Tuuli

By Alex Teitz

Tuuli is a four-piece rock that rocks. From their original EP Rockstar Potential to their new release, Here We Go, Tuuli has embodied power-driven rock. The band consists of Claire Blake on bass, Dawn Mandarino on guitar, Jenny MacIsaac on guitar and vocals, and Jen Foster on drums. Their new video “Who’s the Fool Now?” has been climbing MuchMusic’s charts. Tuuli has toured in both the US and Canada extensively. FEMMUSIC was able to do a quick e-mail interview with Jenny MacIsaac.

JM: I don’t have a certain “technique” or “method” that I use consistently when it comes to songwriting. I am inspired by a lot of everyday things. A movie, book, or a great record can always be an amazing source of inspiration. Of course, I also draw from personal experiences and relationships. Though, over the past few years I’ve noticed that I tend to “exaggerate” certain aspects of my experiences. Whether this is to change facts to protect the innocent or just to make things more interesting, I’m not sure…maybe a bit of both!

FEMMUSIC: What was the biggest challenge making HERE WE GO?

JM: We recorded HERE WE GO during the summer months and it was SO hard spending the beautiful sunny days locked away in the studio with no windows!!

FEMMUSIC: What was the best experience making HERE WE GO?

JM: The best thing about making the record was all the time I got to spend with the other girls in the band. It was SO fun to cheer each other on during takes. Not to mention all the inside jokes and studio “cabin fever” we got to share.

FEMMUSIC: You worked with Rob Sanzo on your EP. How did you find Neill King, and why did you choose him to produce HERE WE GO?

JM: When we sat down to discuss producers we would like to work with Neill’s resume just blew us away. He’s worked with a lot of artists that we all really love, from the Buzzcocks to Green Day. It was an easy choice for us!

FEMMUSIC: How was it working with Neill King? What did he bring to the project?

JM: Since Neill worked on a lot of amazing sounding records, we were all really excited to be working with him. He had a lot of good suggestions during pre-production that really helped the songs on HERE WE GO reach their full potential.

FEMMUSIC: As a woman in the music industry, have you been discriminated against?

JM: This is a tough question for me. I think most bands have some bad experiences and rough times. I know we have! But I don’t associate that with being a woman in the music industry. It’s hard for ANY artist to have a career without facing some “challenges”.

FEMMUSIC: What one thing would you change about the music industry itself?

JM: It’s pretty crummy that record labels tend to follow trends and go with what’s popular. I wish that they gave more support to artists with a “different” sound, as opposed to just another carbon copy of what’s in the top ten.

FEMMUSIC: What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

JM: Be persistent! Make music that YOU believe in and have fun playing it!