Follower, leader, organizer, student, teacher, music nerd (actually everything nerd). Jen started teaching dance in college to afford the habit. She refused to believe there was one way to break something down. Her curiosity about how things worked as a child taught her that if you try hard enough you can break something and if you try harder you might be able to put it back together making it better than before.
In the classroom Jen often draws on her own journey to find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music as a lead and follow. It’s been a long journey, it’s definitely not over, and she will gladly share what she has learned along the way.
Jen lives in Denver, and when she isn’t scheming about future dance related projects ,she is probably at home jumping on her trampoline or hanging out with her chickens.
Colorado’s blues duo Hundred Pound Housecat packs plenty of punch. Their sound is a foot-stomping mix of original blues and soulful Americana that feels like it is simultaneously from another time and perfect for this one.
Melly Frances’ vocals are incomparable. She sounds like a beautiful, eerie Bessie Smith 78 one minute, before letting out a ragged scream that would make Leon Russel blush, the next. She does all of this while holding down the rhythm with a mix of bass, washboard and stomp box. Keke Lee punctuates Housecat’s music with a mix of slide and piedmont blues guitar, reminiscent of Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie and Johnny Shines.
But rest assured, Hundred Pound Housecat is not content replicating music of the past. Their thoughtful and incisive original songs marshal their influences to offer a modern take on the foundations of American music and beyond.
At age 3, Jen started her DJ career in the basement, on a Fisher Price record player, before an audience of dolls. She spent countless hours listening to funk, disco, soul, jazz, R&B, and pop music through her childhood and went on to study music from elementary through high school. After moving to Austin, the “ live music capital”, she fell hard for dancing in dive bars to gritty blues, jazz, and swing music. She started DJing for a live audience in college when she ran a small swing dance club on campus and started teaching classes. Jen lives in Denver now, and has returned to DJing for a live audience, spinning many of the tunes she discovered in the basement. She’s also teaching blues at the local level, drawing on her vast musical knowledge to help dancers find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music.
You can only find SSB at Denver's one and only THE PEARL! (formerly the Mercury Café) in the upstairs ballroom. Come support the community and the new owners as they continue all of the scheduled events in the space! Come for good music, good dancing, and good people!
The dance is indoors, NO RESTRICTIONS: vaccine and mask optional. Please stay home if you feel unwell! Be safe, have fun! We can NOT wait to see you all and continue to celebrate the blues dance scene at The Pearl! ❤
We have SSB stickers AND SSB fans now available!
Stickers will be $1 each, and fans will be $15 each.
But that’s not all! This will be a part of our school drive for dance programs in Denver’s District 9-- ALL proceeds will go toward dance programs in PreK-12 schools in the same district as The Pearl! Your purchase will give the gift of movement and dance to your local youth! <3
There is a full menu of food and drinks- come hungry and hang out before class downstairs at The Pearl!
Follower, leader, organizer, student, teacher, music nerd (actually everything nerd). Jen started teaching dance in college to afford the habit. She refused to believe there was one way to break something down. Her curiosity about how things worked as a child taught her that if you try hard enough you can break something and if you try harder you might be able to put it back together making it better than before.
In the classroom Jen often draws on her own journey to find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music as a lead and follow. It’s been a long journey, it’s definitely not over, and she will gladly share what she has learned along the way.
Jen lives in Denver, and when she isn’t scheming about future dance related projects ,she is probably at home jumping on her trampoline or hanging out with her chickens.
Colorado’s blues duo Hundred Pound Housecat packs plenty of punch. Their sound is a foot-stomping mix of original blues and soulful Americana that feels like it is simultaneously from another time and perfect for this one.
Melly Frances’ vocals are incomparable. She sounds like a beautiful, eerie Bessie Smith 78 one minute, before letting out a ragged scream that would make Leon Russel blush, the next. She does all of this while holding down the rhythm with a mix of bass, washboard and stomp box. Keke Lee punctuates Housecat’s music with a mix of slide and piedmont blues guitar, reminiscent of Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie and Johnny Shines.
But rest assured, Hundred Pound Housecat is not content replicating music of the past. Their thoughtful and incisive original songs marshal their influences to offer a modern take on the foundations of American music and beyond.
At age 3, Jen started her DJ career in the basement, on a Fisher Price record player, before an audience of dolls. She spent countless hours listening to funk, disco, soul, jazz, R&B, and pop music through her childhood and went on to study music from elementary through high school. After moving to Austin, the “ live music capital”, she fell hard for dancing in dive bars to gritty blues, jazz, and swing music. She started DJing for a live audience in college when she ran a small swing dance club on campus and started teaching classes. Jen lives in Denver now, and has returned to DJing for a live audience, spinning many of the tunes she discovered in the basement. She’s also teaching blues at the local level, drawing on her vast musical knowledge to help dancers find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music.
You can only find SSB at Denver's one and only THE PEARL! (formerly the Mercury Café) in the upstairs ballroom. Come support the community and the new owners as they continue all of the scheduled events in the space! Come for good music, good dancing, and good people!
The dance is indoors, NO RESTRICTIONS: vaccine and mask optional. Please stay home if you feel unwell! Be safe, have fun! We can NOT wait to see you all and continue to celebrate the blues dance scene at The Pearl! ❤
We have SSB stickers AND SSB fans now available!
Stickers will be $1 each, and fans will be $15 each.
But that’s not all! This will be a part of our school drive for dance programs in Denver’s District 9-- ALL proceeds will go toward dance programs in PreK-12 schools in the same district as The Pearl! Your purchase will give the gift of movement and dance to your local youth! <3
There is a full menu of food and drinks- come hungry and hang out before class downstairs at The Pearl!
