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Jenn Rogar Bio

Jenn Rogar grew up in a musical family. Both Jenn’s mother and father sang in church choirs and her Norwegian grandfather performed from the 30’s to the 60’s playing banjo, guitar and upright bass in Swing, Jazz, and Big Bands throughout the Mid-West. Jenn is a singer-songwriter who started playing flute in high school marching/concert/pep bands. She first started singing in karaoke clubs in the late 80’s. She auditioned for a few live bands and feeling unsatisfied, bought a guitar and has been performing since 1997 in and around Sacramento at coffee houses,restaurants, clubs, peace rallies,festivals and fundraisers. Jenn has recently teamed up with Steve Mclane, Sacramento’s most talented and well known folk guitarist/singer/songwriter.

Jenn most recently performed as a duo/trio with Mike Farrell and Eric Everett as Jen n General. Jenn Rogar and Jen n General graced the stages of such places as Marilyns on K in Sacramento, as well as, Delta King, Old Ironsides, Luna’s cafe, the Fox and Goose Pub, Shady Lady, Torch Club, Vega’s Night Club, Naked Lounge, Shine Cafe and Zuhg Life Store, In Modesto, Jen n General performed at the first annual MUMfest last year. Jen n General also performed In Placerville at the Cozmic Cafe and Synapse Wines, in Auburn at the Club Car, and in Davis at the Jazz and Beat Festival, and Chalk It Up! Music and Art Festival in Sacramento.

Jenn Rogar has also performed on Cable channel 17’s Listen Up! Sacramento and at KVMR studio’s in Nevada City with radio hosts Peggy Bean and Che Greenwood. In the summer of 2011 Jenn performed on a big flat rock right next to the South Yuba River near Nevada city at the Pleasant Revolutionaries’ Shrimp Fest. The amplification was human powered with bicycles!

Jenn Rogar began as a topical songwriter in the tradition of Buffy Sainte Marie, Woody Guthrie, Holly Near, Dianne Patterson, Joanne Rand, Alice DiMicile, Sarah Vaughn, Edith Piaf, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, Kate Wolf, Phil Ochs and Joan Baez. In the tradition of those folks, Jenn believes that it is not enough to just write and sing songs about the injustice in the world, but to lend your voice and body to those causes which support human rights.

Jenn has marched, protested and sang at various rallies and events in Yuba City, Sacramento, Davis and San Francisco supporting Native American rights, freedom from domestic violence, human rights and peace.

Jenn continues to sing in small cafes where the audience is attentive and appreciative and is known as a fine interpreter of traditional/spiritual folk songs. Jenn’s voice has been described as “country/jazz,” “beautiful and soothing” and having “a naturalness and clarity.” Good thing then that Jenn is singing and not another lawyer!

Jenn took on an arduous task and life long dream and spent four years away from the music scene from 2000 to 2004 to attend law school at night at Lincoln Law School in Sacramento while teaching public school during the day in Sacramento and proudly earned her Juris Doctorate in 2004.

In 2007 Jen came back to the music and in 2008 released her first solo album called A Place Called Humanity produced by Sacramento’s legendary recording engineer/ producer, David Houston. On this debut album, Jenn wrote a song called “Dove Spring Girl” about the Navajo (Dine) people’s cultural genocide and ongoing economic and environmental struggle with the Peabody coal mines, Uranium mining and the forced relocation of tens of thousands of Dine away from their homeland (for more see www.blackmesias.org, www.ClanDyken.com).

Another song, “Tree of Life,” examines how ethno/religious centrism blocks the path to genuine world peace. The title track “Place Called Humanity” begs the question of what we are fighting for when Jenn looked into the eyes of a young girl one day at a public playground and read her face..it said please make it a better world for me. Jenn met Mike Farrell in 2011 and performed at many venues and recently finished an album that was produced by Mike Farrell and David Houston entitled “The River”. You can purchase the album here.

Jenn’s current CD can be purchased on CD Baby, local record stores and on i-tunes, or directly through Jenn. Just send an email to jennrogar@gmail.com or leave a message here. The new CD is not as topical,but does feature two topical songs.One is called “Torah” and is about the Israeli/Palestinian war and in particular the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Other songs include the title track “Shasta” about the beautiful Mount Shasta–a spiritual vortex and “The Remembered Earth”–a song about the Mother Earth our human responsibility to be socially conscious consumers.

If you would like to book Jenn Rogar for your next event you can message her here.

You may also email her at jennrogar@gmail.com.

Folksinger/Singer-songwriter/Activist

Jenn Rogar is a topical singer/songwriter in the tradition of Buffy Saint Marie, Holly Near and Bob Dylan, and a singer/activist in the tradition of Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Michael Franti.

Some of the historical figures who have inspired her include Judy Garland, Marlon Brando and Sammy Davis Jr.

She has, in the past twenty years, marched, protested and sang at many events, rallies and marches(as well as cafes, restaurants, clubs and theaters) in Sacramento, the Bay Area, Northern California and Arizona regarding the death penalty, domestic violence, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, 9-11 truth, police brutality, Tibet, Monsanto and GMO’s, union organizing and fair wages, Peace Action, Food Not Bombs, Occupy, Indigenous rights, homelessness, fracking, Chelsea Manning, and freeing political prisoner’s Mumia Abu Jamal and Leonard Peltier.

In 2006 Jenn visited the Navajo reservation and wrote about the ongoing cultural genocide and environmental destruction there caused by corporate uranium and coal mining. She visited Tibet and China that same year and sang impromptu ala Edith Piaf in the streets and stores whenever she could, crowds gathering as she sang.

Jenn believes that it is not enough to write and sing songs about injustice in the world, but to “vote with your feet,” as U. Utah Phillips once said, and lend your voice and body to those causes which support human rights and the rights of Mother Earth.

“Jenn Rogar’s musical style is an eclipse of brilliant lyrics, heartfelt vocals and magical musical musing. Jenn uses her musical gifts to love the planet,” writes Kym Trippsmith of KOWS radio.

Jenn plays a Martin acoustic guitar skillfully in various uniquely-styled percussive rhythms and fingerstyles. Throughout, no song sounds the same.

Jenn Rogar is backed by some impressive musicians, including virtuoso Steve McLane on electric guitar and Ken Rabiroff on bass.

Jenn’s music is self-described as “California Soulful Political Folk Funk,” blending folk, rock, blues, country, soul and gospel.

Jenn also writes funny songs, love songs, a song about the river (really about addiction) and even Mount Shasta in order to reach a wider audience. “I don’t agree with your politics, but I love your soul! You sing from the heart!” exclaimed one exuberant listener at a concert in Sacramento.

Jenn’s voice has been compared to Stevie Nicks and she sings with Springsteen-style passion.

Jenn has been a high school history teacher for 17 years and earned a law degree in 2004. She lives in Sacramento.

Jenn is actively involved in the issues of homelessness since 2011 and organizes and hosts ongoing local concerts benefitting SafeGround (www.SafeGroundSac.org) and often sings at city council meetings.

Jenn’s music can be heard at www.jennrogar.com and also on You Tube (see Jenn’s music video, The River), Soundcloud and Pandora. She has released two albums: “Place Called Humanity” was released in 2008 and “The River” was released in 2013. Both are available on Amazon, itunes, local records stores and by buying direct from Jenn Rogar.

Activism

For over 20 years, Jenn Rogar has been passionately involved in social justice issues such as the environment, political prisoners, death row inmates, homelessness and domestic violence.

Through her music and activism she is proud to be a part of this Movement which continues to bring important human rights issues to the public.

Jenn Rogar invites you to join with her and so many others in this fight for the 99 percent.

Go to the links and learn more about the organizations and causes that Jenn is actively involved with.

Listen to music here or on You Tube, Soundcloud, Reverbnation, last.fm, i-tunes, Amazon and other sites to Jenn’s songs that seek to bring awareness to various issues.

To contact Jenn, email her at jennrogar@gmail.com or leave a message here.

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Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee (SHOC) – Coalition of homeless, formerly homeless people and their supporters

SafegroundSac.org – Help End Homelessness

NoDeathPenalty.org – End the Death Penalty Now

BlackMesaIS.org – Support Dineh Nation Survival

PARC-Auburn.org – Protect the American River Canyon

Humor Times – ‘The World’s Funniest News Source’

Website Creation & Maintenance – The administrator for this site, and for many other satisfied customers.