DATE: AUGUST 18, 2021

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER

AMERICANA ARTIST PI JACOBS
SET TO PERFORM
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28
AT HOTEL CAFÉ

SHOW FOLLOWS
AUGUST 13 RELEASE OF
NEW ALBUM
‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

Acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS will perform a Saturday, August 28 show at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles. This will mark the Los Angeles-based artist’s first show following the August 13 release of her latest album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS, her first album for the label and ninth overall, via Blackbird Record Label. Shows in Nashville (September 23 and 25), Washington DC (September 30), New York City (October 3) and her San Francisco hometown (October 15) are also on her concert itinerary.

LIVE FROM MEMPHIS peels back many layers of PI’s life and sensibility in both the songs and the story intro’s that she narrated for each song. The music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before by narrating the songs with revealing intros.

An outstanding example of this is the new and third track “No Sin To Be Poor,” which is based on her own life growing up poor in Northern California. The song is accompanied by an imagery-rich animated video created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek, who did the same honors for the album’s first release, “First Thing Tomorrow.” Watch the “No Sin To Be Poor” video here, which was premiered by American Songwriter. Listen to the song here and the story intro here. Pre-order the album here.

With her blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, Pi Jacobs distinctively amplifies the concert experience on it places eight original songs alongside the self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is here.

On the concert front, Pi Jacobs’ upcoming itinerary includes

8/28 – Hotel Cafe’ Los Angeles – TICKETS

9/23 – Nashville, Dee’s – 12-4 – The California Country Show @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/25 – Nashville – The Bowery Vault – 12 noon – The California Country Shakeup @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/30 – The Pocket, Washington DC + Annie Stokes – TICKETS COMING SOON

10/3 – Rockwood Music Hall, Rm 3, NYC – TICKETS

10/15 – Amados, San Francisco with Kyra Gordon! – TICKETS – Ticket alert, our last SF show sold out before some of our longtime fans could get tickets, which was a bummer – so grab em soon!

(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

www.PiJacobs.com
Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic
Instagram.com/PiJacobs
Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic
SRO Press Releases + Assets

###

DATE: AUGUST 12, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

AMERICANA ARTIST PI JACOBS
RELEASES EVOCATIVE TRACK
“NO SIN TO BE POOR”
WITH IMAGERY-RICH ANIMATED VIDEO
CREATED BY TURKISH SURREAL ARTIST MERTCAN MERTBILEK

THE SONG MARKS THE THIRD RELEASE
FROM THE ACCLAIMED AMERICANA ARTIST’S
NEW ALBUM ‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
OUT AUGUST 13 VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

UPCOMING SHOWS INCLUDE LOS ANGELES (AUGUST 28),
NEW YORK CITY (OCTOBER 3),
NASHVILLE (SEPTEMBER 23 AND 25),
WASHINGTON DC (SEPTEMBER 30)
AND HER SAN FRANCISCO HOMETOWN (OCTOBER 15)

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE
AND THE SONG INTRO HERE

On her new album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS, due August 13 via Blackbird Record Label, acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS peels back many layers of her life and sensibility in both the songs and the story intro’s that she narrated for each song.

An outstanding example of this is the Los Angeles-based artist’s new and third track “No Sin To Be Poor,” which is based on her own life growing up poor in Northern California. The song is accompanied by an imagery-rich animated video created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek, who did the same honors for the album’s first release, “First Thing Tomorrow.” Watch the “No Sin To Be Poor” video here, which was premiered yesterday by American Songwriter. Listen to the song here and the story intro here. Pre-order the album here.

With her blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, Pi Jacobs distinctively amplifies the concert experience on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS (her first album for the label and ninth overall): it places eight original songs alongside the self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

In the compelling “No Sin To Be Poor,” Pi reflects about the hardship of poverty:

Oh Mary get back in the line
As if you got nothing but time,
You gotcha kids counting on you
Waiting on stamps for food
But it’s no Sin
Three jobs and a couple a babies
Oh Mary you ain’t never been lazy
But you can’t make water from wine
You’re paying that rent on time
Girl it’s no sin..

–What inspired the song “No Sin To Be Poor”?

PI: I was thinking about my mom, who was young, single and didn’t have a lot of support. She worked SO hard, but occasionally we had to go on public assistance. She ended up becoming the first person in our family to graduate college. She went on to become a public-school teacher, and a shining example of public service.  When I was young, I didn’t know we were poor, but of course as I got older, I started feeling different and “other” because my house was janky, or because I only had a few cheap clothes, or got picked up in a car that had the paint peeling off.   Kids can be cruel sometimes. The crazy part is that we had SO MUCH FUN, even with nothing. We made up games in the dirt, simply by using our imaginations. And as poor as we were, my mom always saw to it that we had art, literature, and music in our lives, and ironically, those things made me feel very rich.

–Can you talk about the video for the song and why you chose that direction?

PI: I really fell in love with Mertcan Mertbilek’s style. He is so fun and surreal, while conveying the deep heart of any story. I had him listen to the “story intro” for “No Sin To Be Poor,” as well as the lyrics. The story intro talks a lot about the government food we had to live on when I was young, and how we grew veggies in a garden and supplemented that. I think he really grasped the “making a bad situation good” aspect of “No Sin To Be Poor.”

–Your songs have always been revealing. What led you to decide to record a story intro for each song on the album? In these story intro’s, you peel back even more layers of yourself.

PI: Well, I might live to regret it ha-ha!

In last year’s lockdown, I really couldn’t write music, but I felt a deep need to get these stories off my chest. I felt like I had been being a bit chickenshit, because in a song, you can be a little vague. I wanted to really tell the truth, in fact writing the stories felt quite compulsive, I just couldn’t stop. All I can hope is that these stories resonate and help people.  I asked myself who they were for, because “Adult Children of Hippies” are a really SMALL segment of society. Then I realized that my friends who grew up ultra-religious had the same issues. Being brought up “outside the norm” with parents who are purposefully “rejecting society” or aspects of society, well that’s hard as a kid–You’re not ‘normal’, it’s not your choice, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  I wanted to really own the things I’d been dancing around in my songs. I was terrified to show these stories to my mom, but it turns out, she is ok with them. She even helped coach me on how to deliver them (she’s an actress and writer). There’s been a lot of growth and healing for us, and I no longer feel like I’m hiding myself from everyone.

On the concert front, Pi Jacobs’ upcoming itinerary includes shows in Los Angeles (August 28), Nashville (September 23 and 25), Washington DC (September 30), New York City (October 3) and her San Francisco hometown (October 15).

8/28 – Hotel Cafe’ Los Angeles – TICKETS

9/23 – Nashville, Dee’s – 12-4 – The California Country Show @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/25 – Nashville – The Bowery Vault – 12 noon – The California Country Shakeup @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/30 – The Pocket, Washington DC + Annie Stokes – TICKETS COMING SOON

10/3 – Rockwood Music Hall, Rm 3, NYC – TICKETS

10/15 – Amados, San Francisco with Kyra Gordon! – TICKETS – Ticket alert, our last SF show sold out before some of our longtime fans could get tickets, which was a bummer – so grab em soon!

The music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before by narrating the songs with revealing intros.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is here.

(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

www.PiJacobs.com

Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic

Instagram.com/PiJacobs

Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic

SRO Press Releases + Assets

###

DATE: JULY 29, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

PI JACOBS
ROLLS OUT SECOND SINGLE
“BROKEN CUP”
FROM THE AMERICANA ARTIST’S
NEW ALBUM ‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
OUT AUGUST 13 VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

ANNOUNCES SHOWS IN LOS ANGELES (AUGUST 28),
NEW YORK CITY (OCTOBER 3)
AND HER SAN FRANCISCO HOMETOWN (OCTOBER 15)

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE
AND THE SPOKEN INTRO HERE

Acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS has rolled out “Broken Cup,” the second single from her new album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS due August 13 via Blackbird Record Label. Listen to the song here, along with her engagingly candid spoken word intro for it, here. Both will be available tomorrow (July 30) at all streaming platforms. The track and its intro were premiered yesterday at The Bluegrass Situation. Pre-order the album here.

With her blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul Pi Jacobs distinctively amplifies the concert experience on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS (her first album for the label and ninth overall): it places eight original songs alongside the self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

In the stirring “Broken Cup,” Pi digs deep into how she made bad romantic choices along the way before meeting the man who would become her husband.

“In my late teens/early 20’s I wasn’t a person with a much of self-esteem; in fact, I thought pretty damn poorly of myself, so I was habitually getting into relationships with people who would reaffirm my feelings of unworthiness, unlovability, or being damaged goods,” says Pi. “I was lucky though–a couple of amazing mentors showed up in my life and wouldn’t let me scare them off. They helped me to start seeing myself in a new and better light, so, by the time I hit 25, I was ready to try some new kinds of relationships. The problem was, I had to learn ALL NEW stuff! I hadn’t operated in the land of ‘healthy’ relationships before, and it felt like I didn’t know how to do ANYTHING, even little things, like returning phone calls. I started to feel as scared and unequipped as Bambi in the middle of a six-lane freeway, but I had had enough of my old ways, so I started to try, and I got very lucky by meeting my now-husband.”

Meanwhile, Pi Jacobs has announced shows in Los Angeles (August 28), New York City (October 3) and her San Francisco hometown (October 15).

On Sale Now:

Los Angeles – August 28 HOTEL CAFE TICKETS
NYC, October 3 – Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 TICKETS
San Francisco, October 15 – with Kyra Gordon – Amados – TICKETS

“Broken Cup” follows the album’s first single and video, “First Thing Tomorrow,” written in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. The animated video was created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek and premiered by Glide Magazine.

“The burst of creativity unleashed when Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and musician Pi Jacobs lets loose her pipes is one of an explosive strength that runs back to eras of rock past and present,” notes Glide. “Think a mix of Melissa Etheridge, Beth Hart, and Wynonna Judd wrapped around snug vintage musicianship.” Glide also offered this praise: “With heartfelt gritty vocals atop a melodic punch that tugs the listeners’ ears to their favorite twang recordings, Jacobs enthralls with that resourceful musical pull effect, enabling her live renditions to evolve immediately into that of true musical keepers.”

The music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before by narrating the songs with revealing intros.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is here.

Album Cover

(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

www.PiJacobs.com
Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic
Instagram.com/PiJacobs
Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic

SRO Press Releases + Assets

###

DT: JULY 12, 2021

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

PI JACOBS
SHARES NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO
“FIRST THING TOMORROW,”
FROM THE LOS ANGELES-BASED AMERICANA ARTIST’S
NEW ALBUM ‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
OUT AUGUST 13 VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
AND LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

Acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS has shared the first single and video, “First Thing Tomorrow,” from her new album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS out August 13 via Blackbird Record Label. Watch the video for “First Thing Tomorrow,” written by the Los Angeles-based artist in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, here and read a Q&A below. The animated video was created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek and premiered by Glide Magazine. Listen to the song and its spoken intro here and pre-order the album here.

“The burst of creativity unleashed when Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and musician Pi Jacobs lets loose her pipes is one of an explosive strength that runs back to eras of rock past and present,” notes Glide. “Think a mix of Melissa Etheridge, Beth Hart, and Wynonna Judd wrapped around snug vintage musicianship.” Glide also offered this praise: “With heartfelt gritty vocals atop a melodic punch that tugs the listeners’ ears to their favorite twang recordings, Jacobs enthralls with that resourceful musical pull effect, enabling her live renditions to evolve immediately into that of true musical keepers.”

With LIVE FROM MEMPHIS, her first for the label and ninth overall, PI distinctively amplifies the concert experience on the album: it places eight original songs alongside her self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

“I feel like with all art, there’s an important sense of connection for people,” says PI, who has released four albums since 2013 (and nine overall), toured worldwide, and developed a global fanbase. “It’s part of our humanity. We don’t want to feel alone. The only reason to put these stories out is to help people. That’s it. It’s not for my ego–in fact, parts of them are super embarrassing for me!” With a laugh, she continues, “In writing these stories, there’s been a little more acceptance of myself. I can’t even explain that healing feeling I had, but it’s been a happy side effect.”

A blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, the music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before.

“The band and I loved how that concert came out so much,” she says. “I thought, what if I write an intro that’s my very personal inspiration for the song? I was listening to people doing that on the Moth Radio Hour and some of these people are so brave. I thought, well, maybe I could do that, too. So, I started putting these stories on paper.”

There’s little for listeners to fear in her detailed anecdotes, whether they’re about tracking down her absent father in Alaska or paying dues as a starving artist in New York City. However, other topics may feel immediately identifiable to anyone, like the impact of the #MeToo movement or growing up without money.

“Listening to this album as a whole now, I’ve gotten OK with the stories,” she says. “When I first started recording them, I had a couple of panic attacks, like, oh my God, I can’t do this. But now I feel like everyone has stuff.”

As a narrator, PI’s voice is engaging and witty, while her pacing is spot-on, with none of her stories turning into mere ramblings. For example, “First Thing Tomorrow” calls to mind the disappointment and shock that many people felt after the 2016 presidential election. Jacobs admits that she stayed drunk for a long time afterwards, just like the character in the song, but ultimately found redemption in activism.

However, for those who felt differently about that election, you can still relate to the lyrical theme of realizing that things aren’t going the way you anticipated–and that you’re not handling it very well. The animated music video, created by Turkish illustrator Mertcan Mertbilek, adds a fanciful and light feeling to the narrative.

Tellingly, LIVE FROM MEMPHIS concludes on an upbeat vibe with “Good Things,” a rousing song brimming with positive energy that she frequently saves for encores.

“It just has that feel. It’s uptempo and happy and that story has a nice message,” she says. “Just when you think things are darkest, the thing you least expect to happen will be a good thing.”

Q&A with PI JACOBS ABOUT “FIRST THING TOMORROW”
SONG AND VIDEO

What inspired you to write the song about the outcome of the 2016 election? 

The beginning phrase, “Oh I’ve been drunk since the election” just popped into my head. It was funny, but also a little poignant. I wanted to try and write something light because I was having such a difficult time emotionally with the political atmosphere. I was depressed, drinking more than I should, and had a sense of impending doom that had started on  that day in November. Music and humor seemed like a good way to deal with  what I was feeling.

How did subsequently becoming involved as a social activist ultimately lessen the heartbreak of the election result? 

I’m a “do-er” by nature.  At first, I was so devastated that Trump won, and by all the subsequent actions (the wall, the Supreme Court, etc etc) that I found myself incapable of really doing much.   I finally decided that action, even if it was futile, was better than sitting around feeling bad–and that I should stand up for what I believe even if it changed nothing.

What are your thoughts about the video and how the animation matches up with the song’s sentiment? 

I think the video is hilarious and whimsical. I wanted it to be light-hearted, and Mertcan (Mertbilek) is such a humorous and surreal artist, he really delivered that. At the same time he really grasped my personal pain and struggle, and I love how my character goes from miserable to joyful and silly.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is as follows:

“Broken Cup” intro
“Broken Cup”
“First Thing Tomorrow” intro
“First Thing Tomorrow”
“Rearview” intro
“Rearview”
“Party Girl” intro
“Party Girl”
“Weed And Wine” intro
“Weed And Wine”
“Diana The Hunter” intro
“Diana The Hunter”
“No Sin to be Poor” intro
“No Sin to be Poor”
“Good Things” intro
“Good Things”

(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

PRESS ACCOLADES AND MEDIA REACH

Pi’s previous album Two Truths and a Lie was released Feb. 21, 2020 has been heard on NPR, DittyTV, Austin Music TV, The Alternate Root Magazine, Americana Highways, American Songwriter Magazine, and regularly on Radio Tastemakers, KCSN (LA), and WFUV (NYC), as well as stations across the nation, reaching #27 on the Alt Country Chart, and #25 on the Relix-Jamband Chart.

“Jacobs creates vivid images on par with masters like Tom Waits” —Americana Highways

“…a sultry, feminine, outlaw kind of sound” —American Songwriter

“the ease and wisdom of greats like Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson, she belongs in their company.” —Rock and Blues Muse

“nothing here that doesn’t impress at every turn. Hot. This’ll do to you what Lucinda’s white album did to you.” —Midwest Record

“Divorce…whiskey…legal problems…cheaters…lies. Whatever story comes next, it’s going to be a good one.” –Twangville

www.PiJacobs.com

Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic

Instagram.com/PiJacobs

Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic

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