Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Lee Spencer.
Hi Joy Lee, having you on the platform is an honor. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Hi, my name is Joy Lee Spencer. I am a songwriter and musician living in Hailey, Idaho. Hailey, Idaho, is 12 miles south of the Sun Valley ski resort. I can see the mountain from my house. I moved to Idaho from Atlanta, Georgia, 16 years ago. My husband, Mark Spencer, is a landscape architect and owns a local landscape and design business, Native Evergreen, in Ketchum, Idaho. My son, Elk Spencer, grew up as a competitive snowboarder and attended a high school focused on outdoor experiences, such as backpacking, kayaking, snow cave building, and solo excursions in the backcountry. Elk is graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a political science major this spring. Our close family loves all things outdoors, such as snowboarding, camping, hiking, rafting, outdoor music festivals, and dogs (especially wiener dogs)! In addition to being a musician, I am a full-time teacher. I teach fourth grade in Ketchum, Idaho. I also just received my 200-hour yoga training certification for teaching adults and children. I also love sewing, baking, and creating birthday and wedding cakes for friends.
As I said before, I am a singer/songwriter. I sing, write songs, and play guitar. I grew up in East Tennessee in a small town called Jacksboro. It’s a beautiful part of Tennessee at the foot of Cumberland Mountain. When I was growing up, the population was about 1,200. It’s about 30 minutes north of Knoxville, Tennessee. I have three younger sisters, and we are all still very close even though I now live far away. The people in this region of Tennessee are lovely and caring, and most of them tend to spend a lot of time outdoors.
I grew up hearing and being influenced by a lot of country, bluegrass music, and roots music. Growing up, I used to go to the Museum of Appalachia Homecomings and heard many wonderful musicians playing and picking on the porches there. My mom would also play traditional country music legends on record players, such as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Waylon Jennings. We would go to Dollywood at least once every summer. I had a true Southern upbringing. My mom and dad’s families all lived in the same small town. It was great growing up with my grandparents and so much family close by. One of my grandmothers, Mama Higgy, lived next door to us. She had a full beauty shop in the basement of her house. I spent much time in the beauty shop listening to the women tell their stories and catching up on everything local.
I graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I majored in environmental studies. I met my husband in school at the University of Tennessee in 1998. We are both UT alumni. We had our son in 2001 and briefly lived in Atlanta for five years. Mark and I moved our family to Hailey, Idaho, in 2006 to escape the city. He had a job opportunity in Hailey, and we decided to go for it! Moving from the South and away from our families was a huge deal. However, living in south-central Idaho has been a dream. We live just 12 miles south of the famous Sun Valley Ski Resort. We also live 2 hours south of the biggest roadless area in the lower 48 states, the Frank Church Wilderness Area. It is a magical place! We have so many outdoor recreation opportunities and have met wonderful people. I was happy to get back to a small town. The area is remote, but there are a lot of artists and musicians who live here. There is a great local music scene. After moving to Idaho, I began playing guitar, singing, and writing songs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s always challenging to balance family, work, and music, my passion. I am grateful to be supported by my family. My husband and son understand that music makes me very happy! Luckily, being a teacher allowed me to focus more on music and writing during the summer. As with all artists, I struggle with creative blocks at times. Self-care and giving myself grace during those times are extremely valuable. I have to trust that everything will come at the right time.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I formed the band Hurdy Gurdy Girls about 11 years ago in 2012. We are a three-piece all-girl string band. We play old-time roots music, mostly original songs, obscure traditional country songs, and fiddle tunes. I sing and play guitar. Annie Maude Bradish sings and plays the fiddle. Natalie Rose Ertz sings and plays upright bass. We began playing open mics in Hailey and Bellevue, Idaho and eventually felt confident enough to take gigs. We have played Treefort Music Fest five times. It is the largest music festival in the Northwest and happens each spring in Boise, Idaho. We have played the Yellow Pine Music and Harmonica Festival five times. It is an excellent festival in the Idaho backcountry, miles away from everything! If you love camping in a pine forest beside a rushing river, this festival is for you! We have also played festivals such as the Sawtooth Gathering in Stanley, Idaho, and Hermit Music Festival in Mountain Home, Idaho. We always play at The Magic Circus, a local music festival in Magic City, Idaho. This summer, we plan a small tour in Montana with Hillfolk Noir, a Boise band that plays old-time and roots music.
Hurdy Gurdy Girls refers to the women musicians who played for the miners in Idaho in the late 1800s during the mining boom. These women, usually from Eastern Europe or Germany, would visit mining towns, perform for the miners and dance with them for a fee. They usually traveled with an instrument called a Hurdy Gurdy. This instrument looks like a violin with keys where the strings would be. It also has a hand crank at one end and is held at waist level with a strap. My friend and fellow musician in Idaho, Spike Coggins, wrote a song called “Hurdy Gurdy Girls.” After finding out what a Hurdy Gurdy Girl was, we decided the name was fitting for our band.
I want to design my stage wear! In addition, I purchased a small cabin on Magic Reservoir last summer. I am converting it into a music/sewing studio.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The lockdown was difficult in many ways. However, I was able to spend some valuable time with my husband and son. We bought a vintage 1962 Shasta camper and spent over 30 nights camping in remote places in southern Idaho. I could also keep playing music, form another band, and write an album. It was a valuable and productive time in my life. Since most musicians were forced to take a break from touring, the Hurdy Gurdy Girls were invited to play music with musicians who would have normally been touring. A new band called Spike Coggins and the Accused was born!
Spike Coggins and the Accused members are Spike Coggins on vocals, banjo, and harmonic, Metal Marty Chandler of the band Supersuckers on vocals and lead guitar, Cam Bouiss of Finn Riggins on drums, and all of the Hurdy Gurdy Girls on the instruments previously mentioned. We play original songs with an outlaw country/rock and roll sound as a six-piece band. It is the ultimate fun!
New Album
Hurdy Gurdy Girls just recorded the album we wrote during Covid-19. We recorded at Tonic Studio in Boise, Idaho, with producer Metal Marty Chandler and sound engineer Jason Ringlestetter. All members of the Accused are featured on the album as well. The album is a mix of original ballads, a waltz, a traditional bluegrass tune, and some bangers that will make you feel like you are part of the party. It’s a diverse collection of songs, and I think the variety will entertain listeners. It’s been a dream come true to be able to record them. We are still working on the final mixing and logistics. The album will be available by early summer 2023.
The album still needs a name, but “Dime a Dance” or “Can’t Keep a Lid on It!” are possibilities. Even though this is our second album, it’s the first time we got to work with a producer and sound engineer. It is still a learning process, but so much fun! Making this album has brought us closer as a band and given us more confidence as performers.
These songs are special to us. I wrote the song “Highroad” about a tough family situation. It has a spaghetti western feel and reminds me of bandits riding horseback across the desert. With the increasing number of shows about cowboys and ranching, I’m wondering if this song could be paired with a visual. I think it would be great!
“Don’t Go Dark” is about fighting depression, which I have struggled with my entire life. I wrote this song on my couch on a beautiful spring day, trying to make sense of my inner world. “It’s beautiful outside! How and why do I feel so terrible?” In this song, I’m begging myself to stay positive.
“Knoxville” is a waltz that I wrote for my husband. It is about how we came together as a couple at the beginning of our relationship. It has beautiful imagery of patchwork dresses, overalls, the Tennessee River, and dogwood trees. I just wanted us to be reminded of the time we spent together when our relationship was new. This song can be a bit of a tearjerker. Side note, Mark and I just celebrated the anniversary of our first date 25 years ago!
‘Can’t Keep a Lid on It” is (currently) my favorite song on the album! I wrote this about going out in Ketchum, Idaho, and hitting every bar in town! This does not happen much anymore, but it’s a song that will get you moving and feeling good.
Other songs included are a fiddle medley of “Country Waltz” and “Spotted Pony.” Both are traditional fiddle tunes. “Doghouse” is a song about a bar fight in Ketchum, Idaho. (Yes, I was there!) “More Pretty Girls,” a traditional, old-time song. “Too Rowdy” is a song about being too wild to actually get far without returning home. We made a video for “Too Rowdy,” that you can find on YouTube or our website.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.Hurdy GurdyGirls.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hurdygurdygirls/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hurdygurdygirl/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/dBciBIW5BeA
