Hailey Wojcik: Press/Reviews

The unlikely combination of ukulele and xylophone kick things off on the latest release from Michigan native Hailey Wojcik. "Don't tell me how much you admire the writing of/ The Russian author Vladimir Nabokov" she sings in "Nabokov's Butterfly," highlighting the unlikely rhyme with a voice as relaxed as a summer day—somewhere between Liz Phair and Nick Drake.
The instrumentation remains refreshingly unique throughout the entire album. "Dinosaur Bone" utilizes only a sparse piano to back-layered vocals which promise that "someday you'll really dig me." The title track combines a chordless guitar line with percussion that sounds like bamboo poles on a marble floor. "Just because I'm prettier and better in the sack, just because you think you're sure that you don't want her back, doesn't mean that I can't be a jealous maniac." Really great stuff; check it out for yourself.

Hailey Wojcik | Jealous Sees (Broadside Productions)

The simple piano chords and percussion instruments further demonstrate Wojcik’s uncanny ability to make listeners both laugh and contemplate what she has to say.

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Within a symphony of ukuleles, literary works, xylophones, paleontology, and modern art, Hailey Wojcik has secured herself a spot as the newest genius of the music scene. Her music tastes like a playful version of college, one where the students erupt into harmonious songs about orange peels and pointless jobs. The simple piano chords and percussion instruments further demonstrate Wojcik’s uncanny ability to make listeners both laugh and contemplate what she has to say.
Wojcik was born and raised in Lansing, Mich., on a steady stream of solid musicians, such as Joni Mitchell, the Talking Heads, Jimmy Buffet, Jackson Brown, and various blues artists. Mitchell and Elvis Costello are among two of her bigger influences, along with indie rock and riot-girl music. With Jealous Sees as her fourth album, she is gaining more and more notice as a singer-songwriter across Michigan (she attends Western Michigan University as a creative-writing/journalism major) and is building up more attention across the country.

“Nabokov’s Butterfly,” the first track on this album, explores the literary works of the Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov, and how Wojcik’s significant other adores his work. “Dinosaur Bone” proclaims that Wojcik is ready for someone to love her: “I’m trying to be something like geology/or maybe like a dinosaur bone/and I won’t be alone/because some day you’ll really dig me.” With blessingly simple and earnest lyrics, Wojcik sings with the voice of an angel. Proving that even angels can have dirty mouths sometimes, on “F#Ó@ You (I Quit),” Wojcik describes her anger with self-centered coworkers and the satisfaction she feels after she has quit her job.

Wojcik sounds similar to a female version of Conor Oberst—with a ukulele. Her lyrics are brilliantly delightful and true, with small pieces of life mashed in with the truisms that she has composed. The ukulele work on the album sounds like she would get along well with Donovon Frankenreiter, and the piano style is reminiscent of Billy Joel. Her lyrics sound like Ani DiFranco has been quietly sedated and is, for once, calm about what she has to say.

The future of music lies in Wojcik’s talented hands. If only every artist was as honest as she is.

"Indie-O-Saurus...
In a green dino suit with a colorful keyboard slung over her shoulder, singer-songwriter Hailey Wojcik cutens up the streets of Brooklyn (and the indie music scene)."
- of my music video "Dinosaur Bone," a top Featured Video on YouTube.com

"The number one influence listed on her YouTube homepage is Ramona Quimby, so it's no surprise to find aspiring singer-songwriter Hailey Wojcik traipsing around the city in an "I'm a big kid now" dinosaur costume and playing a toy keyboard in this homemade video for "Dinosaur Bones." Kind of sounds like a collaboration between The Moldy Peaches and Juliana Hatfield at a neighborhood piano recital. That's a good thing."

Hailey Wojcik "Jealous Sees"
Self-produced

The disc opens with two brilliant sounding, often forgotten instruments, the ukulele and xylophone. Complimented here by beautiful lyrics and the soft-spoken voice of Hailey Wojcik. On "Jealous Sees", she arrives with a sense of humor, delivering clever accounts of bad jobs (F**k You (I Quit)) and memories of past loves (Bad Modern Art). But don't think you're getting a singing comedian, Hailey shows off a sensitive, more insightful side on most of the other tracks. She has a great sense of how to tell a story and how to make original, catchy music. Hopefully, two things that will solidify her place for a long time in this giant world of music.
R.I.Y.L.: The Murmurs, Joanna Newsom

In this golden age of flash-in-the-pan pre-packaged pop and glorified karaoke love-ins like American Idol and its many orgiastic spin-offs, authenticity and honesty can go very a long way for a serious musician these days. Yet, as most of us know – or at least suspect – music producers can fabricate talent and manufacture stardom, but they can’t fake authenticity. Let’s say it again: you can’t fake authenticity. Hailey Wojcik’s brilliance is in her authenticity, and Jealous Sees, her fourth album to date, is eclectic, poignant, and best of all, honest.


Overall, Jealous Sees is refreshingly wry and intelligent. Wojcik, a self-described ‘Indie Singer-Songwriter’ from Lansing, Michigan, now based out of Kalamazoo, approaches her work without the hollow self-importance and smug derision endemic to the majority of so-called ‘independent’ music flooding the scene today. Reminiscent of Liz Phair and Joni Mitchell – and even at times Nick Drake and early Joshua Rouse – Jealous Sees is testament to a certain indie zeitgeist infusing the music scene today that speaks to stripped down honesty and the need for renewed originality.


With a voice that is at some points hauntingly graceful and at others slightly raw and off-key, Wojcik’s vocals set the pace for the project as whole; and her choice to use little more than ukulele, guitar and keyboard gives her music an uncomplicated, genuine feel. Yet, the engine of Jealous Sees is the poetic intensity of the lyrics and Wojcik’s obvious strength as a story teller. Redolent with metaphor, each song spins out a narrative that is in turn woven into the theme of the album as a whole: Jealous Sees is a meditation on the relationship of surfaces to depth - surface emotions, surface relationships, surface thoughts, surface actions vs. the problem of how to deepen things in a world that wants depth and profundity, but – ironically – embraces a decaying world of surfaces. The extended metaphor of archaeology underwriting a track like ‘Dinosaur Bone’ or the expectations of art and aesthetic dead ends of the catchy (and kitschy) ‘Bad Modern Art’ solidly point to just this issue.


Hailey Wojcik has been playing guitar since she was twelve years old, and released her first album, Hairy Woodchuck (2000), when she was fourteen, followed by Chimpanzee Politics (2001) and Girl’s State (2004). Writing her own material, and co-producing her recordings, Wojcik is an exceptionally gifted independent musician, and Jealous Sees will attract many new fans and hopefully propel to her towards the wider recognition she deserves.

Ukulele is one of those underappreciated string instruments that rarely finds its way into serious music. On “Jealous Sees”, Hailey Wojcik not only plays the ukulele but does it well with a bit of guitar and keyboards thrown in the mix. Her earnest lyrics are light and feathery but have a serious emotional underlining. As a singer/songwriter she often points more towards indie pop than your standard pop affairs and Wojcik’s sarcastic tone is rarely dry as she casts herself as the seminal hero of womanly songsmithing. Crisp and vibrant, Hailey’s lyrics are what sets her a notch above the competition.

Hailey Wojcik has enough gumption to tell her former employers to go to hell. Actually, in true singer-songwriter spirit, she’s a bit harsher than that. On her fourth and newest disc, Jealous Sees, the 20-year-old former Lansing resident tells a former boss at a coffee shop: “f--- you and your stupid coffee shop.”
Strong words indeed, but that’s just a little piece of an album centered on a theme of jealousy. It’s an opus about ex-loves — the ones she’s lost and the ones she exults.
The sincerity of Wojcik’s voice and the depth of her passion for music resonate on this album. She will play at Goldenrod Music’s 30th anniversary open house on Dec. 3.
We asked the Lansing native about her career and what’s new in her life.

What’s different about you from your perspective than the other singer-songwriters?


I think there’s a lot of great people out there. When some people think of a singer-songwriter, they might not think of sarcasm and dark humor. I think I have that. People might think of more sort of optimistic, heart-on-your-sleeve type of writing. I don’t like to take myself too seriously. I think that’s one critique I have of artists and especially musicians. I think that to me when you take yourself too seriously, it makes me take you less seriously. It’s kind of like, laugh at yourself a little. You can be pissed off and bitter. But you have to have the edge that life is funny even when it’s f----- up.

How has Lansing influenced your music?


There are some political things going on and some of my music is somewhat political. In high school, I got into that scene. I sort of got into the whole Lansing atmosphere of marching to the Capitol. I feel an allegiance to Lansing and Michigan because it’s where I’m from. It seems like there’s a lot of good music coming out of Michigan. I’m proud to be from Michigan.

Why an album themed about jealousy?


It has many themes, but it is about jealousy. It’s a little more stripped down. There’s an intimacy about it. The cover is telling. It’s really close and scared looking. On other albums, I’ve had bands. This one is honest and really true to my live performances, something I really needed to do. I’m not any more jealous than anyone else. I owned it and admitted it. I’m owning that part of me just like I’m owning every emotion on this album.

How has your sound changed?


It has changed for the better. I shudder sometimes when I listen to older stuff. When I was 14, I made my first CD. I was that sweet poppy singe-songwriter. That is what I was going for. I think I’ve got a more original sound now. One thing about my current work is that it’s more unique and I’ve found my own voice and it’s always changing. I’m doing less and less imitation. I’m getting further and further away from the influences of others.

What do you do for fun?


I’m not a big party girl. I like to go to shows and see bands play. I’m a fan of that. I like to go to arts events around. Just sort of community events. Things with an activist feel to them.

You’re a writer by nature? How does that affect your songwriting?


I mean they go hand-in-hand to an extent. I think I’ve used some of the things in my workshops for prose and poetry in my songwriting. I know my writing has definitely matured, especially on this album.

What’s your favorite song to play live?


“F--- you, I Quit.” People really respond to that one. They usually laugh heartily and people have similar stories. It’s funny because I’ll do a couple songs that are usually low key. Then I’ll play that so they don’t see it coming.

What’s the best movie you’ve seen this year?


“Crash.” Probably the best movie. The issues of racism in our society. Another good one is “Born into Brothels.”




See her live

Hailey Wojcik with The Bench and Lazy Sunday
Goldenrod Music, 1310 Turner St., Lansing
5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 3
484-1712
www.goldenrod.com
www.haileywojcik.com

Hailey Wojcik,"Jealous Sees" (Indie Release)
Cute little quirky songs with a folksy pop feel. Wojcik has a really great voice that draws you in fairly quickly and makes you hang on every word. All nine of the songs on “Jealous Sees” are about love, lost loves and jealousy, hence the title. For fans of acoustic singer-songwriter pop. Coolest song is “F#c@ You (I Quit)” hands down. The cd is worth the price for this one song alone. Think Joan Baez with a sense of humor and without the uptight attitude.
www.haileywojcik.com

Hailey Wojcik-Jealous Sees

What’s a music fan supposed to do with Hailey Wojcik? It’s a valid question since listeners will want to spread the word of this delicate poppy, folky, singer-songwriter to as many friends as possible. But how can that be done when the name Wojcik doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue?
This disc should appeal to a wide range of listeners. Influences like Liz Phair can be found in “Jealous Sees” and “I Don’t Get It.”… and of Rilo Kiley on “Orange Peels.” Frente’s style has certainly influenced “Bad Modern Art.” Filled to the brim with edgy, sarcastic, and sweet tales of life and love, this Michigan singer/songwriter is sure to be on the tip of everybody’s tongue… even if her name doesn’t exactly roll off it.