Jenny Van Alstyne

Jenny Van Alstyne grew up in a small Texas town, but she always felt a bit out of place. She could identify with Edward Scissorhands, and felt the daily gnawing tension that outsiders know so well.

Much like Edward Scissorhands was taken in by a kind-hearted Avon lady, Jenny was raised by the love of her grandmother, Mimi, a sweet-hearted Avon President’s Club saleswoman. Jenny’s grandmother possessed a quiet strength, a wisdom that can only be wrought from the brow of life’s experiences, a gentle spirit, all bound by the thread of an underlying, unconditional love. The spirit of her grandmother became infused in Jenny’s music, singer/ songwriter soulful folk-pop with a touch of gospel.

Her grandmother has always been a steadfast influence on Jenny’s life and music. Recently, Jenny has penned songs that are a reaction to her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Having cared for her grandmother during the course of this mind-robbing disease, Jenny witnessed her grandmother’s brave defiance, and the love that still existed, even when the disease had stripped much else away. Jenny wanted to capture a haunting, but ethereal beauty in her song “Ceiling Becomes the Floor”, and chronicles the search for a solid ground in a landscape that was forever changing as memories receded in “Pool of Tears". Jenny’s musical influences include Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Patti Griffin, and Adele.

Jenny studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and has performed in small venues in Austin, Houston, New York and San Francisco. Jenny's music is part of the line up at WOS Radio and is also represented by several music publishers including Mediterranean Sun, Music Blvd A&R and Perpetual Music Group. She is currently recording her Card House Skyscrapers album. These songs are Jenny’s musical attempt to restore dignity to the one who once cared for her. This music is her snow, her hope to blanket some of the disease’s ugliness, if only for a moment.