The Creepy Jingles for The Meadow
interviewer: Sara Sharif (@sarangelic)
interviewee: The Creepy Jingles (@thecreepyjingles)
On March 25, Kansas City-based 4-piece rock and roll band The Creepy Jingles will release Take Me at My Wordplay, their debut record that both honors and defies convention. Led by singer/songwriter Jocelyn Olivia Nixon, a transgender wordsmith who charms with razor wit and dazzles with her lyrical acrobatics, their album is an eclectic blend of catchy Brit-Pop melodies that dance around the landscape of surf, NY garage rock, psychedelia, and folk music. Nick Robertson on drums, Travis McKenzie on guitar, and Andrew Woody on bass guitar bring first-class musicianship and creativity. Centering on themes of identity, strained relationships, social media madness, meme magic, pandemic paranoia, paid off political pundits, backyard bullies, and barking up the wrong tree, Take Me at Your Wordplay compels listeners to read between the lines. Everything and the kitchen sink or swim. No stoner left unturned.
t h e i n t e r v i e w
1. Please introduce yourselves.
Hello readers, Jocelyn Nixon (she/her) here! The other band members are Nick Robertson (he/him), Travis McKenzie (he/him), and Andrew Woody (he/him). We are but a humble four-piece rock and roll band hailing from Kansas City MO.
2. We’d love to know the story behind your musical journey. ​​
We formed in 2018. We released a self-titled EP in 2019 and on March 25th we release our full-length debut, “Take Me at My Wordplay.” Our lead Guitarist Travis and I used to have a band called, the Abracadabras from 2006-2009 until we broke up when I moved to Austin TX. I moved back to KC in 2014 and eventually wound up living with Andrew. I met Nick at a house one Sunday afternoon after he and Andrew got back from playing golf. Nick and I clicked instantly talking music which led to us jamming on my songs. From there I asked Travis if he wanted to play again and we ended up as a 3 piece with a revolving 4th bass player until Andrew got a day job and finally joined up about a year and a half ago completing the group.
The journey thus far has been pretty positive all things considered. We’ve each been able to work thru any individual challenges to continue to operate as a group.
3. How would you describe your vibe and genre?
I think we are a pretty eclectic band but if I had to nail it down we are kind of a three-way between Brit Pop, New York garage rock, and surf Psych
4. What inspired you to create “Trojan Horse Girl”?
Trojan Horse Girl was inspired by a time in my life where I’d just gotten out of a lengthy relationship and it tore a friendship group apart leaving people to feel like they had to choose sides. It’s about the fallout from broken relationships and feeling misjudged for choices you make from the people who no longer have access to you.
With THG I wanted something darker and heavier than we’ve attempted in the past. I’ve been labeling the sound of it as “Doom Wave” with the tonal juxtaposition between gloomy verses and a sunny chorus.
"A fun fact about making the music video for this songs was getting to flick very smelly store bought brown gravy in the face of our lead actress Katie Rolfing 3-4 times off camera. The song itself was recorded on the 2nd take and was initially just intended to be a demo but we all loved the magic that we captured so we stuck with it. It was also the first song we attempted for what would become this album."
6. What is each one’s creative process?
We all have very different processes. Travis and Nick really dig into sounds and experiment with gear. Andrew studies the style of other bass players and picks and chooses what he likes. I’m the one usually doing random research on a variety of strange topics and staying up on current events and culture that usually ends up influencing lyrics I write.
7. Who is your musical inspiration?
Personally, I dig from a variety of artists like Dylan, Bowie, The Kinks, The Beatles, Nilsson, James Mercer, Regina Spektor, St. Vincent, and Julian Casablancas. Trav is influenced by Clapton, Jimmy Page, and David Gilmore. Nick is a fan of Guided by Voices, Neil Young, and Dinosaur Jr. Andrew draws from Beck, Janes Addiction, and Richard Edwards. We all really love and appreciate all these artists which make it pretty easy to work together.
"If I had any musical advice: I would say lean into being you, don’t chase trends, stand apart from the crowd and trust your own instincts. Let failure drive you and fuel your fire. Allow yourself a brief moment to celebrate any success but don’t dwell on it. Get back to work. Don’t rest on your laurels. You are only as good as the last thing you create."
9. So, what should we expect next, in the near future?
We have 3-4 singles planned for this album. So keep your eyes peeled for those and their respective videos. We are currently in the process of planning our touring strategy with hopes to be able to start doing some traveling as soon as April.
10. How do we gain access to your music?
You can stream our music anywhere but we would really appreciate it if you would help support us so we can continue to make new music by purchasing our album.