Growing up, Ruth Moody was rarely exposed to mainstream music by her parents, which, as a teenager, put her at a disadvantage.
“I got teased for not knowing what was cool,” she said.
Oh well. Moody has long since gotten the last laugh.
As a member of the Wailin’ Jennys, Moody has received accolades in her native Canada and in the United States. Tonight with the rest of the trio, she’s scheduled to play a sold-out show at the Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon — a long way from where the group began.
The Wailin’ Jennys, a traditional folk band built around three-part harmonies, started in 2002 when Moody, Nicky Mehta and Cara Luft played a show together in Winnipeg, Manitoba. While the trio hadn’t planned on forming an actual band, the show sold out, and its organizer told the women, like it or not, they were a group.
The organizer suggested the name Wailin’ Jennys, a play on country star Waylon Jennings’ name.
“It was really just kind of a joke that stuck,” Moody said.
The group went through ups and downs. Original alto singer Luft left the band and was replaced by Annabelle Chvostek — who also left the band. The group now includes Heather Masse.
“It was sort of the most shocking the first time it happened, when our other founding member left, because we just weren’t sure whether it made sense to go on,” Moody said. “And yet Nicky and I knew we were just starting with this. It is challenging, but you start to realize it’s just part of the journey.”
The trio found success in Canada. In 2005, the Jennys won a Juno Award — the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy — for the best roots and traditional album. However, the group wasn’t really a marquee headliner in the United States until it started appearing on “A Prairie Home Companion,” Garrison Keillor’s long-running, nationally syndicated radio show.
Now, it’s not unusual for the Jennys to sell out shows south of Vancouver, as they did earlier this week in Seattle.
“We don’t expect that, but I think ‘Prairie Home Companion’ has been really amazing for us, because we’ve been able to reach a lot of people given the listenership of the show,” Moody said.
Popularity can have a downside, of course. While Moody enjoys playing live, the grind of a tour can be rough. She recently played seven dates in a row without a break. During her phone interview with The Herald, she sounded a little tired after a cross-country flight.
“Your schedule is always hectic,” she said. “It’s unpredictable and you’re constantly traveling or loading or unloading or soundchecking if you’re not playing. Once in a blue moon we have a day off, but they’re few and far between.”
Still, it’s all worthwhile when she takes the stage. For Moody, folk music no longer results in being teased. The music, with its deep roots, also helps Moody feel connected to a grander sense of history.
“You feel like you’re part of something really significant,” she said.
The Wailin’ Jennys
8 tonight, Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon, sold out, 360-336-8955
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