From: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org (jewel-digest) To: jewel-digest@smoe.org Subject: jewel-digest V3 #625 Reply-To: jewel@smoe.org Sender: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jewel-digest Tuesday, November 17 1998 Volume 03 : Number 625 * If you ever wish to unsubscribe, send an email to * jewel-digest-request@smoe.org with ONLY the word * unsubscribe in the body of the email * . * For the latest information on Jewel tour dates, go to: * http://jewel.zoonation.com and click on "TOUR" * OR * go to the OFFICIAL Jewel home page at http://www.jeweljk.com * and go to the "What, When, Where" section * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: jewel-digest V3 #xxx or the like gives readers no clue * as to what your message is about. Today's Subjects: ----------------- NJC: reading pa EDA gathering possibly? ["Taryn Pratzner" ] NJC: EDAs near Dayton, OH? [kragen@pobox.com (Kragen)] Vote for Jewel in CNN Interactive Poll [BenFrancis@webtv.net (Ben Simpel] Spirit ["Carrie Smith" ] Jewel / SD UnionTrib [Paul Schreiber ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 15:07:23 PST From: "Taryn Pratzner" Subject: NJC: reading pa EDA gathering possibly? HI! i've been having brainstorms lattley and thought maybe any reading area EDA's would like to gather? have a gaggle or something in this spirng or summer? i think it would be cool..... since i haven't ever seen posts for one in pa anywhere b4.... so if your in pa and interested MAIL ME!!!! maybe we could ...... love, Taryn the off the wall angel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 18:07:32 -0500 From: "Rob Diehl" Subject: MTV Live jewel special thingie Did anyone else think the whole jewel TV thing was hilariously ridiculous? You could tell that Jewel was embarrassed about the whole thing and tried her hardest not to let em put her up on a pedestal. Anyway, some of the comments she made made me start laughing out loud, like how she said she felt retarded handing her discs out to the crowd. Anyway, .. it was cool, but whether or not they meant for it to be funny, I'm not sure :-). Oh, it was also kinda cool hearing about the EDA's several times throughout the whole thing. - -Rob diehlr@purdue.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 18:04:39 -0500 (EST) From: kragen@pobox.com (Kragen) Subject: NJC: EDAs near Dayton, OH? I live in Dayton, Ohio. Are there other everyday angels in Dayton, Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, Columbus, eastern Indiana, or otherwise nearby? Would anyone (else) be interested in having an EDA meeting in person? How about a local-area Internet mailing list? (jewel@smoe.org seems to be kind of crowded.) Kragen - -- Kragen Sitaker Irony and sarcasm deflate seriousness, and when your seriousness becomes detum- escent, you're not held responsible for your thoughts. Irony beats thinking like rock beats scissors. -- http://www.hyperorg.com/backissues/joho-june2-98.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 15:09:55 -0800 (PST) From: BenFrancis@webtv.net (Ben Simpelo) Subject: Vote for Jewel in CNN Interactive Poll The question is; "If you're rushing to the record stores this week, what are you picking up?" MY LOVE IS YOUR LOVE-Whitney Houston DOUBLE LIVE-Garth Brooks THE #1s-Mariah Carey WAR & PEACE-THE WAR DISC-Ice Cube SPIRIT-Jewel www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/ So far, Jewel is leading with 32% (464 votes). Ben S. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 17:43:54 -0500 From: "Carrie Smith" Subject: Spirit It's funny back in early 1996, I bought Pieces of You... It was right after Who Will Save your Soul was released and I was amazed by that song... I liked Pieces of You and admired her writing... She seemed to write honest songs...But, I have to say that there were songs on Pieces of You, I didn't like that much. I bought Spirit today though, and I really enjoyed this album, It is filled with honesty and wonder... I liked when she said on the MTV interview that she wrote about the things that were important to her, This entire album rings true... and is very inspiring! Have a great night Carrie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 17:13:28 -0500 (EST) From: Paul Schreiber Subject: Jewel / SD UnionTrib Nicely done. Paul shad 96c / 3A CS / mac activist / eda / fumbler fan of / jewel / sophie b. hawkins / sarah slean / steve poltz / / x-files / buffy / dawson's creek / habs / bills / 49ers / t h i n k d i f f e r e n t. For Jewel, it's once more with 'Spirit' By George Varga POP MUSIC CRITIC November 15, 1998 Jewel cried the first and only time she listened to her 1995 debut album, "Pieces of You," but it wasn't with joy. "I hated it, and I've never listened to it since," said the golden-voiced San Diego singer-songwriter, who was just 19 when she recorded the album in 1994. "I cried because I didn't like my singing, especially on 'You Were Meant for Me.' I didn't play guitar well, and there are a lot of words missing because I forgot to sing them, or because I improvised and made up a new chord. So it was strange to think, 'The world will hear this and maybe they'll take it seriously.' It's actually frustrating to be represented by what I wrote as a teen-ager." Whatever flaws Jewel detects, whether real or imagined, she has since learned to hold her career-making album in higher regard for one simple reason. "I'm proud of it," she said, "because it's honest." That honesty and emotional directness also provides the foundation for her ambitious second album, "Spirit," due in stores Tuesday. Jewel's record company, Atlantic, is hopeful that the 14-song album will prove as popular as "Pieces of You," which has sold 8-1/2 million copies in the United States and an additional 1-1/2 million in the rest of the world. Along with Alanis Morissette's new "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie," "Spirit" is the year's most anticipated sophomore album. A mature work that exudes a quiet confidence, "Spirit's" emotional impact can be credited to Jewel's increasingly strong songwriting skills, her luminous vocals, and -- perhaps most pivotally -- to the fact that she had four years to prepare her follow-up to "Pieces of You." "I think a real luxury I have is that I didn't do a second record the year after the first," she said, speaking from a recent European promotional tour stop in Hamburg, Germany. "I did record an album (since-shelved) two years ago, in Woodstock (N.Y.), and I would have been uncomfortable if that had been my second album. My voice has changed, and so has my music. I didn't know who I was then, and I was worried if I'd be liked. As 'Pieces of You' began to do well, I got more and more comfortable with me and my writing, to the point where it wasn't scary. You learn to mercifully follow your gut. "My first album felt like student art to me. It was a sketch, a pencil drawing. A producer could've turned it into something slick and great-sounding, but that wasn't my goal. "I wanted people to see who I was at 18 and 19, and then see my authentic growth and where I am at 24. I've grown up and matured, musically and emotionally, and I think it shows. But by no means is this album as good as what I'll do in a few years." 'Tis the season As recently as May, Jewel planned to make "Spirit" a "sort of Christmas album" featuring "all original songs, kind of inspirational." The Christmas concept didn't pan out, but "Spirit" is inspirational nonetheless. It explores such themes as the joys and challenges of everyday life, the transcendent power of love and the quest for meaning in an increasingly complex and troubled world. "It just took on a life of its own," Jewel said of the album. "It has a very specific theme that ended up not being about Christmas, but about what ways can we overcome what limits us -- limits me -- as humans. "My first album had songs about other people that I sang in the first-person. This album is very personal; it's about myself. I decided on a theme, a way I wanted people to feel when they were done listening, and I picked songs cohesive to that theme. That was very useful, because it was very focused and limited my options." "Spirit" also boasts a first-rate cast of backing musicians that includes Sting drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, acoustic guitarist Jude Cole and Madonna/Eagles percussionist Luis Conte. It was produced by Patrick Leonard, best known for his work with Madonna. But in place of the dance-pop sheen he is known for, Leonard provides "Spirit" with an understated, exceedingly tasteful sound. "I met with many producers, and there wasn't one I felt wouldn't put their ego into my music and put their signature on me," Jewel said. "And they talked so much about having a hit that you could tell they were worried about it and it was a formula. And what I do is very natural, so I wanted someone who had a natural instinctual sense for music. "Patrick has that, and can bring that out of an artist and not impose on them. He also has a grace and elegance that makes the music sound pretty good. He's not overly concerned with getting a 'hip' sound, which is important because that quickly sounds dated. "I also had an immediate liking for him. And he was at a place in his life where he needed my music and its theme, spirituality, which a lot of people are uncomfortable with." Jewel's lyrics on "Spirit" can be overly earnest at times. But her sincerity is as unmistakable as the soaring, deeply expressive vocals that are her trademark. The album's title is a reflection of her belief in a common force that unites people, a universal spirituality that transcends languages, borders and religions. "It is a theme of spirit," she said. "But spirituality, to me, is about finding balance in the world. Every time you say, 'Why aren't I happy?' or 'How can I be happy?,' you're investing in your spiritualism. The album asks: 'How do I have more faith? How can I be more useful? What is despair?' "If you really want to feel better, you can't worry or despair, because that goes directly against positive change. So I've learned from a lot of leaders I respect, like Martin Luther King, who knew the difference between informed optimism, which is focused, and blind optimism, which is despair." A pragmatist as well as an idealist, Jewel realizes some people will roll their eyes at such statements, especially coming from a wealthy, young pop star. But, to paraphrase a well-known Tom Petty song, she won't back down. And she is adamant that living a privileged life now doesn't mean she can't feel deeply for the poor and underprivileged, especially since she was one of them just a few years ago. "I don't have to go back to the time I felt despair," she said, before quipping: "You can only write (songs) if you suffer. "A person's demons haunt them at any time, and fame only makes you focus more on your demons, to overcome them or let them overwhelm you. So to me, 'Spirit' is a journey of my last four years, as well as my whole life." Rags to riches The phenomenal success of "Pieces of You" transformed Jewel from a local favorite at San Diego County coffeehouses and folk clubs into one of the biggest-selling female pop stars of the 1990s. It also transformed her lifestyle, taking the native Alaskan from the Volkswagen van she once lived in locally to the secluded, $1 million North County home she now owns and lives in with her mother and manager, Nedra Carroll. "The people in San Diego were always so supportive of me when I was living in my car and singing in coffee shops," Jewel said. "People would bring food to me, and it was an incredible environment to come out of. People always ask me if I'll move to L.A., and I say, 'Why on earth would I?' The few days I'm home in San Diego feel like a vacation. I can't imagine living anywhere else right now." Boosted by Jewel's relentless touring as an opening act for everyone from goth-rocker Peter Murphy to Bob Dylan, "Pieces of You" ignited last year after an unusually slow climb up the national album charts. The 10 million-selling album yielded three top-10 singles in this country: "Who Will Save Your Soul?"; "You Were Meant For Me"; and "Foolish Games," which was also featured in the soundtrack for the film "Batman & Robin." (Jewel rerecorded the vocals for all three before they were released as singles.) The videos for those songs made Jewel a staple on both MTV and VH1 (both of which are now airing the video for her new single, "Hands," in heavy rotation). Thanks to "Pieces of You," Jewel earned three Grammy nominations and an American Music Award last year as Favorite New Pop/Rock Artist. The album's success ranked Jewel second only to the Spice Girls as 1997's top album-seller, according to the music trade magazine Billboard. And it propelled her last year into a sold-out solo tour, a headlining slot on the top-grossing Lilith Fair tour and a command performance at President Clinton's inaugural ball in Washington. She was also featured on the covers of Time, Rolling Stone and other major publications, and recently completed shooting her first starring role in director Ang Lee's Civil War drama, "Absence of Fear." The film, which co-stars Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich, is due out next spring. Meanwhile, her first book of poetry, "A Night Without Armor," has been a national best-seller since its publication in May. "She's handled fame really well," said fellow San Diego singer-songwriter Steve Poltz, an early mentor who co-wrote "You Were Meant for Me" with Jewel. "If you sell that many albums at such a young age, you'll change. But she's changed for the better. And she's handled her success like a champ." Added Keith Anderson, Jewel's tour manager since mid-1995: "On a personal level, I wouldn't say there's been any change in her. She's a consummate professional. "And she has this incredible capacity -- whether playing in a 100-seat venue in the fall of 1995 or in front of 20,000 at Lilith Fair, to perform on the same level -- as far as making contact with the audience. There's still that same intimacy, and that takes someone very special." The tidal wave of success brought on "Pieces of You" caught many by surprise, including her record company. But no one was more stunned than Jewel, who moved to San Diego six years ago to be with her mother. "My first album was my first time in a studio and my first time with a band, and I was very uncomfortable," said Jewel (who does not use her last name, Kilcher). "And after 'Who Will Save Your Soul?' became a hit, I felt really uncomfortable. Because I didn't mean to write a hit, and how could I do it again? Once I realized I could write a (good) song, I felt more comfortable, and have seen my ability grow to articulate my thoughts and minimize my words. I never thought I'd be a folk artist, or a 'pop' artist." In fact, Jewel earned money singing in jazz bars when she attended high school on a partial scholarship at Interlochen, a Michigan music and arts academy. A great admirer of Ella Fitzgerald, she hopes to eventually record an album of jazz standards, such as Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot," a frequent highlight of Jewel's concerts. "Jazz is one of my favorite things," she said. "And I'd love to write musicals." Most of all, Jewel wants to endure as an artist and to make a difference through her music and deeds. "I think I look to Bob Dylan and Neil Young, because they have sustained their careers over a long period of time," she said. "And I've learned from them that you have to be willing to take the risk of failing, because eventually your vision will be realized. "When I opened for Neil at (New York's) Madison Square Garden, I was really nervous, because it was just me and my guitar in this huge arena. And he said to me: 'It's just another hash house on the road to success, pay it no respect. You have to focus on what you do with your art.' "So I feel like I did my job with 'Spirit.' A live show is limitless in what you can express; a record is like picking out one outfit you'll wear for a year. So you have to be satisfied (knowing) it's a slightly limited art form. I made an honest record, and all I can do from here is work hard." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 19:28:12 EST From: PENNY16161@aol.com Subject: Re: Jewel list owner: Posts about "did you get your mail-order Spirit?" Sender: owner-jewel@smoe.org Precedence: bulk Hey guys. I've pre-ordered things from internet sites on the release day before, and I really don't like doing it. Here's why: although the company says that you'll have it in your mailbox on the day it's released, they don't actually ship it until the day of release. That means that if you ordered Spirit from, say, cdnow.com, it was shipped today, and will probably get to you Thursday. From my experience, if you want a CD on its release day, go to the store and get it personally. It's a guarentee that way. Hope this helps. By the way, Spirit is amazing! Later, Brett The Angel Formally Known As.... http://members.aol.com/PENNY16161/index.html http://members.aol.com/Pharquel/karaoke.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 19:14:29 -0500 (EST) From: Jennifer Anderson Subject: Jewel Merchandise oh my gosh, you guys. i just went to check out the new jewel merchandise at the jewel store (jeweljk.com) and i was going to order the jewel sticker for $1.50 and put the rest of the stuff i want on my Christmas list. anyway...i processed my order and the shipping and handling for the $1.50 sticker is $4.95! SHEESH! like they can't just throw it in an envelope and stick a $.32 (soon to be $.33 i hear) stamp on it! my $1.50 sticker ended up costing $6.45! needless to say, i didn't order it after all. just be careful when you order stuff! ------------------------------ End of jewel-digest V3 #625 ***************************