Just two years ago, Jenna Desmond was starting grad school for speech pathology. She’d gotten a taste of the rock and roll dream — she’d played with indie rock band Susto for three years before leaving along with her musical (and former romantic) partner Corey Campbell to form their own group, Babe Club.
But after the pandemic, Desmond said, she felt the need for a big life change.
“I was almost 30 and feeling low as a musician,” Desmond recalled of her mindset in 2022. “I wanted to be able to survive and so I was seriously thinking about changing my career path.”
While Campbell drove them to High Water 2022 as patrons, not performers, Desmond finished an exam in the car. They arrived just in time to see Sharon Von Etten, a songwriter and 43-year-old mother who found an audience in her thirties. Moved by the experience, Desmond’s priorities pivoted once again.
“I felt inspired and emotional during her set, and it kicked me back into this place,” remembers Desmond. “It was like, ‘She’s up there, in her 40s, she has a kid, and she’s doing it. The next day, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m definitely not going to grad school.’ ”
Fast forward to this April: Babe Club will take the stage at High Water Festival, presented at Riverfront Park, in North Charleston on April 20 and 21. Desmond and Campbell are in exciting company: sharing the lineup with Fleet Foxes, Noah Kahan, Shovels & Rope, Hozier, The Flaming Lips and more.
On the rise
Babe Club’s High Water debut comes at 1:30 p.m. on April 21, landing as a high point of a year that’s found them finishing their full-length debut record after releasing periodic singles since 2018.
“We’re making the work we feel most proud of right now,” Desmond told the Charleston City Paper. “This date is hitting at the perfect time for us.”
In case you haven’t been clued into Babe Club’s tremendous momentum: In 2022, its song “Lazy Lover” was featured in a nationwide Taco Bell commercial.
And this week, it released “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” perhaps their most polished pop-oriented song yet, achieving a dance-inducing, radio-ready sound without sacrificing any of their witty, angst-hued edge. It’s more roll than rock, but Desmond’s silky vocals and compelling layers of instrumentation have earned them a spot back on one of Charleston’s most lauded stages.
For High Water, Babe Club will expand its usual trio lineup, including drummer Julius Deangeles, to a seven-piece, adding Aaron Utterback on bass (from Human Resources), Brett Nash on percussion (from Secret Guest), Jenna’s brother Michael on keys (from Local Nomad) and Mary Norris on guitar (from Slow Funeral).
Desmond said she’s even taking dance lessons to complement her stage presence.
“It’s a motivating thing and a big honor to play High Water.”
Babe Club takes the stage 1:30 p.m. April 21. See the full lineup, purchase tickets and learn more at highwaterfest.com.
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