“Writing, writing and writing. We just keep creating. There’s something extremely thrilling about playing a new song live for the first time when you’re still not quite sure when the bridge kicks in or whether I can play that killer guitar riff and sing the vocal line at the same time yet…Thrilling.”

Angelica Jones: Blues Rock Energy 

Formerly Angelina Hunter Trio, the acclaimed Canadian blues-rock outfit returns under a bold new name — same electrifying chemistry, first full-length album as Angelica Jones. Canadian blues-rock powerhouse Angelica Jones has completed The Whammy, her debut full-length album under her new name — a record that channels her signature blend of gritty blues, rock attitude, and searing, whammy-and-wah-driven guitar work into a raw, soulful new collection of songs. The album runs the full gauntlet of storytelling and emotion. There's loss and resilience in "Night to Come," a reckoning with mental health in "Getting Stronger," and a clear-eyed look at a world where the powerful keep trying to misdirect your attention with lies in "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." "Waiting at the Bar" is a reminder that everyone's got a song in their heart waiting to be sung, while "My Beating Heart" is a rockin' love song for a rock-solid love story — and "Spell on You" puts the whammy on a lover who's already spellbound. From taking chances in "Ride the Lightning" to soaking up the simple, awesome things in life on "Christmas & Doobies," this album covers real ground.

(Angelica Jones / Sean Sisk Photography)

Whether you're in the mood for soulful grooves or driving with the windows down and the music cranked, The Whammy has exactly what you need. Fans of the band will recognize the sound, if not the name: Angelica Jones is the same trio previously known as Angelina Hunter Trio, who released two full-length albums — Roll With It (2018) and Let It Slide (2023) — an EP (Right Kind of Crooked, 2020), and two music videos ("12 Feet Tall" and "Crazy Hazy Days") before rebranding in 2024. Same electrifying sound, new chapter: The Whammy is the first full-length statement under the Angelica Jones name.

Interview by Michael Limnios                      Archive: Angelica Jones, 2024 Interview

Special Thanks: Sarah French Publicity

The Whammy is described as a record packed with your signature whammy-and-wah guitar work. How did the trio's electrifying chemistry evolve in the studio while recording this first full-length album under your new name?

We’ve always had a unique chemistry between the three of us. A special bond from day one. We all met while studying music in university and knew right away that we would play music together forever. So, this evolution has been going on for a very long time over many different musical projects. 

The thing that makes this project so special is that we started it with the sole intention of playing music for the sake of the music and for the sheer fun of it. We were never trying to write a ‘hit single’ or to fit inside the box. Cause lets face it – I have never fit inside of any boxes. 

My use of the whammy bar and wah pedal evolved over the years and has become my signature guitar style at his point.  I always play my Strat because the whammy bar is broken so it’s super loose – which is just PERFECT. When I drop it, it falls away and doesn’t get in my way.  I use the whammy bar because my hands are so small and I can’t get my thumb high enough on the back of the guitar neck to get a really solid vibrato on sustained notes…this was the perfect alternative, and it sounds killer!

The first two albums we recorded came out great and we’re very proud of them, but this one was magic.  It came together almost on its own. The songs were just – there.  Since the songs felt so real and they felt so great to play, the chemistry in the studio was next level.  The boys both played like monsters and nailed the bed tracks in one or two takes. They felt perfect, the magic was there, the feel was there and we had it. Also, I felt so strongly about the vocal lines and the lyrics that there really was only one way to sing them properly to fit the song, so I pretty much nailed them all in one take. Dean, our engineer and producer, insisted that I at least give him a back up take just in case, but the first takes were always better. What an awesome and authentic way to launch our first album with this new brand as Angelica Jones – my alter ego.

“We’ve always had a unique chemistry between the three of us. A special bond from day one. We all met while studying music in university and knew right away that we would play music together forever. So, this evolution has been going on for a very long time over many different musical projects.” (Angelica Jones with ner band / Sean Sisk Photography)

You touch upon diverse themes in the album, from mental health in "Getting Stronger" to social critique regarding the lies of the powerful in "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." How important is it for you to use your blues-rock tracks as a vehicle for such honest and raw confessions?

It’s absolutely correct in saying that the tracks are honest confessions. 

I really take the responsibility of sharing my commentary on issues like mental health and the abuse of power seriously. As an artist, with a big voice and a microphone and someone there to listen to what I have to sing, I think I owe it to myself and to the audience to sing from the bottom of my soul. Every. Single. Time.  You can’t fake this stuff or just go through the motions. It has to be authentic in order to connect with the crowd. 

We tested out a few tracks at a few festivals this summer and the connection we felt was incredible. If I could bottle up the feeling that you get from sharing the experience of live music with a huge crowd, and sell it, I’d be richer than Elon Musk! I have the chance to say what I feel and to mean what I say, and that’s special. It’s a privilege and I know it.

The record covers a massive emotional range—from deep loss in "Night to Come" to the ultimate relaxation of life's simple pleasures in "Christmas & Doobies." How did you manage to balance these vastly different moods into a cohesive sound?

You have to understand that this was a very difficult year for me. My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer and was given 6 months to live. The polar bear of cancers. It sucked. Big time. We have a very close family, and my parents have always been our biggest supporters. They’ve literally seen thousands of shows. So, this was a hard pill to swallow. They say that the best way to get big emotions off your chest is through music, and this couldn’t be any truer in this case. The songs are a peek into my heart, how I was feeling all year and how I dealt with everything in my personal life and how I was feeling about the state of the world.

As I mentioned earlier, these songs came out all on their own, as a way of helping me through the tough times last year.  That being said, I had some amazing times as well and I created some fantastic memories. Life is a constant balance. So that’s why I can have a super fun song like Christmas and Doobies alongside a song about loss.  Good and bad, ying and yang. Although “Night to Come” is my way of explaining how it felt to know that the other shoe was going to drop, I could also see that there was positive I could pull from it too – which the final section of the song shows. “I will leave the light on tonight” means that although you may be waiting for the night to come, I’m here with you, and it doesn’t have to be scary, alone in the dark.

“I just love live music and everything about it. When I go see a show for the first time, I always try to find at least 3 things that I really really enjoyed from the performance that I can add to my arsenal of musical tricks.” (Angelica Jones / Photo by Carissa Broeren)

What message would you like to send to your loyal fans who have been following you since the Roll With It (2018) era, as they listen to The Whammy for the very first time?

Well, first of all I would say thank you for sticking with us!  I love making music with Adam and Sandy. Not only are they 2 of the most talented musicians I have ever met and had the privilege to play with, they are my best friends. We are the constant in our music, and our musical evolution has always been inevitable.  The more you play the more you grow. Imagine if we got worse with time? Yikes! 

Roll with it was pure, raw feeling. We experimented a lot on that album. Stretched out the solos big time and did a lot of fun figuring out what our sound was.  We had no idea it would take off the way it did!

Let it Slide expanded our range of emotion. Our first album had a chill grove to it, whereas this one had distinct ups and downs.  We’ve always been very dynamic players – that’s where the magic comes from. But with Let it Slide we really played with that concept.

The Whammy is heartfelt and fun. We’ve been playing a lot of festivals over the past few years and we have always enjoyed watching the other acts. It’s my favorite. You tend to pick up on all of the cool moments that you take away with you and I love that feeling. I needed that good feeling this year and I wanted to write songs that would give others that feeling. I wanted people to groove on a nice festival day and I wanted to leave some lasting impression with them as well. That way fans can take us home with them after the show if they managed to feel that connection.  We really tried to capture that live feel in this recording, and I really hope it comes across.

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process?

I think it’s my voice that has grown and evolved the most. When I was a teenager, I REALLY didn’t want to sing because my voice was so high. I couldn’t sing along with songs on the radio because they were always either too high or too low for my range. But my dad told me that I should really learn how to sing when I was playing the guitar. That it would add a whole other dimension to my music. So, I started singing when I was 15. It was actually fun, but my voice was still scary high.  

I was in the concentrated music program at De La Salle high school playing the sax and I switched over to the voice program. Opera to be exact. Again, it was super fun, and I loved the silliness of over-acting in operas. Plus, in opera, I could sing super high – I was a coloratura soprano. As high as it gets. I decided to study opera in university in order to perfect my vocal technique so that I could travel on tour with my blues band, Bluesone, without tiring out my voice out. It worked. I can sing forever and my voice doesn’t get tired. BUT, it took me FOREVER to get the damn opera sound out of my voice so that I could sing the blues with heart and soul…

Now, I feel like I finally have complete control of my voice. I can blast out the big vocal lines and sing at barely a whisper and still keep the intensity in my voice. I can tell the story with the intensity and emotion that each song demands and really feel the lyrics. And have fun singing super cool vocal lines. What’s the point of learning all that technique if I can’t milk it right?

The thing that has remained the same with our music making process is that all three of us, Sandy, Adam and myself, contribute equally to the writing process.  Sometimes I’ll have a riff idea or a catchy melody, or Adam will have a wicked bassline or Sandy will have some killer lyrics or want to try a super tricky but cool drum beat. We will always develop those little timbits together, before the initial idea gets too locked in. That way the song has all three of our styles and perspectives combined. Which makes them three times as good.

“I grew up on southern blues rock and rock n roll.  I loved bands like Deep Purple, the Alland Brothers, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. I may not have any, but I sure like to play with balls. I love a good screaming guitar solo and a little feedback.” (Angelica Jones / Photo by Carissa Broeren)

What are you doing to keep your music relevant today, to develop it and present it to the new generation?

Writing, writing and writing. We just keep creating. There’s something extremely thrilling about playing a new song live for the first time when you’re still not quite sure when the bridge kicks in or whether I can play that killer guitar riff and sing the vocal line at the same time yet…Thrilling. 

I also go see A LOT of shows. Most people think that since I play so much music, I would be musicked out, but that’s the farthest thing from the truth. I love finding new bands. I love hearing new music for the first time or supporting my fellow musician buddies that I’ve seen play a hundred times. I just love live music and everything about it. When I go see a show for the first time, I always try to find at least 3 things that I really really enjoyed from the performance that I can add to my arsenal of musical tricks.

How does your hometown that affect your music? How did the blues shape rock and roll?

There are so many amazing blues artists that have come out of Ottawa: Monkey Junk, JW Jones, Sue Foley, HOROJO, Steve Marriner, Angelique Francis and Wicked Grin to name a few. I was lucky enough to grow up jamming with all of these fine fellas which definitely gave me an advantage. Jamming with Tony D when I was 12 on a big stage at Tucson’s Roadhouse is the best way to get good fast. Steve and JW and I were the blues kids, and everyone took us under their wings. I was so lucky. 

Our bass player Adam’s music daddy is Murray Kinsley from Wicked grin. They played together in a Motown band for years back when Adams’ first instrument was the trumpet. And Sandy played with, well, everyone for a while there because he’s such a fantastic drummer. The Ottawa blues community is very tight knit. We’re like a big family and we go way back.

I grew up on southern blues rock and rock n roll.  I loved bands like Deep Purple, the Alland Brothers, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. I may not have any, but I sure like to play with balls. I love a good screaming guitar solo and a little feedback. That’s why I love playing with the whammy bar and the wah pedal. Sounds tremendous! Selon moi, the only difference between the blues and rock and roll is how you feel it and how you approach it. Like I said. I have never fit inside the box. Of course I have played the traditional blues songs and I have played every single Hendrix solo there is, but I try not to get too worried about stepping out a little bit one way or the other. It depends on the songs and the story and how it makes me feel. I love a good rockin’ riff with a super soulful melodic line to contrast it. I guess that’s just my thing.

“I really take the responsibility of sharing my commentary on issues like mental health and the abuse of power seriously. As an artist, with a big voice and a microphone and someone there to listen to what I have to sing, I think I owe it to myself and to the audience to sing from the bottom of my soul.” (Angelica Jones / Photo by Carissa Broeren)

After two successful albums as the Angelina Hunter Trio, what led to your decision to rebrand as Angelica Jones in 2024, and how does this change signal a new chapter for the band?

We signed up for the Road to Memphis competition 3 months into jamming as a trio. Since we were having so much fun and we had such a good chemistry, we ended up winning and representing Ottawa at the International Blues Challenge. We didn’t even have a band name yet, so the boys said, ‘let’s just call it your name Ange’. I always hated it when a band was named after one person. A band is a band – many people, not just one. But the boys insisted we put me up front and centre, for the first time ever. They said we could change the name to something better later. But then our music started to catch on, and people started to recognise us. However, I felt like we were using a name that just didn’t feel right. It was time to fix that so that I could finally feel comfortable in the band. So, we compromised. 

A lot of artists will choose not to use their last name for their band. It feels like you’re bringing that outside world into your musical one. Angelica Jones is my alter ego. No worries, no inhibitions, nothing but good old fashioned screaming guitar blues and a good time.  When I’m making music with the boys, I’m not professional Ange trying to pay the bills. I’m not mommy trying to get the kids to their after school activities and to do their homework. I’m not the lady who is trying to organise 500 different things while keeping that smile on my face. I am just Angelica Jones, playing music that makes me feel good. It’s catchy, it’s fun, especially when you play air guitar while you say it (go ahead, try it – I swear its fun “Angelica Jones”) and it’s my real musical self.  I felt like I needed to be the real me when we were playing. I love it, and it feels right – finally.

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(Angelica Jones with her band / Sean Sisk Photography)