of "Jerzy'' (yes, her real name) after the clothing item, not the state.

"When I was young I would cry about my name,'' she said. "When I went to the mall, I couldn't find a toothbrush with my name on it. After I decided what I wanted to do with my life, it was awesome.''

Though Jung was active in her high school theater group, she wasn't always confident in herself. Her life as a teenager later inspired songs of hers, including "Black Dress, White Dress.''

"I cared too much about what people around me thought,'' she said. "It took a long time for me to get over that…the fear of not getting accepted.''

Jung didn't realize her dream of writing songs until college, and she found that the process came organically and became an outlet for her thoughts and feelings.

"In college, I didn't plan on writing a song,'' she said. "I just went into a practice room in the music building and sat at the piano. I started playing chords and walked out two hours later with a song. From then on I couldn't stop.''

The song was called "Helen'' and was about mythical beauty Helen of Troy.

"I thought about this woman who everyone said was so pretty and wonderful,'' Jung said. "But I thought to myself she couldn't possibly really believe that, and maybe she had self-esteem problems we didn't know about.''

This experience sparked a trend in Jung. Listen to her music (available on Web site, Myspace.com/jerzyjung) and you'll find honest observations and musings on life that many can relate to. Jung hopes that her "confessional'' music can be "helpful and therapeutic'' to those who have struggled with similar issues in life.

"I'd love to be comfort for people,'' she said. "I've had so many artists I've turned to for help and it's made a difference.''

An example of Jung's realistic story telling and musical snapshots are reflected in her lyrics.

Her song "Black Dress, White Dress'' was inspired by what Jung describes as "my experiences growing up as a girl in our world.''

"No matter who you are, there's always something that you have to hide or change in order to be accepted by the people around you … that took the shortest amount of time to write because I've thought about the ideas in the song for a long time,'' she said. "It's about girls growing up and coming to the realization of what they're up against.''

(Sample lyric: Hold your breath then count to ten/ Strike a pose but don't stretch that skin Show your face but shut your mouth and like it.)

Another song, "The Anchor,'' is about addiction.

"(It's) one side of a person singing to the other side,'' she said. "One side wants the other to do horrible things.''

(Sample lyric: I'm going down/I'm like the anchor to your feather/I'm going down And we're gonna feel this way forever.)

Look for Jung's album to drop in the fall. Always the Renaissance girl, Jung also recently acted in director Ian J. Keeney's film "Cold Blue Eternal.''

Jung has big plans for the future, including playing large stadiums (though she loves the intimate feel of a small concert hall). She's inspired by '90s music, particularly Counting Crows and former Lilith Fair staples, and says she'd like to be ""a Lilith Fair artist for this
generation,'' … though she's quick to mention that both men and women can relate to her songs.

Most of all though, Jung says her goal is to do for others what her favorite musicians have done for her.

"It's a serious goal of mine,'' she said. "When you feel bad or funny, and you're not sure why and you can't articulate your feelings, and you just hear a song that sums it up perfectly for you ... I'd like to help people come to terms with certain things they're going through and help them to face it.''
- Nicole DeNardo - Metromix Jersey Shore