It says a lot about Abby Jeanne that she was up for a Studio Milwaukee Session barely 12 hours after her show with Say She She in the Back Room at Colectivo. It says even more about her that several of the Radio Milwaukee members in attendance were at that show and decided they still didn’t get enough of the soul chanteuse.
It was an excellent decision on their part because Jeanne showed absolutely no evidence of the tight turnaround. After kicking off the set with her single, “Sage and Cigarettes,” the whole performance had a freight-train energy to it, picking up steam with every song.
By the time she closed with a cover of Tina Turner’s “Contact High” — a non-broadcast exclusive for the members in the room — Jeanne was in a delightfully frenzied state, whirling around the stage and stress-testing the heck out of her tambourine. All the while, her powerhouse vocals remained on point and met the high bar set by her tourmates, Say She She, whose voices reverberated off Studio Milwaukee’s walls just the day before.
Like the trio that preceded her, Jeanne took a breather in the middle of the set to chat with 88Nine’s Dori Zori about her path through music — although Jeanne had the benefit of being able to trace hers back through Milwaukee. The Brew City native talked about how working at Hi-Fi Cafe had benefits beyond the paycheck, what it was like being on the same bill as Green Day at the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival, and how rapper Q-Tip played a role in the writing of “Sage and Cigarettes.”
Listen to the session using the player at the top of the page and get the full Abby Jeanne experience when she headlines Brady Street Festival’s Bud Light East Stage at 10 p.m. this Saturday, July 29. You can also join us at future Studio Milwaukee Sessions as we welcome national touring artists like Jeanne, The New Pornographers and Samia. Just visit this page and become a Radio Milwaukee member today.
Set list
- Sage and Cigarettes
- Sentimental Kids
- Cosmic Beings
- Contact High (non-broadcast performance)
