Jennifer Herbs is the type of woman who is living the dream on two fronts.
By day she is another typical Saratoga County suburban mom (now in Charlton after residing in the town of Wilton for 11 years). You see her trucking around town, carting son (Zachary - 11) and nephew (Mitchell - 13) on various errands and activities. Husband Kelly is a dentist. The epitome of normal.
But dig just a bit below the surface to find that there's another aspect to Jennifer's life. Brought up in a musical family, Jennifer learned about the 'performer's life' from her father and his band mates. In an interesting twist of fate, these same people ended up as HER band mates, and she gets to realize the other half of life that many people only fantasize about during their turn at karaoke or perhaps in the shower.
Jennifer Herbs has become a classic torch singer, fronting for a band called "Fresh" which is becoming a force in the Capital Region, delighting audiences every weekend.
She'll be pulling in to the Clubhouse (30 Caroline Street) for a return appearance this Saturday night.
When we sat down for a conversation the story as to how it all began for her was unique and interesting:
So how did you meet your band mates?
JH: "I guess you could say that the members of Fresh met when I was born in 1972. Both Joe Lattanzio (keyboardist and trumpet player) and Tom Miller (guitarist) were friends of my father since the late 60's. My father, Jim Coshun, was a bass player and the three men went on to form several bands in the Capital District during the late 70's and into the 80's."
"Band practice was generally held in our home. I was a junkie from day one. I was always very excited and determined to spend as much time as I was allowed around the band, the music and learning as much as I could from that. There were many times I could be found hiding behind their stacks of Marshall amplifiers, trying to adopt the thought of "Out of sight - Out of mind" so that the adults would let me linger at practice without becoming a distraction. My early group influences ranged from The Beatles and Rolling Stones to Heart and Pat Benatar."
Ok, so how did you go from childhood worship to actually working and fronting these guys?
JH: "As I grew up, many years went by where I hadn't seen either Tom or Joe. A few years ago, however, my grandmother passed away. As friends of the family, both men came to her services to pay their respects. It was at this time that they began talking with me again and asking what I was doing with myself. I explained I was a stay at home mother who had also been recently involved in some studio recording of vocals for a rock group named "Kid Bludo." They were very intrigued and announced that they were, in fact, looking for a new lead singer for their group "Fresh." They asked if I would consider a change in genre from rock to more of a relaxed blues and jazz sound. I was open to that and decided to give them a try. We practice once a week for about 3-4 hours, and usually play once each weekend which is perfect for my lifestyle and all of our schedules. The rest is history!"
The impression one gets from talking to you is one of complete contentment with where the band is and where it's going.
JH: "Absolutely! Here we are more than 2 years later and I am enjoying every minute of being the front woman for "Fresh". The content is a mellow jazz and hot blues mix, with a few curveballs thrown in, like Al's double horn playing and my vamping, to keep it interesting. But to be playing with such seasoned musicians - people whom I greatly admired as a child, who then supported me to become the woman and the performer I am today, who could ask for more?"
But dig just a bit below the surface to find that there's another aspect to Jennifer's life. Brought up in a musical family, Jennifer learned about the 'performer's life' from her father and his band mates. In an interesting twist of fate, these same people ended up as HER band mates, and she gets to realize the other half of life that many people only fantasize about during their turn at karaoke or perhaps in the shower.
Jennifer Herbs has become a classic torch singer, fronting for a band called "Fresh" which is becoming a force in the Capital Region, delighting audiences every weekend.
She'll be pulling in to the Clubhouse (30 Caroline Street) for a return appearance this Saturday night.
When we sat down for a conversation the story as to how it all began for her was unique and interesting:
So how did you meet your band mates?
JH: "I guess you could say that the members of Fresh met when I was born in 1972. Both Joe Lattanzio (keyboardist and trumpet player) and Tom Miller (guitarist) were friends of my father since the late 60's. My father, Jim Coshun, was a bass player and the three men went on to form several bands in the Capital District during the late 70's and into the 80's."
"Band practice was generally held in our home. I was a junkie from day one. I was always very excited and determined to spend as much time as I was allowed around the band, the music and learning as much as I could from that. There were many times I could be found hiding behind their stacks of Marshall amplifiers, trying to adopt the thought of "Out of sight - Out of mind" so that the adults would let me linger at practice without becoming a distraction. My early group influences ranged from The Beatles and Rolling Stones to Heart and Pat Benatar."
Ok, so how did you go from childhood worship to actually working and fronting these guys?
JH: "As I grew up, many years went by where I hadn't seen either Tom or Joe. A few years ago, however, my grandmother passed away. As friends of the family, both men came to her services to pay their respects. It was at this time that they began talking with me again and asking what I was doing with myself. I explained I was a stay at home mother who had also been recently involved in some studio recording of vocals for a rock group named "Kid Bludo." They were very intrigued and announced that they were, in fact, looking for a new lead singer for their group "Fresh." They asked if I would consider a change in genre from rock to more of a relaxed blues and jazz sound. I was open to that and decided to give them a try. We practice once a week for about 3-4 hours, and usually play once each weekend which is perfect for my lifestyle and all of our schedules. The rest is history!"
The impression one gets from talking to you is one of complete contentment with where the band is and where it's going.
JH: "Absolutely! Here we are more than 2 years later and I am enjoying every minute of being the front woman for "Fresh". The content is a mellow jazz and hot blues mix, with a few curveballs thrown in, like Al's double horn playing and my vamping, to keep it interesting. But to be playing with such seasoned musicians - people whom I greatly admired as a child, who then supported me to become the woman and the performer I am today, who could ask for more?"
Main Menu
Leave a comment