Juno Rylee Schultz“It’s a quiet day in a noisy time.”
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Words, research, and edits: Juno Rylee Schultz (she/her)
Research and edits: Kylie Tuinier (she/her)
Edits: Bex Stump (she/her) and Nathan Thatcher-Miller (he/him)
Jetty Grove is a folk artist who possesses the lens in which the melancholy and beauty of life are laid bare across his tapestry of guitar notes, ambient soundscapes, and poetry.
Joey is also a painter, as well as a teacher, but he still manages to find time for late night shows and touring.
I’m drawn to passion like a moth to a flame so I was grateful Jetty Grove found the time to speak with me in between recording his latest album.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Jetty Grove grew up messing around on the piano and listening to “a lot of classic rock.”
“I had piano lessons, but it wasn’t anything too serious. I played the drums some but stopped two years into high school. I actually hadn’t even played guitar until college.”
Joey tells me he knew he always wanted to make music as a kid; he just didn’t know what his sound was supposed to be.
“I always knew I wanted to make music. I just didn’t know what I wanted it to sound like. I was mostly listening to rap music and messing around in Garageband on my Mac.”
College expanded what Joey perceived to be possible in music, as well as the tools and instruments that were available to him, giving him more permission to figure out what kind of artist he was.
“Once I started playing acoustic guitar it changed everything. One of my roommates had one. That was kinda like the transition from playing around to trying to make a song more traditional folk thing rather than sound loops. It was so freeing, the feeling of an acoustic guitar over an electric guitar, a complete instrument.”
It was at this time that Jetty Grove started listening to more indie and folk music, including Mac Demarco. He credits his early sound as having started “in more of a 2010 Mac Demarco sound.”
“It was still really early on in my songwriting journey.”
Joey and I spend a lot of time talking about Elliott Smith, and Daniel Johnston, and how much the two artists have inspired him.
“Daniel Johnston kinda like, gave me permission to be an artist.
My favorite detail [from Daniel’s career] is Daniel not having a tape duplicator.
The amount of passion and focus for having to replicate each tape by performing the tape again. That’s just so cool, you know?”
Joey tells me rap music is still a really big influence for him as well. He loves how into literature and language rappers often are.
“There’s like two rappers I’ve been into my whole life. Mac Miller and Earl Sweatershirt.”
We talk about Joey’s love of literature too, and the influence he thinks it has on folk music, and his music.
“I got into Kurt Vonnegut and Jack Kerouac because Bob Dyland was obsessed with them, and he was cool, and I wanted to get it, too. I started with ‘On the Road.’
Since then I’ve read like 10 of his books. It was like nothing I’d ever read before. It was so raw. He’s so meta. True prose in its purest form of expression. The writing and storytelling are incredible.
I’m really interested in tapping into that philosophy in my music.”
Jetty Grove finds that there’s more creative freedom when playing solo, but he loves the energy that comes from playing with a band.
“One of the fun parts about playing solo sometimes is the difference in writing, like Elliottt Smith said in an interview, he gets to wear different hats–drums, bass–it’s great, but it can also be a lot of pressure.”
Lately he’s been spending time finishing his newest, upcoming album, while also networking with other musicians in search of his next performing band lineup.
“I love playing with a band. I guess for like 2-3 years, the lineup changed some, but I had a consistent group.
About a year ago, a band member had an accident and passed away. It was a big hurdle to get over. Then another band member left for personal reasons. I’ve been playing with a band again lately. It’s been an adjustment, working on connecting and meeting new people.
Playing with a band is the best feeling though so it’s worth putting myself out there. I’d love to do an electric show but then also something more acoustic, with an upright bass, depending on the venue.”
I ask Jetty Grove about what it’s like performing, and how he handles any stress that comes with it, and he says getting to the venue early helps. And then it’s just a mindset.
“I like to get to the venue early, see it, take it in, my mind is always going a thousand miles per hour before it starts. It’s a blur once I get into performance mode.”
We spend time talking about the rich history of folk music, and how it’s just always been there, right alongside the people, talking about whatever feels universal in our lives.
“With folk music, a lot of it changes over time. But it’s those same feelings across time. I also just love how folk is for the people.”
I add that folk music feels like it’s closely connected to punk music, or perhaps the other way around.
“Yeah, I love tracing the roots of music back.”
I ask him about the creation process, and how it all comes together.
“I try to have at least an acoustic guitar, bass, and drum part for playing songs live. When I had my band, we sounded different than on the recordings which I kinda liked.
There are some things on the recordings where I know I’m not gonna replicate it live and I’m okay with that. It can just be a moment.
Most of the songs start with messing around, the idea, and then it just starts becoming the picture I see in my head. I think of it like a skeleton and then I add flourishes. Then I go down that path and like to try something different, and that’s when I try to get creative. [laughs]”
Jetty Grove has softer music–that wouldn’t be out of place at a campfire–but he’s also experimenting more with distortion and feedback.
“Lately I’ve been using a lot more distortion, echoes, modulation, and doing a loud, quiet, loud dynamic, like with Nirvana. I love the vibe in Nirvana’s songs. I like to play with dreamy textures.”
We talk about the pressures of juggling everything that comes with being an artist, and Joey says it can be a lot to manage but it’s all equally important.
“It’s hard sometimes balancing the social part, especially as an introvert, but I just suck it up and send the emails. Hearing ‘no’ is hard sometimes, but you just have to be okay with things not working out, and I’m getting better at grasping that. I know a lot of people in my scene and I’m learning it’s the meaningful connections that are most important.”
Joey says his current setup in his basement is giving him the space mentally to finish his upcoming album, as well as putting together a band for touring again.
“It feels like the stakes are lower in the little room. When there’s not another set of ears. right now I have a set up in my basement. It’s perfect. It feels like it’s a recording space because there’s recording stuff there , but it’s also partially another room, which is freeing. Even though I take the art really seriously, I still try not to take myself too seriously. The basement studio is a reminder to stay humble.”
I like playing solo, but it’s also less pressing for booking. Right now im working on a new album once that’s finished I’ll need to get a band together. I’ve been fortunate enough where band members have always gotten the vibe. I’ve had the most people through Craigslist and other apps, but this time around I’m trying to meet [potential band members] organically. It can sound better if the band can be friends.”
Jetty Grove just released Soon and Dart 22/Big Star Shine, two singles from his upcoming album, and he’s excited about the two sounds being represented from the album on the tracks.
“I think these two songs represent the style of the album, but also they’re very different. I think Dart really captures the vibe of what I’m going after. There’s something about it for me. I don’t always feel a special connection to songs but I did [for Dart].”
Currently, Jetty Grove is enjoying the rest of his summer vacation while finishing a painting that will serve as the music video for his upcoming single releases, with each part of the painting representing a different song.
You can find Jetty Grove on TikTok, and hear his music on Spotify, Bandcamp, and all other music streaming platforms.
